Obscure British Manufacturers.

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Discussion

CapriV6S

421 posts

141 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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To nicanary and Oldmerc, just checked in here, was at annual Scottish Capri Club event at Alford, Aberdeenshire, thanks for your efforts as regards Parkinson car.

EddyP

846 posts

219 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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esso said:
That Sir is quite stunning!!!!...yesterday i was actually reading an article in an old Classic & Sportscar mag on a guy who has restored a 1929 Graham-Paige 615 from a wreck.When restoring/rebuilding a car which is rare as this how do you manage to find all the component parts to do it? or is it a case of having items manufactured or adapting parts to suit....it amazes me the ability of people who restore cars such as this one...well done!

Edited by esso on Sunday 26th August 08:42
There were only around 50 made, some of differing body styles, we think there's about 5 left. I sold this to a guy who also owned another drop head coupe (like this one), the main reason he bought it is because it was further through the restoration than his, and as a result was a good basis to use for patterns to help get his own sorted.

Parts vary, Engine bits aren't too bad as it's a Graham, so when my father rebuilt the engine he managed to get new Hepolite pistons, a new cam, and then had to have some head gaskets made.
All of the electricals are Lucas prince of darkness, so easy enough to have bits off the shelf for it.

Other parts are more tricky, for example it's fitted with a Smiths Jackall system to lift the whole car up in the case of a puncture, my father had to make bits for this himself as he couldn't get them.
Bodywork is all coach built, so is a one off really, I used a coach builder near Derby who did a pretty good job of it, he just worked with what we had and the pictures we had to try and recreate it.

Unofrunately when we bought the car it had a lot of parts missing, as at some point in it's life it had an accident, this did some chassis damage, as a result of which when the MOT was introduced in the 60s it failed, it was then taken apart in a lean to garage and left there till the early 80s, when it was rescued parts were found all over his house, headlights in kitchen cupboards etc...
Some of the missing parts couldn't be replaced, like Hood Irons, and a casting that is bolted to the front of the chassis and holds the bumper and spot lamp bar. Luckily we managed to borrow these parts from other owners and then had copies cast, at great expense, but it's the only way to do it.

Remember it was built in the 30s, so anything they did, we can do now smile

nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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Just looking through my Observers Book of Automobiles 1959 - this powerhouse had an Excelsior bike engine under the floor. Fun on the motorway.



nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Sunday 26th August 2012
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nicanary said:










Just looking through my Observers Book of Automobiles 1959 - this powerhouse had an Excelsior bike engine under the floor. Fun on the motorway.
Forgot to say, it's an Astra, made in Hampton Hill, middlesex. by a subsidiary of the Anzani Engine Co 1956/59.

RichB

51,432 posts

283 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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nicanary said:
Just looking through my Observers Book of Automobiles 1959 - this powerhouse had an Excelsior bike engine under the floor. Fun on the motorway.
So the same engine as the Berkely T60 three wheeler but I don't think Berkeley count as obscure.

alsaautomotive

684 posts

199 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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Until very recently a great uncle of mine owned what was believed to be the sole surviving Galloway 12 which he sold in a deal with Malcolm C Elder on a rather nice Alvis.
A quick Google search turns up a pic of his car on Wiki, but no mention of survival rates!

Old Merc

3,486 posts

166 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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Bucklers of Reading were in business from 1939 to 1965 and built sports and racing cars around the Ford E93A engine.I picked this one as Reading is my home town and I can remember them when I started my motor trade career in 1963.They had a huge machine shop for engine recon`s,they also built the "Buckler Special" E93A engine with twin SU`s for the stock car boys that used to race at Reading Stadium.As most of you know that engine had white metal big ends but Buckler converted them to shell bearings.


nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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alsaautomotive said:
Until very recently a great uncle of mine owned what was believed to be the sole surviving Galloway 12 which he sold in a deal with Malcolm C Elder on a rather nice Alvis.
A quick Google search turns up a pic of his car on Wiki, but no mention of survival rates!
I'm not surprised only one is believed to exist - they were only made for one year 1925/26. Apparently a subsidiary of the Arrol-Johnston concern.

nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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Old Merc said:
Bucklers of Reading were in business from 1939 to 1965 and built sports and racing cars around the Ford E93A engine.I picked this one as Reading is my home town and I can remember them when I started my motor trade career in 1963.They had a huge machine shop for engine recon`s,they also built the "Buckler Special" E93A engine with twin SU`s for the stock car boys that used to race at Reading Stadium.As most of you know that engine had white metal big ends but Buckler converted them to shell bearings.

