Bow-V-Car

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Bow-V-Car

Bow-V Cyclecar 1922.jpg

The Bow-V car from Motor Cycle magazine 1922
Overview
Manufacturer Plycar Company
Production 1922-1923
Assembly Upper Norwood, London, UK
Designer Charles Frederick Beauvais
Body and chassis
Class Cyclecar
Body style Two seat open tourer
Layout Rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout
Powertrain
Engine Precision air-cooled V-twin engine, kick start
Transmission Jardine four speed gearbox
Dimensions
Wheelbase 2,133.6 mm (84 in)
Width 1,295.4 mm (51 in)

The Bow-V-Car was an English cyclecar manufactured from 1922 to 1923 by the Plycar Company of Church Road, Upper Norwood, London. The car was designed by Charles Frederick Beauvais who was later better known as a stylist working for coachbuilders New Avon Body Company. [1]

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Cyclecar tiny car designs briefly popular in the 1910s–20s

A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car.

Upper Norwood area of South London within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon and Lambeth

Upper Norwood is an area of south-east London within the London Boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Lambeth and Southwark. It is north of Croydon and is synonymous with the Crystal Palace area.

It had an integral chassis/body made largely of plywood, with a tubular frame at the rear for the engine and transmission. The engine was a rear-mounted, air-cooled (fan-assisted), 10 hp vee-twin engine made by Precision [2] and equipped with a Degory carburetor. Transmission was via a four speed Jardine gearbox. [3] Final drive to the rear axle was by chain, the rear chain tension being adjusted by moving the axle in the frame. A lever offered a combined exhaust lifter and connection by rod to a "kick-starter". As regards the brake and clutch pedals the pivot point can be moved so as to adjust the leverage to suite the driver. The brakes (on two wheels) were of external contracting type.

Chassis internal vehicle frame

A chassis is the framework of an artificial object, which supports the object in its construction and use. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart of a motor vehicle, on which the body is mounted; if the running gear such as wheels and transmission, and sometimes even the driver's seat, are included, then the assembly is described as a rolling chassis.

Plywood manufactured wood panel made from thin sheets of wood veneer

Plywood is a material manufactured from thin layers or "plies" of wood veneer that are glued together with adjacent layers having their wood grain rotated up to 90 degrees to one another. It is an engineered wood from the family of manufactured boards which includes medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and particle board (chipboard).

Beardmore Precision Motorcycles

Beardmore Precision Motorcycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer. The original Precision company was set up by Frank E.Baker in Birmingham, and quickly established a reputation for performance motorcycle engines, supplying Haden, and Sun Motorcycles.

Cantilever springs were supplied for the suspension with rubber buffers to further lessen road shocks. [3] The engine and transmission were unsprung weight, Each car was provided with 5 of 650 by 65mm Lynton disc wheels. The wheelbase was 7 ft, the track 3 ft 5in, and the overall width 4 ft 3in. With two seat open body the car was advertised in 1922 at £180 (£200 with lighting set). [3] Very few were made.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ David Burgess Wise, The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Automobiles
  2. ↑ Baldwin, Nick (1994). The Automobile A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Bideford, England: Bay View Books. p. 45. ISBN   1901432092.
  3. 1 2 3 "A four-wheeler on Motor Cycle lines", Motor Cycle, 22 June 1922, p840


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