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The illustrious Mr. Coatalen and his TT Hillman
It's not unusual to hear the British making jokes at the expense of the French, but one thing the Brits have to hand to them is that the ever so British marques of Sunbeam, Humber and Hillman owe a great deal to a Frenchman: Louis Coatalen. Coatalen, who, to be more precise, would probably have described himself as Breton, was even thought highly of by W. O. Bentley. The Cricklewood lorry manufacturer wrote in his biography: “Not only a first class businessman who made (and lost) a great deal of money in his active life with Sunbeams; he had other qualities which I liked even better; he was highly educated and amusing and a tremendous raconteur, and he was dedicated to motor racing.”
Perhaps Coatalen had become something of a naturalized Brit after moving to that sceptred isle at an early age, but not before he'd got an engineering degree in Cluny and worked for no fewer than three French automobile manufacturers: De Dion-Bouton, Clément and Panhard et Levassor He'd achieved all that by 1900, the year he reached the ripe old age of 21. Once in Coventry, Coatalen became Humber’s chief engineer within just a few years, but wanted to go even further and so teamed up with William Hillman in 1906. The picture seen here shows Coatalen behind the wheel of the 24hp Hillman-Coatalen of 1908, about which we can’t find too much information. The photo was probably taken just before the car was raced in that year’s Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. The partnership between Coatalen and Hillman didn’t last too long though: in 1909 Coatalen left for Sunbeam and the business simply became the Hillman Motor Car Company.
There is a lot more to find and tell about Coatalen’s involvement in Sunbeam after that, but we wonder if there are many Hillman-Coatalens surviving? We could only find a picture of one, a 1908 car registered A 338, which is on permanent display in the Coventry Transport Museum. Are there any others?
Words: Jeroen Booij, picture: Isle of Man Museum
Published:
Tuesday August 22nd, 2023
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Comments
Kieran White
29 August 2023, 18:41
The interesting thing about the Wyndham body is the rear seats were removable and an alternative truck-type flatbed could be fitted, ideal for going to the creamery with milk churns or even carry your balloon about. This truck back was also with the body when Just m Foyle had it.
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Kieran White
22 August 2023, 22:34
IY 143 was originally owned by Vincent S. Carroll of Dundalk, possibly one of the cigarette manufacturers. It should be possible to reclaim that number even in the UK as Ireland and Britain were under the one administration in 1908.
The Australian 15hp was imported to Ireland by the late James Foyle. He had acquired a Wyndham body that had graced a 1907 25hp Hillman Coatalen, reg. no. IP 1. This was a Gabbett family number. Unfortunately the chassis was scrapped during the Second World War.
James came across the Australian 15hp and bought it. The Wyndham body proved too large for the chassis. When James died the car was sold by his estate and the body was sold separately to a Cork family with the intention of fitting it to a large Maxwell.
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The Australian 15hp was imported to Ireland by the late James Foyle. He had acquired a Wyndham body that had graced a 1907 25hp Hillman Coatalen, reg. no. IP 1. This was a Gabbett family number. Unfortunately the chassis was scrapped during the Second World War.
James came across the Australian 15hp and bought it. The Wyndham body proved too large for the chassis. When James died the car was sold by his estate and the body was sold separately to a Cork family with the intention of fitting it to a large Maxwell.
Andy Watt
22 August 2023, 13:11
In answer to Jerome's question are there any more Hillman-Coatalen's the answer is yes. Just the one.
Many years ago I was fortunate to buy an unrestored example that had originally been found in Australia. It was found on a farm about 200 miles north of Sydney. The car had been a wedding present and we think because the chassis is fairly lightweight it wasn't suitable for the roads of the time. Reduced to sheep rounding up duties the engine ran a big end in 1912 and was parked by a fence where it was found. I was lucky enough to chat to the guy that found it.
My car is chassis 615 and engine number 124. The car in Coventry Transport Museum is engine number 142. There are some numbers cast into each cylinder, mine is 04 08 and the Coventry car 05 08. Some chassis and engine work had been done before I got it but I had to redo some of it. When restoring the bodywork we've used most of the original panels apart from the back wings which were beyond saving. The late Mike Worthington-Williams did a short piece in Finds and Discoveries in The Automobile where he described mine as an original restored body. I've had to make a steering wheel and controls but I'd estimate 90% of the car is original. I have many bits not shown in the pictures. Both the cars are the smaller 12/15 model introduced in 1908. When mine is finished I shall only be the second owner to have driven it!
One of the best Christmas presents I had was when I was given a complete spare engine. I also have original sales catalogues from 1907 and 1909 but only a photocopy of the 1908 year. If anyone has one and would part with it I'd happily buy it from them.
