B.S.A.

GB, 1907 – 1926, 1933 – 1936

Birmingham Small Arms Co Ltd, Sparkbrook, Birmingham, Coventry

In 1907 the famous Midlands arms manufacturers began to make cars as a sideline. They were not entirely new to the field, having made parts for the Roots in 1897. Neither then nor later did they show much originality in their BSA cars. E.E. Baguley, formerly of Ryknield, was in charge, and later produced in 1908, a copy of the successful 40hp Itala from Italy. Other conventional, medium-sized BSA fours followed in small quantities. The major change that followed in 1911, after the company’s takeover of Daimler, was the adoption of Knight double sleeve-valve engines, as used by the latter concern, in BSA cars. These differed from Daimlers in being generally smaller and lighter. The first, the BSA Twelve of about two litres, weighed only 1.232lb in chassis form. Open bodies were of pressed steel from 1912: a single, important innovation that went largely unregarded. BSA also made the Stoneleigh, which was a BSA except for name and radiator, from then until 1914. It should nog be confused with the better-known Stoneleigh light car of the 1920s.
The first post-war BSA was a light car – an attempt to cash in on the boom in popular motoring, but superior to a great many. The BSA Ten of 1921 was powered by an air-cooled V-twin engine of modern design, with overhead valves, coil ignition, aluminium crankcase, and aluminium pistons in iron liners. This BSA developed 18bhp from a cubic capacity of 1080cc, and was made by Hotchkiss of Coventry. This power unit was smooth and though, like all of its kind, it was noisy, it was eventually made quieter by improvements. The rear axle of the BSA Ten with its underslung worm drive on Lanchester patents, was always silent. This uncharacteristic quality helped to sell the BSA Ten well until it was dropped in 1924. The next BSA’s were in fact small Daimlers, with 6-cylinder Knight double-sleeve-valve engines of under two litres. They were discontinued in 1926. From 1933 to 1936, this policy was resumed. In 1931, BSA had taken over Lanchester and introduced a line of completely new Lanchesters as cheap Daimlers. In turn, a still cheaper range christened BSA’s followed from 1933, consisting of a machine basically similar to the Lanchester: a BSA Ten but with a side-valve engine, and a BSA Light Six identical to its Lanchester opposite number. These BSA cars were made in the Daimler factory at Coventry. After 1936, no more cars came from the motor car division of BSA.

GB, 1929 – 1940

B.S.A. Cycles Ltd, Small Heath, Birmingham

In 1924 Hotchkiss, makers of proprietary engines for other car firms, were taken over by their main customer, William Morris. They had also made an excellent 1100cc, V-twin, air-cooled engine with overhead valves for the Birmingham Small Arms Company, for use in that company’s BSA light car (this engine also powered the short-lived Hotchkiss light car itself). BSA Cycles Ltd (the motor cycle division of BSA) acquired manufacturing rights in the engine to drive, in 1-litre form, the front wheels of a 3-wheeler of very modern conception with independent front suspension. This, the famous BSA Beeza, first appeared in 1929, ready for the 1930 season. In 1933 flexibility was added to the BSA’s virtues when a water-cooled 1100cc 4-cylinder sv engine became available. In the previous year, the BSA manufacturers had already tried to attract a wider market by adding a solid axle and another wheel at the rear. This became the BSA Nine in 1933. The front wheel drive BSA 4-wheeler was dropped for a season, but reappeared as the 9hp BSA Scout in 1935. From 1936 to 1940 the Scout in 1200cc BSA Ten form was the only BSA sold, the 2- and 4-cylinder 3-wheelers having been dropped in the former year. There was talk in the early 1950s of resuming production of a small BSA car with a 2-cylinder air-cooled engine, but it came to nothing.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN
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