Vulcan (motor vehicles)

Last updated

Vulcan lorry, built 1949 Vulcan Truck mfrd 1949 4195 cc.JPG
Vulcan lorry, built 1949

The Vulcan Motor and Engineering Company Limited, of Southport, England, made cars from 1902 until 1928 and commercial vehicles from 1914 until 1953. [1]

Contents

History

1902-1918

Brothers Thomas and Joseph Hampson had built an experimental car in Bolton in 1899. [2] In 1902 they moved to Southport trading as Vulcan Motor Manufacturing and Trading and built the first Vulcan car which was a 4 hp single-cylinder belt-driven type driving the rear wheels through a two speed gearbox and a belt to the back axle. In 1903, this grew to 6.5 hp with shaft drive and the chassis was now "armoured ash". Twin-cylinder 1.5 L models followed in 1904 now with steel chassis and in 1905, 2 and then 3 L four-cylinder types appeared and the company moved from Yellow House Lane to Hawesside Street, both in Southport. Things kept growing and a van version of the twin came in 1906 along with large 4.8 L six-cylinder models and a move to even larger premises at Crossens, Southport with a change of company name to Vulcan Motor and Engineering. The six-cylinder model grew to 6 L in 1908. In 1912, a new small car — the 10/12 of 1.8 L with two-cylinder Aster engine — was added, the first use of a bought in engine.

2-seater 1911 15.9hp 2.4-litres 1911 Vulcan 2-seater (9989863036).jpg
2-seater 1911 15.9hp 2.4-litres

At the outbreak of World War I, the range consisted of the 2.4 L four-cylinder 10/15, the 2.6 L 15.9, the 3 L 15/20 and the last of the old sixes, the 25/30. As a sign of things to come, a 30 long cwt (1.5 long tons) truck was also offered. This model saw use as an ambulance in Britain, India, Belgium, Russia, and Portugal. [1] During the war, the factory concentrated on munitions. In 1916, the Hampson brothers left the company and it was reformed as Vulcan Motor Engineering (1916) under the control of C.B. Wardman. [2] In 1918, the company bought Southport F.C. which was renamed Southport Vulcan — thus becoming the first football club to take a sponsor's name.

1919-1930

In 1919, Harper Bean acquired 75% of the company under a complex cash and shares deal and went into the British Motor Trading Corporation with the intention Vulcan be responsible for commercial vehicles; nevertheless, car production continued. The group also included Swift Motor Company and a number of components manufacturers. [1]

A 1922 Vulcan 20 HP Tourer 1922 Vulcan 20HP Tourer.jpg
A 1922 Vulcan 20 HP Tourer
Vulcan truck Vulcan lorry.JPG
Vulcan truck
Vulcan demonstration van, PS360 in 1924. Shown in Ireland. Vulcan Demonstration Van.jpg
Vulcan demonstration van, £360 in 1924. Shown in Ireland.

With peace the first new launch was the 16 with 2.6 L Dorman engine. The cars now had a flat radiator replacing the pre-war "bullnose" type. There was also a nominal 12 model which became the main product from 1920 to 1927, which was available with a range of engines from Dorman (1.8 L), Meadows (1.5 L), and British Anzani (1.5 L). The model was also sold as the Lea-Francis Kirkstone as from 1922 the companies shared some manufacturing and a dealer network. The 20 available from 1920 to 1922 with 3.3 L Vulcan engine and from 1923 to 1925 with 3.7 L shared mechanical components with the 1½ and 2 ton trucks. The final car was the 14/40 (1927–28) and 16/60 (1928–29) with their own design twin camshaft six of 1.7 and 2 L. Production capacity was nearly 5000 per annum, a potential never reached as the orders did not materialize. Nonetheless, over 6000 Vulcans of all kinds were sold from the armistice until 1923, which proved to be a high watermark for the company. [1] The 1½ and 2 ton models were the mainstay of truck production until the 1926 introduction of heavier four ton units, with four-cylinder engines and also a six-cylinder Dorman bus chassis. Commercial vehicles began to supplant automobiles as Vulcan's main product around this time, with buses and light (¾ ton) military vehicles alongside the trucks. [1]