As an aside my great-grandfather was Louis Coatalen's brother. He followed Louis over to the UK, arriving in 1906. There is a very good book written by Oliver Heal who is married to Coatalen's grand-daughter. Titled Louis Coatalen: Engineering Impresario of Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq it briefly touches on Louis's time with Hillman and contains many period photos from the family archive.
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Many years ago I was fortunate to buy an unrestored example that had originally been found in Australia. It was found on a farm about 200 miles north of Sydney. The car had been a wedding present and we think because the chassis is fairly lightweight it wasn't suitable for the roads of the time. Reduced to sheep rounding up duties the engine ran a big end in 1912 and was parked by a fence where it was found. I was lucky enough to chat to the guy that found it.
My car is chassis 615 and engine number 124. The car in Coventry Transport Museum is engine number 142. There are some numbers cast into each cylinder, mine is 04 08 and the Coventry car 05 08. Some chassis and engine work had been done before I got it but I had to redo some of it. When restoring the bodywork we've used most of the original panels apart from the back wings which were beyond saving. The late Mike Worthington-Williams did a short piece in Finds and Discoveries in The Automobile where he described mine as an original restored body. I've had to make a steering wheel and controls but I'd estimate 90% of the car is original. I have many bits not shown in the pictures. Both the cars are the smaller 12/15 model introduced in 1908. When mine is finished I shall only be the second owner to have driven it!
One of the best Christmas presents I had was when I was given a complete spare engine. I also have original sales catalogues from 1907 and 1909 but only a photocopy of the 1908 year. If anyone has one and would part with it I'd happily buy it from them.
As an aside my great-grandfather was Louis Coatalen's brother. He followed Louis over to the UK, arriving in 1906. There is a very good book written by Oliver Heal who is married to Coatalen's grand-daughter. Titled Louis Coatalen: Engineering Impresario of Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot and Darracq it briefly touches on Louis's time with Hillman and contains many period photos from the family archive.
Editor
22 August 2023, 20:31
I would really like to tell you that your car is not the only other survivor. I would like to, but I can't with any degree of certainty.
If you can track down a July, 1960, copy of Motor Sport, you will find an article by Cecil Clutton about a 1908 Hillman-Coatalen 12/15h.p. tourer restored by Philip Mann, who later became President of the V.S.C.C. At the time, it was believed to be the sole survivor. It bore the registration number IY-143, which does not yield any results when you put it through the D.V.L.A. vehicle enquiry. Apart from the registration number, it looks very similar to the Coventry car (A 338) except that Mann's car did not have any weather equipment.
I have a particular interest in Hillman for no reason except that my first car when I was 18, which I still own, was a 1962 Super Minx, and I have undertaken a lot of research into the marque's early years. I tried to make contact with Mann when he would have been about 98 years old and was living in Switzerland. Sadly, I heard nothing from him and he died in 2020 aged 100.
I would very much like to know where IY-143 is today.
Zack Stiling
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If you can track down a July, 1960, copy of Motor Sport, you will find an article by Cecil Clutton about a 1908 Hillman-Coatalen 12/15h.p. tourer restored by Philip Mann, who later became President of the V.S.C.C. At the time, it was believed to be the sole survivor. It bore the registration number IY-143, which does not yield any results when you put it through the D.V.L.A. vehicle enquiry. Apart from the registration number, it looks very similar to the Coventry car (A 338) except that Mann's car did not have any weather equipment.
I have a particular interest in Hillman for no reason except that my first car when I was 18, which I still own, was a 1962 Super Minx, and I have undertaken a lot of research into the marque's early years. I tried to make contact with Mann when he would have been about 98 years old and was living in Switzerland. Sadly, I heard nothing from him and he died in 2020 aged 100.
I would very much like to know where IY-143 is today.
Zack Stiling
Andy Watt
22 August 2023, 21:11
Zack, I think you'll find that IY-143 was re-registered A338 and are one and the same. I was recently in contact with Philip Mann's son Christopher as I have lent him a magneto to copy parts for a project of his. A 338 was, I believe, found in Ireland and restored by Philip before passing to David Johnson who knows a lot about the Hillman Company.
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And interesting to hear about the 25hp. I was aware of the larger body and have got a copy of a photo of it when Mr. Foyle had it. I didn't know where it had gone though. It would have been too large as the 15hp is a much smaller car according to the dimensions in the sales catalogues. In a way I am glad it wasn't used on what is now my car, as it has given me the opportunity to restore the original. I did see a 1902 Bolide on a recent London to Brighton that now wears the registration number IP 1.