Autocars and Accessories

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Autocars and Accessories, Limited
legal form Limited Company
founding 1904
resolution 1907
Reason for dissolution restructuring
Seat Long Acre / West Norwood ( London ), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
management John Portwine, John Weller , Harry Weller
Branch Automotive industry (body shop, automotive trade, automotive engineering)

An early auto carrier , the main and most successful product of Autocars and Accessories, Limited

Autocars and Accessories, Limited (in German : limited liability company for automobiles and accessories ), A. and A., Ltd. for short . Was an English company of the automobile - industry at the beginning of the twentieth century. Common are also the long form Autocars & Accessories, Limited (the ampersand "&" instead of the conjunction "and") and the short form of A & A, Ltd. The company was founded in early 1904 and was based in London .

Fields of activity were the body shop , furthermore - as the company name suggests - the sale of automobiles as well as operating materials and accessories and finally the manufacture of own vehicles . The most important (and only mentioned in many sources) company object was the Auto-Carrier , an open three-wheeled transporter of the Tricar or Cyclecar class; it was designed by co-partner John Weller at the suggestion and with the financial support of his partner John Portwine .

Conceptually was unusual also the A. and A. Light Delivery Car with the A. and A. - Patent - body . It belongs to the category of convertible cars in use at the time and was built on chassis from other manufacturers. The upper part of the body could be exchanged quickly and easily, so that the automobile could either be used for the transport of people or as a commercial vehicle for the transport of goods.

The business under the name Autocars and Accessories, Limited ended in 1907 in the course of a restructuring: The body shop on chassis from other manufacturers and the trade in externally manufactured automobiles were given up, the construction of the economically promising auto carrier, however, expanded and under the new name Auto- Carriers Limited continued.

The history of A. and A. is closely linked to that of the Weller Brothers motor vehicle company, founded in 1899 . This existed in parallel for a time and was also largely led by John Weller and, most recently, John Portwine.

In terms of automotive history, Autocars and Accessories is - depending on your point of view - the origin, forerunner or an important transit station of the traditional English, now over a hundred year old and still active automotive brand AC . The Auto-Carrier developed and built by A. and A. delivered with the abbreviation of A.-C. via AC to AC, in addition to the new brand name , the technical basis for the first AC model, the AC Tricar or AC Sociable cycle car, which is built in various two and three-seater versions .

Even after the restructuring, Portwine and John Weller worked together in a leading position for the motor vehicle manufacturer Auto-Carriers Limited with its commercial vehicle brand Auto-Carrier and the passenger car brand AC until 1922 ; the latter achieved its first motorsport successes during this period . In the following years until 1928, AC rose to become one of the most important British automobile brands and became known under the small series manufacturer AC Cars Limited in the 1950s and 1960s with sports cars such as the AC Ace and the AC Cobra .

The backgrounds

The final breakthrough of the automobile was still to come in 1903. There were a large number of small and very small motor vehicle manufacturers, which often only achieved local or regional importance. Most of them did not have their own dealer and service network. In order to reach a larger group of customers, they were therefore dependent on independent external dealers and workshops - beyond sales and maintenance in the manufacturing plant.

As early as 1899, the designer John Weller (born November 28, 1877 - August 31, 1966) and his older brother Harry founded the Weller Brothers, Engineers company as a small automobile and motorcycle workshop in West Norwood , a suburb in south London . The brothers initially dealt mainly with De Dion-Bouton -driven vehicles. In March 1901 at the latest, with the support of two other Weller brothers, they began to build motorized vehicles based on their own designs. In addition to light, some innovative motor vehicles with two, three and four wheels, they developed particular a passenger car of the luxury class , the Weller Four Seat Tourer . They received financial support from the successful businessman John Portwine (* 4th quarter 1866, † May 21, 1958). He was a trained butcher and managed the butcher chain London and Suburban Meat Stores as a partner with several branches in London and the surrounding area. He made capital available to the Weller brothers, became a partner there and finally took over the management. In parallel, the company was converted into a Limited Company in 1902 , an unlisted , limited liability corporation under British law.

Well respected but not very profitable were the light, comparatively low-cost Weller motorcycles with a bicycle-like frame , additional pedal drive and numerous advanced details such as the in-house engine , suspension , brakes and controls .

The development of the Four Seat Tourer , on the other hand, proved to be time-consuming and, above all, expensive. Two prototypes with in-house two- and four-cylinder engines were shown at the first British International Motor Show from January to February 1903 , the first British motor vehicle fair of the SMMT ( Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders ) (in Germany comparable to the International Motor Show - the IAA - in Frankfurt am Main ); However, the hoped-for additional donor was not found for the further development of the model to series production and the start of small series production. In particular, the businessman and automobile dealer Charles Rolls decided against supporting the Weller model; instead, shortly thereafter, he entered into a cooperation with the more conservative automobile pioneer Henry Royce , which resulted in the Rolls-Royce company .

John Weller then moved in 1903 - as it turned out: only for a short time - as a board member , employed chief draftsman and co-designer in the company Hitchon Gear and Automobile Company Limited , which the automobile pioneer Alfred Hitchon had founded in Accrington in the county of Lancashire in north-west England. In the following year, however, Weller returned permanently to London, according to a source before April 1904.

The company history

The sources for A. and A., Ltd. is comparatively bad, a closed representation is missing so far. Important information is obtained primarily from publications on the history of the AC automotive brand and contemporary magazines, which are more easily accessible again in the course of increasing digitalization . Against this background, there are also false or contradicting information on several aspects of the A. and A. company history in print media, some of which are taken from internet sources without being checked.

The beginnings in Long Acre

Autocars and Accessories, Limited was founded as a legally independent company in the form of a Limited Company (at the beginning of the year) in 1904, according to authors who are closely familiar with the historical beginnings of the AC automotive brand . Originally it was (primarily) a body shop. The first company headquarters were in Long Acre, a district in the Covent Garden district in central western London with a long tradition of coachbuilding. Probably the best-known body shop, which was based in the local district on the main road of the same name, was from 1907 Mulliner, London and Northampton, Limited with the address 132-135, Long Acre, London WC, a branch of Arthur Mulliner Ltd. A. and A. traded at 114, Long Acre.

