Waverley

US, 1898 – 1914 

(1) Indiana Bicycle Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1898 – 1899

(2) American Bicycle Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1900 – 1901

(3) International Motor Car Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1901 – 1903

(4) Waverley Dept., Pope Motor Car Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1903 – 1907

(5) Waverley Co, Indianapolis, Ind., 1908 – 1914

The original electric Waverley car was a two-seater with tiller steering and a single headlamp which sold for $850. During the Pope régime the line of models Waverley cars was expanded to include closed bodies, including a miniature limousine with a wheelbase of only 7ft 6in. After the failure of Pope, a large range of Waverley cars was marketed, with four different shaft-drive models in 1914, and these electric Waverley cars were similar in appearance to petrol cars.

GB, 1901 – 1904

(1) Scottish Motor Co, Edinburgh

(2) New Rossleight Motor & Cycle Co. Ltd., Edinburgh

The Waverley car from Scotland was one of the many British cars of the time that consisted of a De Dion engine in a home-produced chassis. A 9hp single-cylinder unit was used on the Waverley car, in conjunction with a 3-speed gearbox. ‘The Pride of the North’ as the Waverley car was called, cost £280 in 1902.

GB, 1910 – 1931

(1) Light Cars Ltd, Willesden, London N.W., 1910 – 1915

(2) Waverley Cars Ltd, London W.10, 1919 – 1931

The London Waverley car was a name which lasted a long time, but not many Waverley cars were made, and they never achieved any fame. The first Waverley car were light cars with 9hp V-twin JAP engines, and gearboxes in their back axles. Only one rear wheel of the Waverley car was driven, so a differential was unnecessary. Initially, there were only 2 forward speeds; later there were 3. A 10hp 4-cylinder in-line unit supplemented the twin, and a 15hp Waverley car was added. These engines were made by Chapuis-Dornier, and by 1913 were installed in conventional Waverley cars. In the 1920s the Waverley carwas generally a small to medium-sized assembled family car of no distinction, like so many of its contemporaries in Britain.

In 1919 the staple model Waverley car was the Waverley Twelve. From the very beginning Waverley car suspension was praised, but the Waverley Twelve’s engine was rough and noisy. The same applied to the 10hp 1½-litre Waverley car, current from 1922 and renamed the 11hp Waverley car in 1924. Both engines were by Coventry-Simplex. Other units for the Waverley car were made by Tylor. However, the new Waverley Twelve of 1924 was given a 1½-litre, single sleeve-valve engine of Burt-McCollum type, which overcame the main criticism. This Waverley car had front-wheel brakes. A new 16hp Coventry-Simplex-engined six appeared for 1925. It was also an improvement as far as silence and smoothness were concerned. In the same year, an odd ephemeral ‘£100 car’ was shown. This Waverley car was propelled by a rear-mounted flat-twin water-cooled engine of 900cc. Transmission of the Waverley car was by friction disc, which provided 4 forward speeds.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; GMN, TRN

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