Obscure British Manufacturers.
Discussion
Interesting to see the mention of the Clan Crusader above. When I was a motoring journalist years ago I once visited a garage proprietor in rural Wiltshire who showed me, in the back of his premises, a set of moulds. He told me they were originally the Clan Crusader and he had bought them from a guy in Northern Ireland who had tried to build cars with them and sell them as the 'Corrie Cultra'. I mentioned this in the paper and, to my amazement, a couple of weeks later a guy from the Department of Transport construction and use regulations department turned up in my office asking for details!
Edit: I see now it was the Corry Cultra and Google is full of it...
Edit: I see now it was the Corry Cultra and Google is full of it...
Since there were scores of small companies who tried to establish themselves in the flourishing market at the end of WW1, it's not difficult to find what are now obscure marques. But I came across this one, the Marseel, later called the Marseal, which might interest you. It was pretty ordinary, powered by a Coventry-Simplex engine, but about 1200 were made between 1920/25. The change of name came when one of the partners left, and the remaining one was none other than our old friend Capt. Donald Marendaz. For once he seems to have built and sold a reasonable product.
I like obscurity, here's one I never heard of before , the Lloyd 650, there's one for sale on that Ebay site
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1950-Lloyd-650-plus-Spar...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1950-Lloyd-650-plus-Spar...
spec sounds pretty rubbish, looks reasonable, perhaps an ancestry connected to Bond or some such
|http://thumbsnap.com/KkKbrCXo[/url]
When are two stroke cars going to make a come back with the benefits of modern technology?
With acknowledgements to Wikipedia, here's the blurb
Lloyd 650
Manufacturer Lloyd Cars Ltd
Production 1946-1950
Predecessor Lloyd 350
Successor none
Body style 2-door 2/4-seat roadster
Engine 654 cc Lloyd 2-stroke
Transmission 4-speed manual
Wheelbase 93 in (2,362 mm)[3]
Length 147 in (3,734 mm)[3]
Width 51 in (1,295 mm)[3]
Curb weight 1,400 lb (635 kg)[3]
In 1946, the production restarted with a larger two-cylinder 654 cc Lloyd-made engine with a bore of 70 mm and stroke of 85 mm producing 25 bhp at 2450 rpm.[1] The twin-cylinder alloy unit was mounted transversely at the front and drove the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all speeds including reverse.[4] It was still a two-stroke but the bearings were pressure lubricated. A third cylinder and piston which had a reciprocating and slightly rotating motion was connected to the carburettor with ports in the cylinder walls connecting to the engine's two cylinders. This was used to draw the fuel mixture from the carburettor and transfer the mixture to each engine cylinder. This double-acting fuel charging cylinder piston was hollow with ports located in the piston walls and ports located in the charging cylinder walls connecting to each of the engine's main cylinders. One engine cylinder was charged by the charging cylinder piston's down and slightly rotating stroke which allowed the piston and charging cylinder side wall port to uncover and allow the mixture transfer to the engine cylinder. The other engine cylinder being charged with mixture by the upwards stroke of the charging cylinder piston. The engine cylinders and the fuel charging cylinders were set in a triangular configuration with the fuel charging cylinder being located centrally and receiving gravity fed fuel from the bulkhead mounted fuel tank. This method of mixture input to the engine cylinders allowed for the engine wet oil sump.
The chassis again had all independent suspension but now by coil springs fitted in oil tight cylinders with the oil acting as damper. The springs were horizontal at the front and vertical at the rear. The body was fabricated from aluminium. The braking system used a Bowden type cable operated system. Steering was by rack and pinion. The gear change lever was mounted horizontally just below the steering wheel.
The car was much more streamlined than the pre war body but with an overall length of 12 feet 3 inches and two or four-seater open bodywork the car was really too big for its engine and performance was poor with a top speed of only 55 mph (85 km/h).[1] The car was also very expensive at £480 in 1948 when family sized cars could be bought for £300.[4] Roughly 600 cars were produced and some were exported to Australia, Belgium, Denmark, India and the United States.[4][url]
|http://thumbsnap.com/KkKbrCXo[/url]When are two stroke cars going to make a come back with the benefits of modern technology?
With acknowledgements to Wikipedia, here's the blurb
Lloyd 650
Manufacturer Lloyd Cars Ltd
Production 1946-1950
Predecessor Lloyd 350
Successor none
Body style 2-door 2/4-seat roadster
Engine 654 cc Lloyd 2-stroke
Transmission 4-speed manual
Wheelbase 93 in (2,362 mm)[3]
Length 147 in (3,734 mm)[3]
Width 51 in (1,295 mm)[3]
Curb weight 1,400 lb (635 kg)[3]
In 1946, the production restarted with a larger two-cylinder 654 cc Lloyd-made engine with a bore of 70 mm and stroke of 85 mm producing 25 bhp at 2450 rpm.[1] The twin-cylinder alloy unit was mounted transversely at the front and drove the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all speeds including reverse.[4] It was still a two-stroke but the bearings were pressure lubricated. A third cylinder and piston which had a reciprocating and slightly rotating motion was connected to the carburettor with ports in the cylinder walls connecting to the engine's two cylinders. This was used to draw the fuel mixture from the carburettor and transfer the mixture to each engine cylinder. This double-acting fuel charging cylinder piston was hollow with ports located in the piston walls and ports located in the charging cylinder walls connecting to each of the engine's main cylinders. One engine cylinder was charged by the charging cylinder piston's down and slightly rotating stroke which allowed the piston and charging cylinder side wall port to uncover and allow the mixture transfer to the engine cylinder. The other engine cylinder being charged with mixture by the upwards stroke of the charging cylinder piston. The engine cylinders and the fuel charging cylinders were set in a triangular configuration with the fuel charging cylinder being located centrally and receiving gravity fed fuel from the bulkhead mounted fuel tank. This method of mixture input to the engine cylinders allowed for the engine wet oil sump.
