Premier Motor

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chassis of the Premier 16 hp from 1907.

The Premier Motor Co. Ltd. was a British automobile importer and manufacturer based in Birmingham . Between 1906 and 1907 vehicles from the Italian manufacturer Marchand were imported. From 1913 onwards, automobiles of our own design were built. Brand names were Premier , Premier-Marchand , Premo and PMC

There is no reference to the competitor Premier Cycle Company in Coventry , the US American Premier Motor Manufacturing Company or the active Indian Premier Automobiles Limited , all of which also manufactured bicycles , motorcycles or automobiles under the Premier label .

Automobiles

Chassis and four-cylinder engine of the 1907 Premier 16 hp.
PMC Motorette (1913)

The company was based on Aston Road in Birmingham and started out early as an outfitter and supplier of automotive components. The automobile production seems to have been carried out professionally, but more on the side. No name is known of the 1906 model, but the touring car had an inline two-cylinder engine with 1.7 l displacement and was available in two wheelbases, 2286 and 2743 mm.

In 1907 the Premier 10/12 hp appeared , according to one source also an Italian model with British emblems, according to another an in-house design with an Aster engine. It also had a two-cylinder engine with 1.4 l displacement. Its wheelbase was 2591 mm.

In the same year the Premier 16 hp was also offered. It was powered by a four-cylinder in-line engine with a displacement of 2.5 l and had a wheelbase of 2896 mm. According to one source, it was also a Marchand licensed product.

In 1909 there was a legal dispute with the Premier Cycle Co. mentioned above regarding the brand name. From the end of 1909 the abbreviation PMC was used for all motor vehicles instead of Premier or Premo .

In 1913 and 1914 the PMC 9 hp motorette was produced. The three-wheeled vehicle was an in-house design and motorized with a V2 engine. The displacement was 1.0 l. There is also an alternative illustration, according to which the vehicle had a single-cylinder engine with 6 hp on the front of the driven single wheel in the rear. This representation is corroborated by a contemporary illustration, according to which the vehicle was equipped with a two-speed transmission and the engine had a - rather unusual - water cooling . At least the horsepower specification can be adequately explained with the power (6 bhp) and the tax class (9 hp according to the RAC rating ).

According to one source, motor vehicle production ended in 1913 with a four-wheeled cycle car with an 8 hp two-cylinder engine at the front and chain drive on the rear axle; This obviously means a type which, according to another representation, appeared as a prototype under the name PMC in 1914 .

Then the company closed its doors with the beginning of the First World War ; According to another source, motorcycles were sold until 1916. An advertisement from 1919 suggests the company was still active until the early 1920s.

Automobile models

brand model Construction period cylinder Displacement wheelbase Remarks
premier 1906 2 row 1703 cc 2286-2743 mm
premier 10/12 hp 1907 2 row 1417 cc 2591 mm Aster engine
premier 16 hp 1907 4 row 2545 cc 2896 mm Marchand license
PMC 6 hp motorette 1913-1914 1 Alternative representation to the 9 hp
PMC 9 hp 1913-1914 2 V 998 cc probably identical to 6 hp motorette above
PMC 8 hp 1913-1914 2 V possibly only prototype

motorcycles

Advert for American Excelsior motorcycles (1919).

The approach to motorcycles was similar to that of automobiles. Starting in 1909, under the brand name Premo and shortly afterwards as PMC Rex-JAP V2 motorcycles were sold. Later on, US Excelsior motorcycles were also imported .

literature

  • David Culshaw & Peter Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895–1975 . Veloce Publishing plc. Dorchester (1999). ISBN 1-874105-93-6
  • GN Georgano (Ed.): Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present ; Dutton Press, New York, 2nd Edition, 1973; ISBN 0-525-08351-0 .

Web links

Commons : Premier Motor Company  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Grace's Guide: Premier Cycle Co.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Grace's Guide: Premier Motor Co.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Culshaw, Horrobin: The Complete Catalog of British Cars 1895-1975
  4. ↑ a b c d Georgano: Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. 1973, p. 560.
  5. ↑ Grace's Guide: Motorette.
  6. ↑ Grace's Guide: Rex-JAP.