Usually only the businessman John Portwine and the designer John Weller are explicitly named as the founders and first partners of the company Autocars and Accessories, Limited . In fact, there was also the third co-founder and partner, HE Weller. He is apparently John Weller's older brother Harry Ebenezer Weller, who in 1899 had already been a co-founder of the Weller Brothers, Engineers company . The start-up capital of the new company was £ 200  , a small amount for the time. For comparison, Weller Brothers Limited had a capital of £ 3,000, of which £ 1,700 was spent on the acquisition of the operating property and £ 1,100 in shares.

It is not entirely clear why Portwine and the Weller brothers founded the new company in central London parallel to the Weller Brothers company, which initially continued to exist in West Norwood. According to several sources, they were looking for a company in which they could pool their future automotive activities , while Weller Brothers should concentrate on light motorcycles. In any case, its reputation as a manufacturer of motorcycles, which were supported with foot pedals if necessary, was not conducive to the marketing of the Weller Four Seat Tourer as a luxury class automobile in 1903 . An emerging new, independent company may have promised better opportunities to market automobiles.

It is possible that Portwine, as the significant owner of Weller Brothers , did not see sufficient future prospects for the older company. He was hardly interested in motorcycles himself and always wanted to help the automobile achieve a breakthrough. Even the designer John Weller, after more intensive occupation with motorcycle technology, which also led to several patents, turned primarily to automotive technology from 1903. In addition, he may have felt a certain bitterness after the marketing of the Weller Four Seat Tourer, which had been developed for around two years, ultimately failed and he, like his brothers, ran the risk of losing their livelihood due to the imminent insolvency of the company.

The prospects for the older company had deteriorated further when John Weller decided in the course of 1903 to move to Hitchon . At this point in time, it was not foreseeable that this commitment would only last for a short time.

The new London company Autocars and Accessories, Limited made it possible to concentrate entirely on multi-track motor vehicles and, at the same time, to liquidate and sell the older company Weller Brothers - as finally happened in 1904 / '05. As a businessman, Portwine was closer to the body shop and trading in externally manufactured automobiles, as well as operating materials and accessories, and initially made him less dependent on a single designer and his designs. The time and costs for developing own vehicle models and setting up a production facility were eliminated until further notice, which reduced the economic risk.

A. and A. opened up the possibility for Harry Weller to continue working as an independent partner in the automotive industry. For his brother John, the designer, the new company offered the opportunity to publicize the Hitchon-Weller vehicles he helped design in and around London. At the same time, from Lancashire, he kept in touch with his esteemed homeland and his long-standing sponsor Portwine for possible future projects. One source assumes that John Weller was subject to a (post-contractual) non- compete clause due to his contract with Hitchon , so that he was not allowed to run a new automotive company for a certain period of time, which is why A. and A. were initially aligned differently.

It is unclear whether the new company emerged from the previous body construction department of Weller Brothers or was originally intended as a sales outlet for the large Weller touring car, whether the shareholders took over an existing body construction company in Long Acre or completely rebuilt the company.

As early as February 1904, A. and A. presented their range of products at the second British International Motor Show of the SMMT in London, where Weller Brothers Limited was still represented the previous year . This time, in addition to vehicles from other brands, only drawings and individual components of the Hitchon-Weller 9 hp were exhibited

The move to West Norwood

Soon after starting business, the owners moved A. and A., Ltd. in the southern London suburb of West Norwood, possibly at the end of 1904. The Weller brothers had been running their automobile and motorcycle workshops there since 1899. The previous address was temporarily gelautet Thomas's Place (now Waylett Place) / Norwood Road, West Norwood, London SE and was close to the train station West Norwood and the Cemetery West Norwood Cemetery , later, she was, however, South Place / Norwood Road. The business address of the new company A. and A., Ltd. it was 158b, Norwood Road. The operation was now further north, conveniently located on several main roads near the Tulse Hill train station .

Why the owners moved the new company to West Norwood after a short time is not entirely clear. One reason may have been the final return of John Wellers from the Hitchon company in Lancashire back to the south of England. Furthermore, both Portwine and the Weller brothers had family ties to West Norwood. In addition, at the end of 1904 A. and A lost the representation for automobiles of the Minerva brand . The premises in Long Acre may have been too expensive in the long run or too small for future joint projects. In addition to better expansion options, land prices and rents for commercial real estate in the London suburb were cheaper than in the city center.

With the entrepreneur Douglas S. Cox and the automobile brands Emerald , later Osterfield and the vehicle manufacturer Brotherhood Crocker Motors , other automobile manufacturers were already based in West Norwood.

During 1904, John Weller worked intensively on the development and optimization of the A. and A. patent body and the light three - wheeled transporter Auto-Carrier . Both products as well as the third-party brands marketed by A. and A. were repeatedly the subject of detailed press reports between 1904 and 1908, for example in The Motor , The Motor Car Journal , Motor Transport or Commercial Motor , the first specialist magazines that were even published weekly at the time. The light car carrier in particular proved to be successful in the further course: Several major customers from the City of London discovered it not only as a reliable, easy-to-use and low-maintenance fleet vehicle for a wide range of transport tasks, but at the same time - with an individual label and a special paint finish in the respective company color - as an image promoting advertising medium .

The restructuring

The business under the name Autocars and Accessories, Limited ended with a restructuring in 1907 when the successor company Auto-Carriers Limited was founded , based in West Norwood. Several sources specifically name A. and A. when they were dissolved in November 1907. In the course of the restructuring, new share certificates were issued, the sale of which generated the necessary income to be able to expand production. The name change was also intended to improve the company's external perception by aligning the manufacturer's name with the successful, now only remaining product, the three-wheeler Auto-Carrier . The new company temporarily continued to use the term "Autocars and Accessories" , which had already been introduced, as an explanatory addition.

The fields of activity

The main fields of activity of A. and A., Ltd. were the body shop on the chassis of other automobile manufacturers, the trade in completely third-party automobiles and finally the focus on the construction of the self-designed three-wheeler Auto-Carrier . The brand name was Autocars and Accessories or A. and A. for short ; The company used it both for the four-wheeled vehicles it built with the patented body, even if the chassis and engines were obtained from other manufacturers, and initially for the three-wheeled transporter.

The body shop

General

The company's initial focus, which is only mentioned by a few sources, was body construction. No further information is available on the usual, day-to-day work of the body shop. The earlier range of automobiles from Weller Brothers , as it is known in particular from an advertisement from March 1901, as well as the further development of A. and A. suggest that these were mainly superstructures for the transport of goods, but also with chassis if requested Passenger car bodies were provided.