Financial problems came in 1928 and C. B. Wardman resigned and officially no more Vulcan cars came from Southport but some badged as Lea-Francis were made up to 1930. [2]

1930-1953

Share of the Vulcan Motor & Engineering Company, issued 30 September 1930 Vulcan Motor Engineering Co. (1906) Ltd., 1930.jpg
Share of the Vulcan Motor & Engineering Company, issued 30 September 1930

From 1930, production was solely of trucks and buses which had been made seriously since 1922. Many of the trucks were aimed at the municipal market and road sweepers and dustbin lorries sold well. New lighter commercials of American inspired designs depredated Vulcan's sales, however, and the Great Depression made things more dire yet. By 1931 the company was in compulsory liquidation, although they continued trading in their more profitable fields for several years, building small volumes. [1]

Amongst the buses, twenty-seater buses were sold from 1922 on the two-ton chassis. A 6.6 L Vulcan-engined 32-seat Brisbane came in 1928 and the Emperor double decker in 1930.

Brockhouse Engineering took over Vulcan in the mid-thirties and managed to keep production going until 1938, when the remains of the company was sold to Tilling-Stevens, a bus manufacturer of Maidstone, Kent. [1] Vulcan (petrol) or Gardner (diesel) engined trucks re-entered production, alongside a new five ton, Perkins-engined lorry. Six ton Vulcans were produced in large numbers during World War II, also with electric power. [1] After the war, six tonners and heavier articulated trucks were built in large numbers, around 1000 per year, and a new seven tonner appeared at that 1950's Commercial Motor Show in London. A few buses & coaches were built on Vulcan chassis one CCF777 a 6PF chassis was built with a Dutfield C29F body for Goldsmith Coaches of Sicklesmere in 1950. The range was successful enough that Tilling-Stevens ended up being taken over by the Rootes Group in 1951. [1] Rootes, however, had their own established commercial makers in Commer and Karrier and as those brands introduced their own heavier trucks both Vulcan and Tilling-Stevens were squeezed out. The two brands vanished finally in 1953. [1]

Factory buildings

The original factory premises at 13 Yellowhouse Lane were finally demolished on 25 March 2010 as a result of the British government policy to levy business taxes on the owners of empty buildings.

The second factory which was built in 1907 in Rufford Road, Crossens, Southport has also been demolished in early 2020 to make way for housing.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">REO Speed Wagon</span> Light motor truck

The REO Speed Wagon was a light motor truck model manufactured by REO Motor Car Company. It is an ancestor of the pickup truck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leyland Motors</span> Lorry and bus manufacturer

Leyland Motors Limited was an English vehicle manufacturer of lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company diversified into car manufacturing with its acquisitions of Triumph and Rover in 1960 and 1967, respectively. It gave its name to the British Leyland Motor Corporation, formed when it merged with British Motor Holdings in 1968, to become British Leyland after being nationalised. British Leyland later changed its name to simply BL, then in 1986 to Rover Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commer</span> British van, lorry and bus manufacturer

Commer was a British manufacturer of commercial and military vehicles from 1905 until 1979. Commer vehicles included car-derived vans, light vans, medium to heavy commercial trucks, and buses. The company also designed and built some of its own diesel engines for its heavy commercial vehicles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crossley Motors</span> British motor vehicle manufacturer

Crossley Motors was an English motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. It produced approximately 19,000 cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958, and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.

Berliet was a French manufacturer of automobiles, buses, trucks and military vehicles among other vehicles based in Vénissieux, outside of Lyon, France. Founded in 1899, and apart from a five-year period from 1944 to 1949 when it was put into 'administration sequestre' it was in private ownership until 1967 when it then became part of Citroën, and subsequently acquired by Renault in 1974 and merged with Saviem into a new Renault Trucks company in 1978. The Berliet marque was phased out by 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated Equipment Company</span> British vehicle manufacturer

Associated Equipment Company (AEC) was a British vehicle manufacturer that built buses, motorcoaches and trucks from 1912 until 1979. The name Associated Equipment Company was hardly ever used; instead, it traded under the AEC and ACLO brands. During World War One, AEC was the most prolific British lorry manufacturer, after building London's buses before the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seddon Atkinson</span> Company

