ABC Motors

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ABC Motors
legal form Limited
founding 1910
resolution 1971
Seat Hersham , UKUnited KingdomUnited Kingdom 
Branch Motorcycles , automobiles

An ABC motorcycle
An ABC boxer engine
ABC Super Sports
ABC Motors (1920) Ltd. preferred share dated June 7, 1920

All British Engine Company, Ltd. was a British manufacturer of aircraft , motorcycles and aviation accessories.

Company history

The company was founded in 1910 by Ronald Charteris and was initially based in Byfleet . It was later called ABC Motors, Ltd. From 1919 it belonged to Sopwith . After economic quarrels, however, Sopwith had to file for bankruptcy in 1921 , and ABC Motors went bankrupt in 1922.

In 1913 the first 496 cc boxer engine went on sale. A short time later, the first complete motorcycles were produced.

During the First World War , the company mainly manufactured aircraft engines designed by chief engineer Granville Bradshaw . As a result of this development, the production of auxiliary power units (APU) and ground power supplies based on small boxer engines began during the war . The first use of an APU took place in the Supermarine Nighthawk , where an ABC Motors unit with five HP power supplied a headlight.

After the war, the company initially mainly dealt with the construction of scooters . The Scootamota had a cubic capacity of 123 cm³ and sold relatively successfully. Sopwith used a 398 cc two-cylinder boxer and built it across the direction of travel. The advanced motorcycle had a blocked four-speed gearbox and rear suspension. Overall, it was similar to the later BMW . Due to many teething troubles, however, the company went bankrupt. Roller production continued for a year longer.

In the years 1921 to 1924 there was a French offshoot that also offered such motorcycles.

With the boxer engines used there, in turn, people went back to their roots and developed engines for light aircraft . These engines were used relatively frequently until 1926, when aircraft construction was withdrawn again.

As early as 1929, however, the ABC Robin was constructed , a light aircraft powered by a 40 hp ABC Scorpion II engine. Later, the focus was again on generating sets and supplied them well into the 1950s.

Vickers took over the company in 1951 and closed it in 1971.

Automobiles

Small cars were also produced between 1920 or 1921 and 1927 . An air-cooled two-cylinder engine with OHV valve control and 1203 cm³ displacement propelled the vehicles. The Super Sports model had a larger engine with a capacity of 1320 cc. A total of around 1500 cars were built.

literature

  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , Chapter ABC (V).
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 5. (English)
  • David Culshaw, Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975. Veloce Publishing, Dorchester 1997, ISBN 1-874105-93-6 . (English)

Web links

Commons : ABC Motors  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , Chapter ABC (V).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 5. (English)