The chassis again had all independent suspension but now by coil springs fitted in oil tight cylinders with the oil acting as damper. The springs were horizontal at the front and vertical at the rear. The body was fabricated from aluminium. The braking system used a Bowden type cable operated system. Steering was by rack and pinion. The gear change lever was mounted horizontally just below the steering wheel.
The car was much more streamlined than the pre war body but with an overall length of 12 feet 3 inches and two or four-seater open bodywork the car was really too big for its engine and performance was poor with a top speed of only 55 mph (85 km/h).[1] The car was also very expensive at £480 in 1948 when family sized cars could be bought for £300.[4] Roughly 600 cars were produced and some were exported to Australia, Belgium, Denmark, India and the United States.[4][url]
RichB said:
Very obscure but I'm struggling to the engine, all I can see is a tiny two cylinder job which presumably is an ancillary generator to keep the battery nicely charged... 
That was all there was - any car was better than no car in those days. The Lloyd was built in Grimsby, and rumour had it that the frame was made from old fish boxes. Some of the interior trim was compressed cardboard.
nicanary said:
RichB said:
Very obscure but I'm struggling to the engine, all I can see is a tiny two cylinder job which presumably is an ancillary generator to keep the battery nicely charged...
That was all there was - any car was better than no car in those days. The Lloyd was built in Grimsby, and rumour had it that the frame was made from old fish boxes. Some of the interior trim was compressed cardboard.
JREwing said:
I've wondered for a while about radial-engined cars!
Can anyone tell me of any others?
try this youtube vid!!Can anyone tell me of any others?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2V7B7-gdRA
[quote=fireturk]
try this youtube vid!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2V7B7-gdRA
[/q
I'm pretty sure the background music is the old East Germany national anthem. Radial aero engines vibrate like hell, so God knows how they secured it to the floor.
I recall a free VHS tape which came with C & SC years ago, where an old Ford Pop had a prop-driven Gypsy Moth engine at the front. All fire and noise.
try this youtube vid!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2V7B7-gdRA
[/q
I'm pretty sure the background music is the old East Germany national anthem. Radial aero engines vibrate like hell, so God knows how they secured it to the floor.
I recall a free VHS tape which came with C & SC years ago, where an old Ford Pop had a prop-driven Gypsy Moth engine at the front. All fire and noise.
dartissimus said:
I had to go back thro 10 pages of topics to find this thread,
A friend has just told me about a Hodson, made in Leeds at Moortown Garages in the 20's.
I'm from North Leeds & have never heard of it, nor has Google, can anyone add anything?
It should be the HODGSON made from 1924/25 with bought-in Anzani engines and Meadows gearboxes. They only made eight altogether, and then went on to make 5 cars under the name British Eagle. The brainchild of Harry Hodgson, who had previously built a racing car for himself on the same lines.A friend has just told me about a Hodson, made in Leeds at Moortown Garages in the 20's.
I'm from North Leeds & have never heard of it, nor has Google, can anyone add anything?
Sorry if it's already been posted but another obscurity is the Orpington Car, which was made in Orpington in the 1920s.
Wikipedia info:
The Orpington Car, designed by Frank Smith and built by Smith & Milroy Ltd at their works in Wellington Road, was shown at the 1920 Motor Show. It was a two-seater convertible, with a dickey seat, and a 10 horsepower (7 kW) engine. Although briefly successful, Smith and Milroy could not compete with mass production, and the last car was commonly believed to have been built in 1925. The only known survivor at the time reportedly once appeared in the 1970s television series Crossroads, but this has not been substantiated. There are now no known surviving examples in existence.
It's a shame none survive, but they also seem impossible to find pics of. If anyone can find some photos I would be grateful.
Wikipedia info:
The Orpington Car, designed by Frank Smith and built by Smith & Milroy Ltd at their works in Wellington Road, was shown at the 1920 Motor Show. It was a two-seater convertible, with a dickey seat, and a 10 horsepower (7 kW) engine. Although briefly successful, Smith and Milroy could not compete with mass production, and the last car was commonly believed to have been built in 1925. The only known survivor at the time reportedly once appeared in the 1970s television series Crossroads, but this has not been substantiated. There are now no known surviving examples in existence.
It's a shame none survive, but they also seem impossible to find pics of. If anyone can find some photos I would be grateful.
Well done on the Hodgson, very impressive. PHer beats Wikipedia. I shall see if our Leeds based resident guru at the Daimler club meeting tonight knows the Hodgson. It could be the easiest pint I've ever made.
Another Leeds-made car was the Day
http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/J/JobDayAndSon...
Another Leeds-made car was the Day
http://www.bphs.net/GroupFacilities/J/JobDayAndSon...
sc42 said:
Re the Montgomery works in Bury St Edmunds, a useful starting point is an 1871 photograph of Orchard Street on the Bury Past and Present Society website (under other streets in the main streets heading). The street looks pretty much the same now, but roughly where the cart is in the 1871 photograph is number 9 Orchard Street which has a small yard to the side and back. The yard has a small, rather dilapidated building which could have been an old store or part of a light industrial unit. Moreover no 10 Orchard Street (which is further away from the viewer on the 1871 photo and which adjoins the yard of no 9) appears to be the only house in the street which is 20th century, so my guess (and it's only a guess) is that this could have been the site. Hope this helps!
I must confess I'd forgotten about this thread! The Montgomery is back on the road, so once the weather improves we'll try and have a ride over to Bury to show it it's roots
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