There are no indications that A. and A. produced bodies directly on behalf of other motor vehicle manufacturers. In particular, Hitchon in Accrington worked with a neighboring body shop from the start. This initially traded as Mulliner Motor Body Company , from January 1904 as AG Mulliner Motor Body Company Limited . Typical of the time, it was rather private and commercial end customers who commissioned bodywork companies such as A. and A. to clad the unbody new car chassis or to replace or convert the body of a used vehicle.

The A. and A. patent body

The unusual A. and A. patent body gained greater fame at that time . It was also known as the A. and A. Light Delivery Cart (with a small box body ), the Light Delivery Van ( delivery van with a high roof) and the Light Delivery Car (the generic term for all variants with an exchangeable second body). It was specially designed for dealers and other tradespeople who could only afford a single, inexpensive car that they wanted to use during the day to transport goods and on the weekends for private excursions with family or friends.

For this purpose, John Weller designed a body that was divided horizontally behind the front bulkhead . The lower, box-like part was firmly connected to the chassis, open at the top and its edge served as a support. The upper body part could be exchanged and largely freely designed. It consisted of the two side walls, which were firmly connected to each other by the rear wall and at the front with a continuous bench. The inclusion of the seat in the upper, removable part differentiated the A. and A. patent body from most of the concepts of other suppliers of these so-called convertible cars or convertible bodies.

For passenger transport, depending on the original model, open touring car bodies with one or two rows of seats were common, as were semi-open Brougham or landaulet bodies, while completely closed bodies were not yet common. For the transport of goods, Autocars and Accessories, Limited offered various bodies, from small, low box attachments to high van bodies with a roof protruding over the bench. In addition, the same base vehicle could also be used for advertising for different companies one after the other thanks to differently labeled bodywork.

The conversion was particularly easy and went unusually quickly. The detachable part was only attached to the lower part with four bolts , all of which were flush. The body variant that was not required was easier to store thanks to the straight lower edge. The box-like lower part of the body, which is firmly connected to the chassis, gave it additional torsional rigidity. The upper part of the body was also more torsion-resistant than most competing products thanks to its own bench seat. A. and A. pointed out that the inclusion of the seat in the upper, removable part is hardly more complex than the stiffening strut that is otherwise necessary for the body, including the complicated connections to a fixed front seat. By connecting the seat bench to the respective body attachment, the seats of the touring car version were also protected from soiling during commercial use of the vehicle and could therefore be designed to be of higher quality.

Weller started working on the A. and A. patent body in 1904 shortly after his return to London and was completed around 1905. The first press reports were probably not published until March 1906, possibly delayed by the patent proceedings that had been initiated. Typical of the time, but from today's point of view seem cumbersome, A. and A. advertised literally translated with the statement:

"Introduced for those who, while not inclined to purchase a car for either business or pleasure alone, could quickly appreciate the benefits of a car that is equally suited to both purposes."

The A. and A. patent body, as it was manufactured individually, could be adapted in length and width to different chassis. Chassis of the Rover 6 hp, those of the Starling 6 hp or an unspecified French manufacturer with a particularly advanced design were used, for example . The latter had, in particular, a sturdy pressed steel frame, a single-cylinder engine and a gearbox already interlocked with the engine, including an oil bath clutch. With an A. and A. patent body built on it for commercial use and an interchangeable two-seater touring car attachment, the vehicle cost a comparatively inexpensive £ 135 in 1906, but with a different chassis and more powerful engine than a pure delivery van £ 135 and with an additional attachment for passenger transport from £ 160.

Only a few companies that have largely been forgotten today offered comparable series-produced convertible cars or convertible bodies at that time, according to the coachbuilder Lovell Brothers in Swansea on the significantly larger chassis from Lacre Motor . The Blandford Convertible came from the coachbuilder Frank Little and Company from Newcastle upon Tyne and could be converted from a tonneau into a delivery van with a payload of around 610  kilograms in just a few minutes using various attachments . The Combination Car with removable rear tonneau seats and a separate van attachment came from the Scottish motor vehicle manufacturer Argyll .

The large butcher's shop London and Suburban Meat Stores , managed by Portwine, tested a copy of the A. and A. Light Delivery Cart , built on an inexpensive Rover 6 hp chassis, on daily delivery trips from March 1906 for several months. The company emphasized the positive advertising effect of the motorized car compared to the horse-drawn vehicle and, due to the positive experience, acquired a second copy at the end of September 1906.

Such convertible cars for private trips and commercial purposes could not ultimately prevail. In times of economic prosperity, potential customers were increasingly able to afford a vehicle for one and the other purpose. In addition, the concept forced a compromise in terms of equipment, suspension, payload and vehicle comfort, which is why vehicles that were specifically designed for just one purpose became increasingly popular. From the spring of 1907, Portwine and his butcher's company also favored the car carrier from Autocars and Accessories , which completed the delivery trips there with only a little more than half the cost of acquisition and maintenance.

A. and A. therefore gave up the convertible car concept with the restructuring in 1907. How many Light Delivery Cars the A. and A., Ltd. has not been recorded. As far as is known, none of these vehicles has survived to this day.

Mercedes-Benz implemented a similar vehicle concept in 1995 with the VRC ( Vario Research Car ) study. Among the modern series vehicles, the most comparable are open pick-ups with hardtop attachments or the Citroën C3 Pluriel with its versatility from sedans to spiders and open pick- ups .

The automobile trade

Sales of Hitchon-Weller automobiles

As early as 1904, when Autocars and Accessories, Limited was still based in Long Acre, the company offered the Hitchon-Weller 9 hp . It was considered a light car and was therefore privileged compared to “regular” automobiles. It was driven by a single-cylinder engine with a positively controlled inlet valve and variable valve lift, which was developed by John Weller . According to one source, Weller derived this water-cooled power unit from the two- or four-cylinder engine of the Weller Four Seat Tourer in 1903 . A special feature was the patented Hitchon manual gearbox: although it was unsynchronized - as was common back then - it enabled easy, low-noise gear changes. The gears of the lower gears remained in constant mesh and each of these gears had a freewheel , so that when changing gears, the speed differences did not have to be bridged noisily via the gears. However, the disadvantage of this design was that engine braking was only available in top gear.