I didn't realise until I read it, but Derek Buckler was a visionary. His MkV (There were no Mks 1-4, he thought it sounded good), was only the second space-frame chassis ever offered to the public, the first being the Cisitalia. Most Bucklers were sold as kits - I think he occasionally offered to finish one for some customers, so it does count as a manufacturer.

CRA1G

6,500 posts

194 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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"Ogle"springs to mind early 60's similar to Marcus based around the Mini iirc was taken over by Reliant and was the basis of the Scimitar.

esso

Original Poster:

1,849 posts

216 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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I visited the Coventry Festival of Motoring yesterday and came across another make i have never heard of...Palladium....have googled it and cannot find anything?

esso

Original Poster:

1,849 posts

216 months

Monday 27th August 2012
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nicanary said:
Oh er, a competition....

The OP likes 50s sports cars, so I give you the Marauder, made by two Rover employees, and based on P4 mechanicals. Manufactured between 1950 and 52, and only 15 built


Thought about this one the other day..only ever seen one....they were done in Knowle or Dorridge in Warwickshire i believe?

longshot

3,286 posts

197 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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Rochdale.
Not a very exciting name for what are, in my opinion, pretty cool little cars.

This is a Rochdale Olympic.

CRA1G

6,500 posts

194 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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esso said:
I visited the Coventry Festival of Motoring yesterday and came across another make i have never heard of...Palladium....have googled it and cannot find anything?
The Palladium covered the medium to large sector of the market with one engine nearly four litres,from around 1911 to 1925.

Old Merc

3,486 posts

166 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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CRA1G said:
The Palladium covered the medium to large sector of the market with one engine nearly four litres,from around 1911 to 1925.
This must be the Palladium your talking about,this ad` is dated 1923.


esso

Original Poster:

1,849 posts

216 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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Old Merc said:
CRA1G said:
The Palladium covered the medium to large sector of the market with one engine nearly four litres,from around 1911 to 1925.
This must be the Palladium your talking about,this ad` is dated 1923.

The open car is the same as the one i saw,it was un-restored,green with red wheels,it looked like someone had hand painted it in the past and the paint had reacted with the paint underneath,but that`s the way i like them,if you strip that away your stripping away the cars history & past surely? and that can never be re-created.

nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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esso said:
I visited the Coventry Festival of Motoring yesterday and came across another make i have never heard of...Palladium....have googled it and cannot find anything?
Until 1922, most of their production was based on bought-in parts, including Chapuis-Dornier engines. They then brought out their own 12hp 4-cyl design which was marketed until 1925. only 280 were bult, so there can't be many left.

Anyone remember the Autovia...















This was Riley's attempt at an up-market car, with a V8 2.8 litre engine. They decided on a separate brand name (shades of Toyota and Lexus) and even built a separate factory. Way overpriced, and only 35 built before Riley went into receivership. Prod was 1938/38.

nicanary

9,751 posts

145 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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Of course it wasn't.. it was 1936 to 1938. how time flies.....

mat777

10,360 posts

159 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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A make I see a lot of in the VSCC but there seems to be scant information on, is GN:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GN_(car)

Seems to be a precursor to the famous "chain gang" Frazer-Nash racers, and also a favourite of vintage special builders - I've never seen a standard GN!

Old Merc

3,486 posts

166 months

Tuesday 28th August 2012
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mat777 said:
A make I see a lot of in the VSCC but there seems to be scant information on, is GN:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GN_(car)

Seems to be a precursor to the famous "chain gang" Frazer-Nash racers, and also a favourite of vintage special builders - I've never seen a standard GN!
Yours Sir without the "accompaniment of uncouth noises" £140!!!