Horley (automobile)

The Horley Motor & Engineering Co. Ltd was a British automobile manufacturer in Horley, Surrey, producing light vehicles between 1904 and 1909. The brand names were Horley and No Name. Horley collaborated with Lacoste & Battmann, the French supplier of vehicle components, assemblies and unbranded vehicles equipped with Aster, De Dion-Bouton or Mutel engines.[1][2]

Horley 8 HP 4-seater (1904)
Horley 8 HP 2-seater (1904)

The manufacturing premises were at Balcombe road, Horley.[3]

Models
The Horley Motor & Engineering exhibition stand, circa 1904/6

1904

The first model, an 8 HP two-seater, was exhibited at the Crystal Palace Automobile Show in London in 1904. It was reportedly sold under both the Horley and No Name brand names. It used a front-mounted, single-cylinder engine equipped with mechanically operated valves, which was supplied by the Motor Manufacturing Company (M.M.C.) of Coventry.[4] The transmission had three forward gears plus reverse gear, and a shaft drive to the rear axle. The wheels had wooden spokes ("artillery wheels").[5]

The 8 HP was initially offered as a two-seater, but later in 1904 it was enhanced with space for four people. Production continued for three years.

The original price of £105 made Horley one of the earliest companies to achieve the figure of 100 gns (guineas) for a complete car.[5][6][1]

1906

In 1906 the model was uprated to become the Horley 9 HP, which had an engine with a displacement of 1,182 cm³ and a wheelbase of 1,828 mm. This resulted in a price increase.[1][6]

1907

In 1907 the Horley 8½ HP replaced the 9HP. There was also a light touring car with a 904 cc White and Poppe water-cooled, side-valve two-cylinder inline engine. The wheelbase of the car was 1,854 mm.[1][6]

1908

In 1908 a delivery van was introduced, with an engine from Aster of Paris, the leading supplier of engines.[1][7]

Demise

Revival project

Circa 2020 the Horley Autocar Community Project was announced with the objective:

"... to build a replica of the Horley car, in one of its various forms that were manufactured 1904 to 1914 at the Horley Motor and Engineering premises, Balcombe Rd, Horley."[3]

The project is intended: ... to be managed by students and masters at Oakwood School, Balcombe Rd, Horley.[3]

Literature
  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1999, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 .
  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .
  • George Nicholas Georgano (Ed.): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile . tape 2 : G-O . Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 (English).

See also

References
  1. G. N. Georgano The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  2. Mutel advert
  3. Horley Autocar Community Project
  4. Grace's Guide, Motor_Manufacturing_Co_(MMC)
  5. "The Motor-Car Journal" Article: The Crystal Palace Automobile Show - Petrol Cars, Author: Charles Cordingley, Publisher: Cordingley & Co. London. 27 February 1904. Pages 1012-1022
  6. The Complete Encyclopedia of Motor cars - 1885 to present. G. N. Georgano
  7. Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader: Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie. United Soft Media Verlag, München 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8.
  • The Motor-Car Journal: The Crystal Palace Automobile Show - Petrol Cars . Ed .: Charles Cordingley. tape V . Cordingley & Co., London February 27, 1904, p. 1012-1022 .
  • The Motor-Car Journal: The 8-hp Horley Four-seated Car . Ed .: Charles Cordingley. tape VI . Cordingley & Co., London September 10, 1904, p. 582 .
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Horley Motor & Engineering.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.