Garrard and Blumfield

1894 - 1896

Raglan Works, Raglan Street, (site currently occupied by Brandish's)

This company built primitive electric vehicles in small numbers from 1894 to 1896. The company was part of the empire of Harry Lawson and could claim to be the first car manufacturer in Coventry.

The Raglan,

1899

Raglan Street

Raglan Anti-friction Ball Co. was a well known cycle company. It built a prototype car in 1899 but it was never produced. It shared premises with Garrard and Blumfield and appears to have been virtually the same company, among many controlled by Harry Lawson.

The Lady

1899

Ford Street

The Lady was a voiturette, built by Henry Cave. It was powered by a 2.25 h.p. De Dion engine with power applied through a "Stow" flexible propshaft to the rear axle. The car could manage 16 m.p.h. There was a movable steering column to allow easy access to the seats. The exact address is not known.

Lea Francis [expanded]

1904 - 1960

Lower Ford Street

Richard Henry Lea and Graham Inglesby Francis formed a partnership in 1895 to produce bicycles. They moved into premises in Lower Ford Street in 1896 and built bicycles there until the First World War. Foreseeing a decline in the cycle industry they branched out into car manufacture in 1903 and motor cycles in 1911.

The company had a chequered history with some notable motor cycles and cars but financial difficulties regularly arising. The Hillfields site was abandoned in 1937 when it was sold by the receiver and the company, under a different name, was re-established in Much Park Street. It survived there until 1960 when the company was wound up.

The marque was revived in the 1980s.

Singer [expanded]

54A Canterbury St.

1900 - 1970

The Singer Co. was formed in 1874 and built bicycles, tricycles and motor cycles, with the first cars produced in 1905. The first cars were built under license from Lea Francis and were powered by an under-floor engine.

The most famous car from the early period was the 1912 Model 10 which was very light and economical.

The company continued to make a range of cars at the Canterbury Street works, until it was taken into the Rootes Group in 1956. Rootes was taken over by Chrysler in 1964. The Singer name was last used in 1970.

At its peak the company had five sites in Hillfields, as shown in the adjoining postcard. The Canterbury Street factory continued in use as part of the larger group and was occupied by Hills Precision, making parts for the group until it closed and moved production to the main Humber works in the 1980s. Hills Precision still makes trim for Peugeot cars.

George Singer

Lee Stroyer

63 East Street

1903

This firm was set up by H.Pelham Lee who moved from Daimler to set up the East Street works in 1903. A partnership with a Dane called Stroyer was formed and the Lee Stroyer car was built, seemingly as a "one-off" to demonstrate the efficiency of the firm's petrol engines - after which they decided not to build any more and the firm decided to concentrate on engine manufacture. Stroyer left the company in 1905 and it moved to new premises and was reformed as the Coventry Simplex. Engines were made by this company for many manufacturers. The company later became known as Coventry Climax and had a long history making car engines, fire pumps and eventually fork lift trucks

Premier, Coventry Premier

Read Street

1912 - 1923

This company is associated with one of the famous names of the British car industry. William Hillman and W.H. Herbert founded the Hillman and Herbert Cycle Co in the early 1870's. This later became known as the Premier Cycle Co. They moved into making motorcycles in 1908 and cyclecars in 1912. The 1914 model was a new four-cylinder light car with a three speed gearbox with a drive shaft. This was named as the Coventry Premier.

The Premier business was bought by Singer in 1920 and the cars were further developed before the name was dropped in 1923 in a re-organisation of the Singer range.

Photo of the toolroom at Premier

Hillman-Coatalen Motor Company.

1906 - 1910

1910 -

The Hillman firm began life as Hillman-Coatalen Motor Car Company. Louis Coatelen was the designer of the earliest cars. He sold his share in the company to William Hillman in 1909, moving on to Sunbeam.

The first cars were made in the grounds of Hillman's home, Abingdon House (also known as Pinley House). Production moved to Hillman's "Auto Machinery Works" at 9 -11 Hood Street, already established to make cycles, sewing machines and roller skates.

The firm merged with the struggling Humber Company in the 1920 and the marque continued under the Rootes ownership into the sixties.