After Wellers left Hitchon in 1904, the Accrington vehicles were given the Globe brand name . From 1905 until production was discontinued in 1908, the four-cylinder models 12 hp , 12/14 hp and 22/25 hp with built-in engines from Foreman Motor Company Limited from Coventry , from White & Poppe and the Alpha brand from Johnson, Hurley and Martin from Coventry followed. The two smaller four-cylinder models also received the special Hitchon manual transmission, now with four instead of three forward gears.

It is not known how long A. and A., Ltd. the 9 hp model offered whether the four-cylinder Globe models were also sold and how many of the only 27 single-cylinder cars were sold through Autocars and Accessories, Limited in and around London. In any case, the Hitchon-Weller and the Globe were neither an economic success for the manufacturing company in Accrington, nor for A. and A. as dealers. The reasons were, in particular, the production facilities in Accrington, which were cramped for a long time, the high price of the Hitchon gearbox and Alfred Hitchon's lack of experience in the automotive business.

Sales of Minerva automobiles

Furthermore, from 1904 Autocars and Accessories, Limited was briefly the London agency for the automobiles of the respected Belgian brand Minerva by the Dutch- born designer Sylvain de Jong . A. and A. exhibited the mid-range two-cylinder model Minerva 10 hp and the larger three-cylinder model 15 hp in 1904 at the British International Motor Show of the SMMT in London. The four-cylinder model Minerva 20 hp for the luxury class was announced, but probably not represented in London. According to one source, these vehicles did not come from the Belgian parent plant near Antwerp , but from the French company "La Societe La Minerve " from Billancourt near Paris , which apparently acted as an assembly plant in particular for the important British market.

As early as 1905 lost Autocars and Accessories, Limited representation for Minerva -Automobile: The Dutch businessman David Citroen, a cousin of the French automobile pioneer André Citroën , already the London Office for the successful had bicycles and motorcycles of the brand Minerva and the new Voiturette Miner Vette held . He bought into de Jong's company and became a co-director. In 1905, Minerva gave exclusive representation for its automobiles in the United Kingdom to the London automobile dealer CS Rolls & Co. owned by Charles Rolls. The background was apparently that David Citroen and Charles Rolls had been close since the latter had worked as a clerk for the former around 1900.

Charles Rolls thus influenced the fortunes of the Portwine / Weller company for the second time, after having failed to provide the Weller Four Seat Tourer as an independent automobile dealer in 1903 .

Sales of other automobile brands

It is not known whether A. and A. also sold automobiles from other brands, but this is obvious given the dealer structure that was common at the time. The brands Rover , Starling and French come into particular consideration , as A. and A. also made the basis of their light delivery cars .

The three-wheeler Auto-Carrier

The most important and most successful product of A. and A., Ltd. was the car carrier , a three-wheeled open tricar or cycle car. Like the A. and A. patent body, it was also intended specifically for dealers and other traders, but was developed exclusively for the transport of goods and with a view to low maintenance costs and ease of use. For many, it was the first real alternative to the one or two-axle carts pulled by ponies or horses , the one-horse English gigs and fleece , which were still widely used as a means of transport in inner cities.

As long as the manufacturer operated under A. and A. , Auto-Carrier was only the model name; It was not until the transition of production to Auto-Carriers Limited at the end of 1907 that it became its own (commercial) vehicle brand. Occasionally the addition Delivery (Box) Van can be found in the sense of (box) delivery van as a supplementary model name or to differentiate it from the four-wheeled light delivery car with patented body.

The car carrier has two wheels at the front, which are also used for steering, but only a single, central wheel at the rear, which is also used for propulsion. The chassis was created in a mixed construction: the front rigid axle is supported by two semi-elliptical longitudinal leaf springs on a frame made of ash wood ; This material, as it was also common in coach construction, is comparatively light and yet stable. The rear part of the chassis consists of a steel tubular space frame that accommodates the rear wheel, which is guided by two quarter-elliptical longitudinal leaf springs, and the engine directly in front of it. The driver sits above this and controls the steering using a lever on the right instead of a steering wheel . Above the front axle of the large transport case of coated is prior to the driver birch - panels with a length of about 1.15 meters, a width of about 85 and a height of about 70 centimeters. The usable storage space in and on the transport case is around 1,150 liters (of which around 690 liters are covered) and the maximum load is around 203 kilograms. The wheelbase measures 1,778 millimeters, the front track 1,067 millimeters.

The model is driven by a designed by John Weller and A. and A. built single-cylinder four-stroke engine with fan cooling . In its final series version with a displacement of just under 0.65 liters , the engine was rated at 5.6 hp according to an abstract British performance formula and actually delivers around 5.5  bhp  / 5.6  hp  / 4.1  kW . The technology of the simply constructed, positively controlled engine is largely based on an engine that John Weller had already developed at the time of Weller Brothers Limited and which was shown in a 5 hp version at the first British International Motor Show in 1903 . In addition, Weller's experiences from building the Four Seat Tourer and the Hitchon-Weller 9 hp as well as several innovations that have since been patented were incorporated.

Special features of the Auto-Carrier were the well-thought-out unit, integrated into the rear wheel, consisting of two-speed planetary gear , clutch, brake drum , hub and ring gear for the drive chain coming from the engine . Further advantages were the simple and safe handling, its maneuverability as well as the low costs for acquisition and maintenance. Initially, the car carrier cost £ 80.

Weller had started work on the three-wheel transporter in 1904. It is unclear when its development was essentially complete and when the first vehicles were produced. Some sources name the year 1904, others 1905. However, individual sources assume that series production of the Auto-Carrier only started in 1907 because of a (post-contractual) non-competition clause against Hitchon . Longer reports on the three-wheeler transporter appeared in contemporary journals, for example in 1906 (probably still unfinished at that time) and 1907 (exhibited as a novelty and offered for sale).

The production at Autocars and Accessories, Limited was initially designed for three car carriers per week. How many vehicles were built under this name by the end of 1907 is not documented. The Auto-Carrier was then built by Auto-Carriers Limited in West Norwood until 1911 and then by Auto-Carriers (1911) Limited in Thames Ditton , each under the leadership of Portwine and John Weller. Around 1,500 copies were produced by January 1913, and more followed until production was finally discontinued during the First World War towards the end of 1916. Exports were made to many British colonies as far as Australia and New Zealand, as well as Argentina and Switzerland . As far as is known, no car carrier from the A. and A. period has survived to this day; however, there are still a few copies from later years.

