Coventry's Motorcar Heritage

Author: Damien Kimberley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0752490419
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 342

Book Description
Coventry, home of the cycle industry, was also to become the birthplace of the motor industry when the Daimler Company became the first in Britain to mass produce cars in the late 1890s. Spearheaded by H.J. Lawson, Coventry soon became a hub of motoring activity, and by the early 1900s was teaming with small and large companies, testing cars, motor-bicycles and tricycles around the local streets and surrounding country lanes. Many of these companies had previously been established as cycle manufacturers, yet introduced engines to their cycle frames in various forms, as well as producing safer three- and four-wheeled experimental machines. Other companies were established solely as motor manufacturers, many were short-lived, but others would survive and prosper. This new-found industry soon attracted a new type of worker to Coventry, specialised in mechanical engineering. These men and their families came from all parts of the UK and beyond, and made new lives for themselves in the city. Coventry has been home to well in excess of 100 independent motor manufacturers, but in recent years the city has suffered greatly with the loss of huge companied like Jaguar and Peugeot. The legacy of many of these historic cars can, however, still be enjoyed through museums and private collections. This outstanding volume is illustrated with 200 archive photographs and ephemera from the collection held at Coventry Transport Museum, and is a valuable record of the motor companies and their machines, as well as the individuals who both founded and worked for these manufacturers.

Coventry's Bicycle Heritage

Author: Damien Kimberley
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750951680
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 226

Book Description
Coventry has a remarkable bicycle manufacturing heritage. From the first velocipedes built in 1868, the city went on to become the home of the British cycle industry and at one time produced the greatest output of cycles in the world – with well in excess of 450 individual cycle manufacturers over a 100-year period. The Coventry Machinists Company were the first in Britain to mass-produce cycles, and steadily, more and more companies were established in the city. Soon Coventry became internationally recognised as a place where only the very best machines were made, and the name 'Coventry' itself became a stamp of quality engineering and fine craftsmanship. Richly illustrated with over 100 outstanding images from Coventry History Centre, many previously unpublished, this is the first book of its kind to cover the history of Coventry bicycle manufacture and the people who built them. From Dunlop, Hobart, Singer, Premier, Rover and Triumph to other lesser-known local companies, their legacies are still enjoyed by cyclists and local historians today.

The Little History of Coventry

Author: Peter Walters
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750992816
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 190

Book Description
The Little History Of Coventry packs into its pages the colour and incident of a thousand years, telling the story of a city that has perhaps been overlooked by mainstream historians, but has often been at the heart of this country's great events. From the testing ground of the saintly Godiva to fourteenth-century boom town, from Second World War Blitz victim to the next UK City of Culture, Coventry has always been an inventive place with an unerring ability to bounce back from misfortune and make its mark. This is a truly eye-opening journey through the events and characters that have shaped its story and made the city one of England's hidden jewels.

The Story of Coventry

Author: Peter Walters
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 0750956631
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 412

Book Description
The Story of Coventry traces the evolution of the city, from the myths of Godiva, through to the issues, challenges and opportunities facing it in the twenty-first century. Exploring Coventry’s heritage through records, architectural developments and anecdotes, it reveals a fascinating and much misunderstood city, whose history is often overshadowed by its bombing during the Second World War. Peter Walters, well known for his numerous newspaper features and active role in local heritage, shows that there is a great deal more to the history of Coventry than first meets the eye. This beautifully illustrated text will delight both residents and visitors alike.

The Motor Car Industry in Coventry Since the 1890's

Author: David Thoms
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 135167045X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Book Description
This book, originally published in 1985, examines the development of the car industry in Coventry within both its local context and the wider economic environment. It is a study of expansion and adjustment which reflects the broader pattern of Britain's industrial history. The book analyses the emergence and early dominance of Coventry's motor manufacturers, the appearance of the volume producers in the 1920s and the instability of the post-war era. The relationship between cars and other sectors of the local economy, particularly cycles, machine tools and aircraft, is discussed, while the significance of the two world wars receive special attention. Extensive use is made of original sources material, much of which, prior to publication, had received little or no attention from business historians.

