Car makers in Kent

[stuartwaters]

I'm sure that many years ago, a Company (may have been Tylers) had a display of AC Cobra replicas in the Pentagon Centre in Chatham. From memory, the most expensive model was powered by a Jaguar 5.3 litre V12. It was a beautiful car and I decided I wanted one. Until I saw the price.

[CAT]

As I understood, the count's cars (chassis, engines etc.) were supposedly built in the old coach house of Highland Court approx. 3miles south of Canterbury, whilst Bligh's were a coach builders and produced the bodywork. It was said that the Count was stopped from driving his cars through Bridge village due to the noise from their unsilenced engines, which were repurposed aircraft engines and could be heard starting-up in most of the surrounding villages.

[grandarog]

The racing driver and car builder Louis Vorow Zborowski built Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and other racing cars at Canterbury. He was known as Count Zborowski and was killed racing in the  1924 Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes  at Monza, after his car skidded on a curve and turned over twice.

[Jackie Paper]

GSM built a fibre-glass bodied sports car with Ford Anglia 105E engine in South Africa, and for a short while (76 cars claimed) at West Malling in Kent. Apparently the works were at the Windsor Garage, owned by a Mr John P Scott.

I see there is a proposed housing development in West Malling called the Windsor Works. Which seems to be to the rear of the Humphries and Parks Mitsubishi dealers on the A20.       

[johnfilmer]

Caterham Cars are made in Kennet Road, Dartford.

[johnfilmer]

Morgan repilca was the GCS Hawke

[johnfilmer]

How about the Lenham Motor Company? They made quite special Sprites as well as hardtops and other grp bits. They also did the Lenham Healey a 3000 chassis (might have been an earlier version 100/4?} with a more “pre war “ style body, cycle wings etc.

There was a kit car manufacturer in Dartford area, made 4x4 panelled climbing frame style device, a Dakar? Memory has it that he died and the kit was unsuccessful with new owners.

A couple of brothers made Morgan replicas in Orpington in the 1990s. I was tempted, but the chassis jig seemed to be chalk lines on the garage floor…

A D type replica had my juices flowing in a pub car park east of Canterbury, and the owner who lived nearby had the bucks for the aluminium body about 2000, it had been built about 10 years before.

[MartinR]

Not quite a car maker, but "In the years prior to the First World War the Pelican Yard was built up and used for the assembly and testing of petrol engines for rollers and lorries. On the outbreak of war petrol work stopped and the works were used as a store." from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aveling_and_Porter#Aveling_and_Porter_after_1881

[Jackie Paper]

Worthington, Coachbuilders Hythe.
After building carriages of the horse-drawn variety, they attempted to build a horseless one.

"The Worthington Duocar, or cycle-car, which had an 8-hp V-twin engine complete with a fan-cooled automatic carburettor. At the same time they were developing a car, the Worthington Runaraound. Only one was ever built. This is its specification: It was originally powered by an 8hp horizontally-opposed twin engine, but this was replaced by an 8.9hp V-twin J.A.P. The transversely mounted engine drove by two chains to a countershaft, final drive being by belt.

It was intended to sell the car for £90,  but the company overstretched itself and got involved in the other latest transport craze, the aeroplane and in the end failed to produce either car or plane. The firm went bankrupt in 1914."

It looks like the site of their old works is now a development of flats which has taken the name. Anyone know how long the old building survived?

[Jackie Paper]

Canterbury Motor Co 1903-06
Where would the Pavilion be? Not the cricket ground presumably?
A link here to more info about the company: https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/canterbury.htm

[Jackie Paper]

As a county, Kent probably leans more towards the light engineering side of things, rather than the huge factories of the Midlands.
Still, there have been a few cars that were built here, broadly during three eras of motoring: the very early pioneering days of the Edwardian/WW1 period; the kit-car boom of the 50s-60s; and the replica boom of recent times.

Here's a list of some of them, anyone know more about these or others?

Adams 1903-06
Tunbridge Wells

Arnold 1896-1906
East Peckham

Atalanta 1915-17
Greenwich

Batten 1935-38
Beckenham
Ford V8 specials

Bell 1920
Rochester
A 3 wheel cyclecar - were any actually sold?

Bradwell 1914
Folkestone

Canterbury Motor Co 1903-06
Canterbury
De Dion-powered 8HP-20HP cars.

Dawson 1900
Canterbury

Dax 1979-

Dewcar 1913-14
Eynsford

Eldon 1993-99
Tonbridge

Ellis 1897-1907
Maidstone

Foreman NF 1995-2008
Staplehurst

Geering 1899-1904
Rolvenden

GSM 1960-61
West Malling
Delta fibreglass sports, Ford 100E based


Hall & Co 1918-19
Tonbridge

Invicta Replicas 1985
Hawkhurst

Midway 2005-06
Hextable

Milo Lambert 1904-07
Snodland
A total of six vehicles were built. One of the vehicles had a four-cylinder engine , designed by Arthur Lambert based on plans by Tilling-Stevens of Maidstone .

One of the Best 1905
Tunbridge Wells

Orpington 1920-24
Orpington

Panic 2003-06
Dartford

Parnacott 1913-20
Penge

Pearson & Cox 1913-17
Shortlands

Piper 1968-75
Hayes
Piper GTT, GTR and P2

Strode 1922-26
Herne

Super Accesories 1960-65
Bromley
Chassis/body kits for Austin 7 and Ford 10HP.

Tyler 1994-98
Hoo
AC Cobra replica

Victor 1914
Eynsford

Worthington 1909-12
Hythe