From the spring of 1907 , the major butcher's shop London and Suburban Meat Stores , managed by Portwine, regularly used a first copy of the Auto-Carrier for everyday delivery trips; initially he added the Light Delivery Carts there and later replaced them together with other copies.

During the production of the Auto-Carrier at A. and A. it was largely unrivaled. Starting in 1911, the English company John Warrick & Co. Limited from Reading , Berkshire, used a very similar concept to enter the market for motorized three-wheelers with the Warrick Motor Carrier . It is unclear to what extent there was a collaboration with the then manufacturer of the car carrier .

In the British inner cities, such light three-wheeled transporters dominated the streetscape until the late 1930s. In terms of purchase and maintenance costs, they benefited from the fact that they were privileged as cyclecars or because of their three-wheeled design compared to conventional, "full-fledged" automobiles. However, in the further course the competition for the auto carrier grew and the profit margin fell. The successor company to A. and A. therefore gave up this concept in this form after the end of the First World War, especially since John Weller and Portwine and other donors increasingly focused on sporty passenger cars from then on.

A very similar vehicle concept was used in the German Reich by the company Vidal & Sohn Tempo-Werk with the Tempo T1 model from 1928 to 1930, as did Bayerische Motoren Werke with the BMW F 76 and F 79 models from 1932 to 1934, which were one of the last three-wheeled vans were designed as "front loaders".

Patents

Together with John Weller, Autocars and Accessories, Limited has been granted several technical patents. In addition to the one for the A. and A. patent bodywork, in 1907 this included a device for improving ignition contact in internal combustion engines , a device for lubricating reciprocating engines and one for cooling internal combustion engines.

What is surprising is that the patent grant and the underlying applications for John Weller together with the company Autocars and Accessories, Limited read: Between 1894 and the 1930s, John Weller made numerous inventions and had them patented. However, this happened regularly as the sole patent holder or together with his older brother Harry or later with his younger brother Septimus Beresford Weller, but not together with the company Weller Brothers Limited or later Auto-Carriers Limited or Auto-Carriers (1911) Limited .

The background to the joint ownership of the patents during the A. and A. period is unclear: Portwine may have pushed for this after John Weller's return, after his previous move to Hitchon had led to difficulties at Weller Brothers Limited . Possibly the joint patents were also John Weller's consideration for Portwine granting additional financial contributions to A. and A. or bearing the development costs for the car carrier .

The company name Autocars and Accessories, Limited

The English term autocar is out of date according to today's sense of language; the analogous German equivalent is Motorwagen . At the beginning of the motor vehicle era, however , the term autocar was widespread, especially in British , but also in American English and even German. Many manufacturers of multi-track motor vehicles had it in their company or brand name. The same applies to the term accessories in the sense of accessories .

The first-mentioned term was widely used primarily by the English specialist magazine The Autocar , which it claims to be the “oldest car magazine in the world”, which has been published weekly since November 1895. The term autocar was also widespread because, in addition to passenger cars, it also included commercial vehicles and light vehicles such as cyclecars and voiturettes, which the term automobile did not necessarily include according to the language of the time.

Autocars and Accessories, Limited took up two buzzwords that were widespread at the time and followed a fashion of including company items instead of family names in the company name.

Apart from the similarity of names, the company has no relationship with the automobile brands called Autocar , neither with the American manufacturer Autocar Company , which built automobiles in Pennsylvania from 1899 , until around 1911, nor with the English manufacturer Autocar Construction Company Limited, which was operated by Manufactured passenger cars in Manchester from 1902 to 1903 . However, this may be the cause of the misspelling Autocar_ and Accessories found in several sources .

It is unclear whether and to what extent there is a relationship with the English company Long Acre Autocar Company Limited , for which the address 127, Long Acre, London has been handed down. From 1909 at the latest until at least 1919 it was active in the vehicle trade as well as with a workshop and the sale of operating materials and accessories. From 1913 to 1917 it appeared as a British importer of cars from the US brand Chalmers , which were also offered again in 1919, after the end of the First World War. In addition, the sale of passenger cars from the Scottish Arrol-Johnston brand and - interesting in connection with Weller and Portwine - the AC Cars brand was announced for 1920 .

Obviously there is no relationship with the Israeli car manufacturer Autocars Company Limited, which existed from 1957 to 1974 and from 1960 built Sabra cars in Haifa , which were largely developed by the English car manufacturer Reliant .

The importance of A. and A. for the automotive brand AC

On its own, Autocars and Accessories, Limited was initially a fairly ordinary small company in the automotive industry of its time, as there were numerous in the Greater London area alone. Compared to Weller Brothers Limited , it meant a clear step backwards in terms of company size, turnover and the temporary abandonment of building self-constructed vehicles. On the other hand, the initial restriction to body construction and trading in externally manufactured automobiles as well as operating materials and accessories contributed to the economic consolidation of the Portwine / Weller company. In this way, the owners were able to calmly look for a motor vehicle concept that could be profitably implemented in significant numbers with the production facilities at the time.

A. and A. as the origin of AC ?

The A. and A., Ltd. in the emergence of the traditional, respected and still active automobile brand AC . Depending on the point of view, it is considered to be its origin, precursor or an important transit point.

The statement that AC 1904 was created under the manufacturer Autocars and Accessories, Limited has often been found and still is. This applies above all to specialist literature and internet publications up to the end of the 1990s. There is broad agreement that the first motor vehicles under the separate AC brand were only built after 1907 under the successor company Auto-Carriers Limited ; However, the earlier point in time is often justified by the fact that AC , originally still with the notation A.-C. , Not an entirely new brand was, but only the abbreviation for the already at A. and A. developed and built car carrier . The first AC model, which became known under the model name Sociable , was also just a passenger car variant of the Auto-Carrier three-wheeler . Added to this is the personal continuity with John Portwine as the main financier and business manager and with John Weller as the technical manager.

Furthermore, business reasons spoke in the further course for a reference to Autocars and Accessories and the year 1904, a brand and company history that goes back even further than that of other traditional companies such as Rolls-Royce .

A. and A. briefly received more attention at the beginning of the 21st century as the centenary of the AC brand approached. Alan Lubinsky , the leading businessman behind the automobile manufacturer AC since 1996 , announced the brand anniversary for 2001 instead of 2004. In doing so, he took up the latest research results from automotive journalists and historians. They proved that the Weller Brothers, Engineers company had already offered the first motor vehicles designed by John Weller for sale from at least March / April 1901 and that John Portwine was already active there as a patron and business manager before 1904 . However, these vehicles still carried the Weller brand name and neither Autocars and Accessories, Limited nor Auto-Carriers Limited were the legal successors of the Weller Brothers company .