Seddon Atkinson Vehicles Limited, was a manufacturer of large goods vehicles based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, was formed after the acquisition in 1970 of Atkinson Vehicles Limited of Preston by Seddon Diesel Vehicles Limited of Oldham. In 1974, the firm was acquired by International Harvester, which sold it in March 1984 to the Spanish group Enasa which made it a subsidiary of Pegaso. In 1990, it became part of Iveco which used the brand for various types of specialised vehicles in the United Kingdom. The range of models produced included EuroMover, Pacer and Strato, which are aimed at refuse collection, recycling and construction operators.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion Motors</span> Former Scottish vehicle manufacturer

Albion Motors was a Scottish automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bean Cars</span>

Bean Cars was a brand of motor vehicles made in England by A Harper Sons & Bean, Ltd at factories in Dudley, Worcestershire, and Coseley, Staffordshire. The company began making cars in 1919 and diversified into light commercial vehicles in 1924. For a few years in the early 1920s Bean outsold Austin and Morris.

Henry Meadows, usually known simply as Meadows, of Wolverhampton, England were major suppliers of engines and transmissions to the smaller companies in the British motor industry. Founded in 1920 in Park Lane, Wolverhampton, as a car gearbox maker, they expanded into petrol engines in 1922 and in the 1930s built a large factory in Fallings Park, Wolverhampton.

Bedford Vehicles, usually shortened to just Bedford, was a brand of vehicle manufactured by Vauxhall Motors, then a subsidiary of multinational corporation General Motors. Established in April 1931, Bedford Vehicles was set up to build commercial vehicles. The company was a leading international lorry brand, with substantial export sales of light, medium, and heavy lorries throughout the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Motors</span>

Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company was founded by Sydney S. Guy (1885–1971) who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Guy Motors operated out of its Fallings Park factory from 1914 to 1982, playing an important role in the development of the British motor industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karrier</span> British commercial vehicle manufacturer

Karrier was a British marque of motorised municipal appliances and light commercial vehicles and trolley buses manufactured at Karrier Works, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, by Clayton and Co., Huddersfield, Limited. They began making Karrier motor vehicles in 1908 in Queen Street South, Huddersfield. In 1920, H.F. Clayton sold Clayton and Co's Huddersfield business into public listed company Karrier Motors while keeping their Penistone operation separate. Mechanical and electrical engineers Clayton & Co Penistone, remain active in 2020 as Clayton Penistone Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilling-Stevens</span> Former British commercial vehicle manufacturer

Tilling-Stevens was a British manufacturer of buses and other commercial vehicles, based in Maidstone, Kent. Originally established in 1897, it became a specialist in petrol-electric vehicles. It continued as an independent manufacturer until 1950, when it was acquired by the Rootes Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diamond T</span> Defunct American motor vehicle manufacturer

The Diamond T Company was an American automobile and truck manufacturer. They produced commercial and military trucks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Commercial Vehicles</span> Vehicle manufacturer of buses, trucks and railbus

Bristol Commercial Vehicles was a vehicle manufacturer located in Bristol, England. Most production was of buses but trucks and railbus chassis were also built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straker-Squire</span> Automobile manufacturer

Straker-Squire was a British automobile manufacturer based in Bristol, and later Edmonton in North London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maudslay Motor Company</span> British automobile manufacturer

The Maudslay Motor Company was a British vehicle maker based in Coventry. It was founded in 1901 and continued until 1948 when it was taken over by the Associated Equipment Company (AEC) and along with Crossley Motors the new group was renamed Associated Commercial Vehicles (ACV) Ltd.

Walker Brothers Limited was a manufacturer based in Pagefield Ironworks, Wigan, England. It produced ventilation equipment for mining, truck and bus chassis, mobile cranes, and railway locomotives and railcars.

The Palladium was a British light car introduced in 1911 by Palladium Autocars Ltd of 378 Euston Road, London, then from mid-1913 at Normand Road, West Kensington, and post-WW1 at Felsham Road, Putney. From 1913 the company also made commercial vehicles, including vans, lorries, and buses.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Baldwin, Nick (May 1982). Kennett, Pat (ed.). "Vintage: Persistence Unrewarded". Truck. London, UK: FF Publishing Ltd: 105.
  2. 1 2 3 Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN   1-57958-293-1.