A.B.C.

US, 1906 – 1910

(1) Autobuggy Manufacturing Co, St Louis, Mo. 1906 – 1908

(2) A.B.C Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Co, St. Louis, Mo. 1908 - 1910

Originally known as the Autobuggy, this car was a typical high-wheel motor buggy whose excellent ground clearance made it popular in rural America. Powered by a 10/12hp 2-cylinder engine, it used a system of friction transmission by cone and two bevel wheels, one for forward movement, one for reverse. This gave a maximum speed of 30mph in either direction. Later models included more conventional roadsters with 2-or 4-cylinder air- or water-cooled engines. The company name was derived from the initials of the designer, A.B. Cole.

GB, 1920 – 1926

A.B.C. Motor Ltd, Hersham, Surrey

A.B.C engines for cyclecars (and also complete motorcycles) had been made before the war. The first production cars employed castings, stampings and forgings supplied by Harper Bean Ltd, and were fitted with a 24bhp air-cooled, flat-twin overhead-valve engine of 1.203cc designed by Granville Branshaw. Unfortunately this unit, built down to a cost, was noisy, hard to start, inefficiently lubricated and liable to breakages, especially of the very long, exposed push-rods. However, in conjunction with the car’s low weight, it made the A.B.C. exceptionally fast for its size, being capable of over 60mph with very good acceleration. The A.B.C. handled well, too. By 1925 the engine was quieter and more reliable, having been given more positive lubrication, and stronger valve gear and castings. One drawback remained; because the fuel tank filler was on top of the ‘radiator’, the tank was liable to be topped up with water by garage hands who did not recognize an air-cooled car. About 1500 A.B.C.’s were made. To the end, both electric starters and four wheel brakes were extra.

Source: Georgano Autoencyclopedie, GNG, TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

Léon Bollee

France, 1895 – 1933

(1) Automobiles Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1895 – 1924

(2) Morris Motors Ltd, Usines Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1925 – 1931

(3) Sté Nouvelle Léon Bollée, Le Mans, 1931 – 1933

Leon Bollee was a son of Amédée Bolllée père, the most important pioneer of steam road vehicles in France. Leon Bollee, however, turned to really small petrol Leon Bollee cars. He was the first to do so, and therefore had to invent a new name for his Leon Bollee car of 1895 – he called it a Leon Bollee voiturette. This Leon Bollee car was a tandem two-seater 3-wheeler that was faster than any other petrol-engined vehicle on the road when the Leon Bollee car was working, thanks to a powerful 3hp engine and light weight, but the power unit was unreliable on the Leon Bollee car. The Leon Bollee car had a single air-cooled cylinder of 650cc and used hot-tube ignition. There were 3 forward speeds on the Leon Bollee car, with belt final drive. The frame was tubular. Four years after the Leon Bollee voiturette appeared, Leon Bollee superseded it with a 4-wheeler with independent front suspension by double transverse leaf springs. This Leon Bollee car had a single-cylinder, water-cooled engine. Unlike the Leon Bollee voiturette, this Leon Bollee car made no mark. The design rights were sold to Darracq, and around 1901 the name of Leon Bollee cars vanished. Meanwhile, the term voiturette had been taken up by the trade and public in general as the name for a small light car.

The Leon Bollee car reappeared in 1903 as an entirely normal, full-sized car in the more expensive class, backed by Vanderbilt money and designed for the American market. This Leon Bollee car was made in 28hp (4.6-litres) and 45hp (8-litres) versions, with four cylinders and chain drive, and led on to a 11.9-litre six Leon Bollee car in 1907, in which year the first shaft driven Leon Bollee car appeared. From 1909 there was also a small modern four, the Leon Bollee 10/14hp. The 1910 range embraced 9 Leon Bollee cars, including 2 of over 10-litres capacity. Electric lighting became available on Leon Bollee cars in 1913, but the Leon Bollee grew increasingly old-fashioned after World War 1 despite the introduction of ohv in 1922 on Leon Bollee cars and front wheel brakes in 1923. Late in 1924 Sir William Morris bought the Le Mans Leon Bollee car factory. From making a wide range of conservative French Leon Bollee fours, it turned to thinly-disguised products of Cowley, Oxford, the idea being to breach the French tariff walls from the inside. The first Morris- Leon Bollee had a 12CV 2½-litre 4-cylinder unit-construction engine made by Hotchkiss, the engine manufacturers controlled by Morris, but it had push-rod overhead valves and bore little evidence of its parentage. Not so the 18CV Morris- Leon Bollee car of 1928. This was a 3-litre straight-8 with single overhead camshaft that reflected Morris’ takeover of Wolseley two years earlier. Morris’ own new six of 1928 was mirrored in the 15CV 2.6-litre Le Mans product of 1929. The bodies for the Morris- Leon Bollee car were all made in France and were usually considerably more dashing and attractive than their British counterparts. Chassis of this Morris- Leon Bollee car were made in France, and all cars had a 4-speed gearbox. At one time, 50 12CV Morris- Leon Bollee cars were being turned out each week. However, Morris’ enterprise was not a success, and he discontinued it in the hard times of the Depression. A new syndicate was formed in September 1931 to sell the same range of cars under the name of Leon Bollee cars. This lasted for less than two years and few Leon Bollee cars were made.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com