Lubinsky thus turned away from the view that had been customary up until then, whereby the previously prominent position of A. and A., Ltd. as the origin of the AC brand as an important transit station.

A. and A. and its car carrier as the basis for the rise of the AC brand

Autocars and Accessories, Limited continues to have a special automotive historical significance through the development and initial construction of the Auto-Carrier . With 1500 copies up to around January 1913 alone, it achieved enormous numbers for that time. With a construction period of around ten years until the end of 1916, it had an unusual model consistency in times when vehicle models were partly abandoned or fundamentally revised after only one year. This A. and A. product thus provided the financial basis for the continued success of the Portwine / Weller company and the AC brand .

Portwine and Weller were able to continue their ultimately successful cooperation for another 14 years before handing over management responsibility to a successor. On Weller Brothers Engineers (1899-1902, initially still without Portwine), Weller Brothers Limited (1902-1904 / '05) as well as Auto Cars and Accessories, Limited (1904-1907) was followed by:

  • Auto-Carriers Limited (1907-1911) in new, larger premises in West Norwood,
  • Auto-Carriers (1911) Limited (1911 to 1920), now in the Ferry Works facility in Thames Ditton, Surrey , and finally (again)
  • Auto-Carriers Limited (1920 to 1922), now also located on High Street in Thames Ditton.

While still in West Norwood, Portwine and Weller Auto-Carrier established as an independent motor vehicle brand for light transport vehicles and shortly afterwards the AC brand for passenger cars. The three-wheeled AC Sociable , a variant of the Auto-Carrier built in various two and three-seater variants, partly with tandem seating and a driver seated in the back, developed into a second important mainstay alongside the car carrier .

Portwine and Weller also established an important tradition when they moved the company headquarters and production facility to Thames Ditton in 1911. The AC brand was to produce automobiles here for many decades under the manufacturer name AC Cars Limited , for the next 73 years up to 1984 and to remain there until 1986.

From 1913, before the First World War, the successful three-wheeled models provided the economic basis for additional new, mass-produced passenger car models from the Portwine / Weller era, now for the first time with four wheels:

  • the AC Model V , a light cycle car in a conventional design with the single-cylinder engine of the Sociable , now as a front engine with chain drive on the rear wheels, which however was not a lasting success;
  • also in 1913 the larger AC 10 hp as a large cycle car with a four-cylinder built-in engine with 1.1 liter displacement from the French manufacturer Fivet and cardan drive , of which only about one hundred vehicles could be built before the outbreak of war;
  • also the larger-capacity light car variant AC 12 hp with 1.3 liter capacity, which was also available with a longer, more powerful commercial chassis for commercial vehicle variants.

When Fivet was unable to deliver any more engines after the end of the war due to war damage, Portwine and Weller switched to a new four-cylinder built-in engine from British Anzani Motor Company Ltd. in 1919 . with 1.5 liter displacement and also side-mounted valves ( SV valve control ). Due to an engine formula that has since changed, it was also marketed as a 12 hp .

The economic success of the car carrier developed by A. and A. and initially built there enabled Portwine and Weller to enter motorsport from around 1909. A factory-supported team and many private drivers regularly took part in numerous reliability drives , so-called trials, on AC vehicles. At the opposite pole formed around 1915, the tentative construction of a patented lightweight AC - armored car . Special AC racing engines with four cylinders already had an overhead camshaft and overhead valves ( OHC valve control ) before the First World War . This also drew the constructed Weller six-cylinder - inline engine with engine block made of light alloy of which was presented in a 1.5-liter version in October 1919; In a two-liter version, it was to be available in a much further developed form in new AC vehicles until 1963 .

In 1921 there were also special racing cars and two-seater racing cars such as the AC Weller Racer and the AC Anzani 200 Mile Race Car . Even under the new chairman of the board, Selwyn Francis Edge , the successor to Portwine and Weller, these were regularly used with success from 1922, for example as works cars and by private drivers in motor racing as well as at the works in the record drives popular at the time to achieve land speed records .

However , after the short-lived Auto-Carrier Junior around 1921 , Portwine and Weller gave up the construction of light transport vehicles and thus also the Auto-Carrier brand .