Veteran Motor Cars

Author: Steve Lanham
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1784424188
Category : Transportation
Languages : en
Pages : 65

Book Description
This colourful introduction to the first decades of the motor car covers its earliest iterations, when the automobile represented the very peak of technological innovation. It is packed with fascinating facts about the experimental origins of the motor industry, when these 'horseless carriages' were largely constructed in back-street workshops, many simply resembling the frame and bodywork of a horse-drawn carriage but fitted with a petrol engine. Experimentation was rife, however, and there was much debate as to whether petrol, steam or electricity should lead the way, with endurance runs, hill climbs and organised races pitting them one against the other. Early motorists had to employ novel measures to overcome challenges such as the rudimentary engineering of early cars, the difficulty of fuel supply, the poorly maintained roads, and hostility from other road users.

The Life of the Automobile

Author: Steven Parissien
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1250040639
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 447

Book Description
The Life of the Automobile is the first comprehensive world history of the car. The automobile has arguably shaped the modern era more profoundly than any other human invention, and author Steven Parissien examines the impact, development, and significance of the automobile over its turbulent and colorful 130-year history. Readers learn the grand and turbulent history of the motor car, from its earliest appearance in the 1880s—as little more than a powered quadricycle—and the innovations of the early pioneer carmakers. The author examines the advances of the interwar era, the Golden Age of the 1950s, and the iconic years of the 1960s to the decades of doubt and uncertainty following the oil crisis of 1973, the global mergers of the 1990s, the bailouts of the early twenty-first century, and the emergence of the electric car. This is not just a story of horsepower and performance but a tale of extraordinary people: of intuitive carmakers such as Karl Benz, Sir Henry Royce, Giovanni Agnelli (Fiat), André Citroën, and Louis Renault; of exceptionally gifted designers such as the eccentric, Ohio-born Chris Bangle (BMW); and of visionary industrialists such as Henry Ford, Ferdinand Porsche (the Volkswagen Beetle), and Gene Bordinat (the Ford Mustang), among numerous other game changers. Above all, this comprehensive history demonstrates how the epic story of the car mirrors the history of the modern era, from the brave hopes and soaring ambitions of the early twentieth century to the cynicism and ecological concerns of a century later. Bringing to life the flamboyant entrepreneurs, shrewd businessmen, and gifted engineers that worked behind the scenes to bring us horsepower and performance, The Life of the Automobile is a globe-spanning account of the auto industry that is sure to rev the engines of entrepreneurs and gearheads alike.

Coventry's Heritage

Author: Levi Fox
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Coventry (England)
Languages : en
Pages : 222

Book Description

The Coventry Motor Industry

Author: David Thoms
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351730401
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 238

Book Description
This title was first published in 2000: Coventry is synonymous with both the creation and relative decline of the British motor car industry. This volume utilises the extensive range of primary sources on the subject to explore the relationship between the car industry in its local context and the wider economic, social and political environment. It analyses the emergence and early dominance of Coventry’s motor manufacturers, the rise of volume production in the 1930s and the instabilities and renaissance of the post-war era. Specific chapters deal with the industry’s response to the demands created by the two world wars. A number of themes run throughout the book including the structure of the industry and the relationship between its various sectors, resource provision, management and labour relations, and the nature and response to market demand. The book also provides fascinating insights into the history of some of the most evocative marques in the car industry, including Daimler, Jaguar, Alvis, Siddeley, Standard and Rover.

Rolls-Royce and Bentley

Author: Malcolm Bobbitt
Publisher: The History Press
ISBN: 1803998458
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 396

Book Description
In 1998 Rolls-Royce celebrated the 60th anniversary of the opening of its Crewe factory, the home of the company's car production since World War II. This illustrated history celebrates Rolls Royce and Bentley cars and the company that produced them. Motoring writer Malcolm Bobbitt has brought together a varied collection of photos to create this visual account. The text explains the move of the company's car production from Derby to Crewe just after the war and takes the story through the successful 1950s and 1960s. He recalls the near bankruptcy of the company in the 1970s and its subsequent recovery, and finishes with a description of the company and its cars today in light of the 1998 sale to Volkswagen and the acquisition of the Rolls-Royce name by BMW. The author concentrates on the evolution of the characteristic models - the Bentley Mk VI and the R-Types, the Silver Wraith and Silver Dawn, the Silver Cloud and Silver Shadow and Silver Spirit - and he looks at the recent revival of the Bentley marque which recaptures the spirit of the cars' pre-war sporting history. The book also remembers the notable individuals who played a vital part in the creation of these famous vehicles, and it describes the company's organization and its meticulous methods of design, testing and construction.