Hill

94 Godiva Street

1926 - 1930

 Little is known about S. Hill and Co. Motors Ltd. It seems likely that they made car parts rather than actual cars.

Broadway

King William Street

1913

The Broadway was a cyclecar powered by an air-cooled Fafnir engine with "V" belts used for final drive. It sold for £80 but was only for sale during 1913.

Bayliss, Thomas

Thomas Bayliss

Excelsior Works

287 - 295 Stoney Stanton Road.

1919, c1926 - 1930

The company was established as a cycle manufacturer in 1874, making the Excelsior bicycle. They started making motorcycles in 1896 and started to make a three wheeler in 1919. The first four wheeled car, also called the Excelsior, was made in 1921 and the business was then transferred to Birmingham. The Hillfields factory then became the home of Francis-Barnett motorcycles.

Omega

Omega Works

Swan Lane

1925 - 1927

The Omega was built by W. J. Green who had been building motorcycles of the same name for a number of years. The manufacture of a three wheeler began in 1925. It employed a 980 cc. JAP engine which drove a single rear wheel by chain. Several models were available ranging from £105 to £125.

Humber

Lower Ford Street

1898 - 1908

(Later occupied by BTH and more recently redeveloped as Booker's Cash and Carry)

The Humber Cycle Company began in 1869 in Beeston, Nottingham. The firm became established in Coventry in 1887 taking over premises in Lower Ford Street which had previously been owned by Townsend Bros; Cycle Manufacturers. These premises were the subject of a major fire in 1896. Following the rebuilding in 1897, car production began in 1898. Cars were initially based on Lawson's designs. The first independent Humber design was the 1901 5hp Humberette. In 1906 the company purchased the premises of the former Coronet Company at the junction of Far Gosford Street and Payne's Lane. Following a fire in 1906, the company moved to a new site at Folly Lane, now Humber Road in Stoke.

c1906

Coventry Victor

1926 - 1937

137 - 139 Cox Street

 Coventry Victor were mostly known for engine production, but they built a three-wheeled cyclecar at their premises near the junction of Cox Street and Ford Street. A four-wheeled light prototype was built in 1919 but the vehicle was never put into production. Cars were produced again from 1926 and production continued until 1937. A new prototype the "Venus" was produced in 1949 but did not go into production. The firm still survives as "A.N.Weaver (Coventry Victor) Ltd."

 B & A Motors (Coventry Ltd.)

1937 - 38

19 - 21 Paynes Lane

 Spennell's directory of 1938 lists this firm as a possible producer of cars. No other information is known. It seems likely that they made car parts.

Coronet

83 - 87 Far Gosford Street

1904 - 1906

The Coronet Motor Co. was established in 1903 to produce motor cycles. One year later its first car was produced, designed by Walter Iden, who had his own company in Parkside and Fleet Street between 1902 and 1907.. The Coronet Works was sold to Humber in 1906. The factory had been built as a cycle works for Towsend Bros. in 1891 and developed into an impressive site complete with a formal frontage to Far Gosford Street and an area of workshops facing Payne's Lane and All Saints Lane. It was later sub-divided and only the frontage to Far Gosford Street now remains. The rear of the site was demolished to make way for Sky Blue Way.

Forman

Sparkbrook Works,

26 Days Lane and Paynes Lane.

1904 - 1906

The Forman Motor Manufacturing Company gained its reputation as an engine manufacturer but built a small number of cars of its own design between 1904 - 1906. The company was based at the Sparkbrook Works which was built as a cycle factory in the 1890s and was later the home of the Singer Nine Le Mans Sports car in the 1930s.

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Viking

King William Street

1914

Viking Motor Company were involved in car production just before the First World War. A light car was available in 1914 with four cylinder engines supplied by either Mathis or Ballot. The precise address is not known.

Viking Light Car 1914

Wigan-Barlow

Lowther Street

1922 - 1923

This company made cars for just two years. The first designs were based around a 1368cc Coventry Simplex or a 1946cc Meadows engine. A sports model the following year failed to save the venture. The factory is currently occupied by Edwin H Fryer Ltd. Plumbing merchants.