literature

  • John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra . Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom 2000, ISBN 978-0-7509-2042-1 (in particular pages 1 to 5 and 174 (English)).
  • Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years . Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA 2006, ISBN 978-0-7603-2423-3 (especially page 4 (English)).
  • W. B., in: MotorSport (magazine), Forgotten Makes - The Globe, April 1993 issue, page 72, reproduced here (English)
  • W. B., in: MotorSport (magazine), Forgotten Makes - The Weller, October 1993 issue, page 79 f., Reproduced here (English)
  • N. N., in: Commercial Motor (magazine), issue November 15, 1906, page 6, Convertible Cars (presentation of the A. and A. Light Delivery Car with interchangeable body), reproduced here (English)
  • N. N., in: Commercial Motor (magazine), issue June 13, 1907, page 20, A small Motor-Carrier for Tradesmen (Presentation of the A. and A. Auto-Carrier ), reproduced here (English)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 1 and 174
  2. ↑ a b c d John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1, pages 1 and 2
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14
  4. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 1 to 3
  5. ↑ a b John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, page 174
  6. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1 , Page 1
  7. ↑ a b John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 2 to 3
  8. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 2 to 25
  9. ↑ a b The history of the AC automotive brand on the AC Automotive website , accessed on June 7, 2015
  10. ↑ a b The history of the AC automobile brand (interwar period) on the AC Heritage website ( Memento of the original from December 9, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on June 7, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.acheritage.co.uk
  11. ↑ The history of the AC automobile brand (after 1945) on the AC Heritage website ( Memento from June 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on June 7, 2015 (English)
  12. ↑ a b c d e John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1, page 2
  13. ↑ a b c d e f g W. B., in: MotorSport (magazine), Forgotten Makes - The Weller, October 1993, page 79 f., Reproduced here
  14. ↑ a b c d W. B., in: MotorSport (magazine), Forgotten Makes - The Globe, April 1993, page 72, reproduced here
  15. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1, page 1: "... early 1904 ..." ("... beginning of 1904 ..."); Page 174: "... not until 1904 ..." ("... only 1904 ...")
  16. ↑ Less clear: Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14 and John Spencer, The amazing AC Car (the history of the automobile brand AC including Weller and A. and A. ), October 2009: "By 1904 ..." ("Around 1904 ...")
  17. ↑ Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14: "... primarily ..." ("... in first Line ... ")
  18. ↑ Brief portrait of Mulliner, London on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 7, 2015 (English)
  19. ↑ a b c d e The Motor (magazine), 1904, Volume 5, Page 52 (English)
  20. ↑ a b c The Motor Car Journal , 1904, Volume 5, Page 969 (English)
  21. ↑ So also John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1, page 1 and Trevor Legate: Cobra : The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14, for example also Cars and Parts , 1977, volume 21, page 62 and Nick Baldwin, The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers, 1987, page 10 (both in English)
  22. ↑ a b c d e RM Auctions , catalog for auction in Hershey on 9/10. October 2014 for lot 107 , accessed on June 7, 2015 (English)
  23. ↑ Daniel Vaughan, in: Conceptcarz , Auto-Carrier Delivery Box Van , accessed on June 7, 2015 (English)
  24. ↑ a b c Nick Baldwin, The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers, 1987, page 10 (English)
  25. ↑ a b c d e f g h Commercial Motor (magazine), November 15, 1906, page 6, reproduced here (English)
  26. ^ The Motor Car Journal , 1904, Volume 5, pages 969 and 1018; 1907, Volume 8, Pages 149 and 881 and Volume 9, Page 56 (English)
  27. ^ Motor Transport (magazine), 1906, volume 2, page 282 and volume 3, page 549 and 1907, volume 4, pages 326 and 659 (English)
  28. ^ Commercial Motor (magazine), issue October 18, 1906, pages 17 ff .; Issue November 15, 1906, page 6; Edition 23 May 1907, pages 15 ff. And edition 13 June 1907, page 20 (English)
  29. ↑ cf. also The Autocar (magazine), 1904, Volume 12, Issues 428-458, page 26; Gas and Oil Power (Journal), 1907, Volume 3, page 168; Mechanical World and Metal Trades Journal , 1908, Volumes 43-44, page 108; Iron and Coal Trades Review (magazine), 1908, Volume 76, Page 989 (both in English)
  30. ↑ Rob de la Rive Box, Encyclopaedia of Classic Cars: Sports Cars 1945–1975, 1999, page 1 (English)
  31. ↑ a b The early history of the automotive brand AC on the AC Heritage website (including Weller and A. and A. ) ( Memento of the original from August 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on June 7, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.acheritage.co.uk
  32. ↑ The history of the AC automotive brand on brooklandsace.co.uk , accessed June 7, 2015
  33. ↑ The history of the AC automotive brand on a comprehensive private website , accessed June 7, 2015 (English)
  34. ↑ Compare, for example, the inscription on the car carrier , which has largely been restored in the style of the company car at that time , as it was auctioned on October 9, 2014 by the auction house RM Auctions in Hershey as lot 107, here , accessed on June 7, 2015 (English)
  35. ↑ a b c d e First experience report from London and Suburban Meat Stores and advertisement from A. and A., Ltd. in: Commercial Motor (magazine), edition October 18, 1906, pages 17 ff. (22 f. and 24), reproduced here (English)
  36. ↑ a b c Motor Transport (magazine), 1906, Volume 3, Page 549 (English)
  37. ↑ Reproduction of the Weller advertisement in Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14
  38. ^ Motor Transport (magazine), Volume 2, page 282, issue March 29, 1906; Commercial Motor (magazine), issue October 18, 1906, pages 17 to 26, especially 22 f. (first experience report from London and Suburban Meat Stores ) and 24 (advertisement from A. and A., Ltd. ), reproduced here ; Issue November 15, 1906, page 6 (presentation of the A. and A. patent body), reproduced here and May 23, 1907 edition, pages 15 to 25, in particular 18 (second report from the London and Suburban Meat Stores company ), reproduced here ; The Motor Car Journal , 1907, Volume 8, Pages 149 and 881 (both in English)
  39. ↑ a b The Motor Car Journal (magazine), 1907, Volume 8, Page 881 (English)
  40. ^ Motor Transport (magazine), Volume 2, Page 282, Issue March 29, 1906 (English)
  41. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 1 and 2 (English): " Introduced for those who, while not disposed to purchase a car either for business or pleasure solely, would yet be quick to appreciate the advantages of a car equally well adopted for both purposes. "
  42. ↑ Commercial Motor (magazine), issue September 27, 1906, pages 2 to 4, reproduced here (English)
  43. ↑ a b c d Second experience report of the London and Suburban Meat Stores company and presentation of the auto carrier in: Commercial Motor (magazine), issue 23 May 1907, pages 15 ff. (18 and 23), reproduced here (English)
  44. ↑ The Mercedes-Benz VRC on the daimler.com website ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed June 8, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.daimler.com
  45. ↑ Baron Edward John Barrington Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Montagu of Beaulieu, Lost Causes of Motoring: Europe, Volume 2, 1971, page 260 (English)
  46. ↑ a b Automobile Quarterly, Volume 22, Issue 1, 1984, page 2001 (English)
  47. ↑ a b The Motor Car Journal (magazine), 1904, Volume 5, Page 1018 (English)
  48. ↑ The Autocar (magazine), 1904, Volume 12, Issues 428–458, Page 26 (English)
  49. ↑ a b Nick Baldwin, The World Guide to Automobile Manufacturers, 1987, page 326 (English)
  50. ^ The Autocar (magazine), 1905, Volume 14, Issues 493–505, Page 13 (English)
  51. ↑ Minerva sales brochure of the company CS Rolls & Co. as a British sole agency from 1905, auctioned at Classic Auctions H & H on June 21, 2014 ( Memento of the original from February 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on February 22, 2016 (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.classic-auctions.com
  52. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978-0-750-92042-1, pages 3 and 5 (English)
  53. ↑ a b c d e Presentation of the Auto-Carrier in: Commercial Motor (magazine), edition June 13, 1907, page 20, reproduced here (English)
  54. ^ The Weller offers at the first British motor show, the SMMT 1903, according to the exhibition catalog, reproduced on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  55. ↑ So John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, page 2; Trevor Legate: Cobra: The First 40 Years, Touchstone Books Limited, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA, 2006, ISBN = 978-0-760-32423-3, page 14; hemmings.com ; coys.co.uk  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. ; autoviva.com ; carlogos.org ( Memento of the original from May 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (each in English)@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.coys.co.uk   @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.carlogos.org
  56. ^ So Cars & Parts (magazine), 1977, Volume 21, Page 62 (English)
  57. ↑ The Motor Car Journal (magazine), 1907, Volume 9, Page 56 (English)
  58. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, explanations of the color images between pages 92 and 93 (English)
  59. ↑ G. N. Georgano, The World's Commercial Vehicles, 1830–1964 , 1965, page 117 (English)
  60. ↑ Gas and Oil Power (magazine), 1907, Volume 3, Page 168 (English)
  61. ↑ Mechanical World and Metal Trades Journal (magazine), 1908, Volumes 43–44, page 108 (English)
  62. ^ The Electrical Review (magazine), 1908, Volume 62, Page 380 (English)
  63. ↑ a b John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, page 11
  64. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, page 17
  65. ^ Richard von Frankenberg, Marco Matteucci, History of the Automobile , Sigloch Service Edition, Künzelsau, 1973, pages 28 f. with reference to Meyer's Konversationslexikon, supplementary volume to the fifth edition, 1898
  66. ↑ List of companies with Autocar in their name on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  67. ↑ List of companies with Accessories in their name on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  68. ↑ The Autocar magazine on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  69. ↑ The automobile manufacturer Autocar Company on the AMHistory portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  70. ↑ The automobile manufacturer Autocar Company on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  71. ↑ The automobile manufacturer Autocar Construction Company on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  72. ↑ The automotive company Long Acre Autocar Company Limited on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  73. ↑ See examples: Jonathan Wood, The Enthusiast's Guide to British Postwar Classic Cars , Osprey Publishing Limited, London, 1980, ISBN 0-85045-377-1 , page 80 (English); Car catalog , 25th edition, year 1981/82, Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, page 78
  74. ↑ Compare: Auto catalog , 41st edition, year 1997 / '98, Vereinigte Motor-Verlage GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, page 258: AC as "... the oldest automobile brand in England ..."
  75. ↑ a b Malcolm McKay, in: The Telegraph (newspaper), issue March 13, 2001, Holding the Aces (newspaper report on the centenary of the AC automobile brand ) , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  76. ↑ NN on the portal motortrader.com , May 7, 2001, AC plans new models for centenary (report on a planned model offensive on the occasion of the centenary of the AC automobile brand ) , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  77. ↑ A comprehensive overview of the various companies under which automobiles of the AC brand were built at John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Auto-Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, 2000, ISBN = 978- 0-750-92042-1, page 174
  78. ↑ The history of the automobile brand AC on the AC Heritage website (from 1964) ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on June 8, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.acheritage.co.uk
  79. ^ Advertisement by Auto-Carriers (1911) Ltd. including the AC Model V on the occasion of the Olympia Cyclecar & Motor Cycle Show 1913, in: Light Car and Cyclecar (magazine), issue November 24, 1913, reproduced on the Grace's Guide portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  80. ↑ The AC 10 hp on the website of the Lightauto.com portal , accessed on June 8, 2015 (English)
  81. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 8 and 10
  82. ↑ The History of the British Anzani Motor Company Ltd. from britishanzani.co.uk , accessed June 8, 2015
  83. ↑ Background information on the AC 12 hp in the catalog of auction house RM Auctions for lot 135 on the occasion of an auction in Hershey on 9/10. October 2014 , accessed June 8, 2015
  84. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 9 and 13
  85. ↑ John Mclellan: Classic ACs: From Car Carrier to Cobra, Sutton Publishing Limited, Thrupp, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK, 2000, ISBN 978-0-750-92042-1 =, pages 19 to 28
  86. ↑ Presentation of the Auto-Carrier Junior in: Commercial Motor (magazine), issue December 2, 1919, page 19, reproduced here (English)

