Ian Coomber, in his book, Vauxhall: Britain’s Oldest Car Maker, does something I’ve not seen elsewhere, in that he names people who bought the cars adding something of their experience. He adds, ‘reliability was certainly not guaranteed from any manufacturer and car reliability trials and hill climbs were becoming popular with the public as a means of comparing makes’. He does also relate the fascinating story.
In the area of London known as Vauxhall, Alexander Wilson produced medal winning steam engines for paddle boats, propellor driven craft and small ‘donkey engines’ used on ships for driving machines such as winches. They won contracts from the Admiralty and supplied engines for Thames tugs, pleasure boats and, even, Nile cruise boats. It can be inferred from their advertising that their method of manufacture was an early form of mass production with ‘special tools and machinery’ employed.
Whilst his engineering skills were great, they were not matched by his administration, and his company fell foul of the long depression and a receiver, Jack Chambers, was appointed. This was fortuitous, for Chambers remained a director of the limited company formed after the receivership, together with talented engineer, William Gardner. Wilson left soon after, but, under Chambers and Gardner, the company prospered. It was Chambers who was attracted by motor cars and he gathered a talented team around him, including the young Percy Kidder, and, rather like Lanchester, produced prototype engines from scratch for use, initially, to power river launches. The engine was then adapted for fitting in a car body, which they too built from scratch. The result was the Vauxhall 5 hp. Light Car, selling in 1903 for one hundred and thirty guineas.
Vauxhall moved to Luton, became owned by the American General Motors and built the Churchill Tank in the Second World War.
I continue the story of Vauxhall in How Britain Shaped the Manufacturing World and Vehicles to Vaccines.
No comments:
Post a Comment