Remarks

  1. ↑ About the company name: There are several variants of the company name in (specialist) literature and on websites:
    • Autocars ... (with -s, plural) and Autocar ... (without -s, singular),
    • with the connecting word "and" or the ampersand "&",
    • in the short form shortened to "A." (with dots) or "A" (without dots),
    • in the short form with the connective word "and" or the ampersand "&" and
    • a legal form suffix separated by a comma or immediately added .
    Autocars and Accessories was chosen as a lemma : Only the spelling with -s is historically correct, as can be seen from contemporary sales brochures, press releases and advertisements of the company, as they are mainly collected in the archive of the AC Owners' Club (compare also the label on the car carrier as it was used by A. and A. for exhibition and advertising purposes (shown on the AC Cars Switzerland     website (on the Heritage 1904 subpage) ( Memento from April 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) ), and the advertisement in Commercial Motor magazine of October 18, 1906, page 24 ( digital scan here )). The company itself seems to have used both the variant with the connective word “and” and the one with the ampersand “&”, probably also depending on the availability in the character and print set . For the long form, the more common then and now variant with the connective word “and” was chosen.
  2. ↑ On incorrect representations in the company's history: In addition to the company name, errors often relate to the year of foundation, the company headquarters, the year of liquidation and the timing in connection with the development and construction of the car carrier . A frequent cause of error is the mixing up of the company history of Autocars and Accessories , on the one hand in the initial phase with that of Weller Brothers in West Norwood, on the other hand in the final phase with that of Auto-Carriers Limited in West Norwood and later Auto-Carriers (1911) Limited in Thames Ditton .
  3. ↑ Deviating from this, superficially researched sources and those that deal only marginally with A. and A. mention a founding year 1901 ( classi-car.de here , jacques-leretrait.blogspot.com here ) or 1902 ( autoglasklar.de here ). A founding year of 1903 is mentioned more often, sometimes limited with reference to the start of production in 1904. The incorrect information 1908 to 1911 is also common ( see allcarindex.com here , bonhams.com here and gtue-oldtimerservice.de here ). This false statement apparently goes back to Peter Roberts, A Pictorial History of the Automobile, 1977, 176 f. and GN Georgano / Thorkil Ry Anderson, The new Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the present, 1982, 25; The latter incorrectly replace A. and A. with Auto-Carriers Limited, which is not listed there . Most sources also fail to mention the opening episode of A. and A. in Long Acre.