Author: Ken Good
Publisher: Bookmarque Publishing
This book was written about a subject dear to the author, namely Gwynne Cars, made in England in the early to late 1920s. His story covers everything connected with the cars and other engineering aspects of the Gwynne family name, for example centrifugal pumps, which gained a worldwide reputation for excellence. Gwynnes were manufacturing Clerget rotary engines under licence for aircraft at the old Thorneycroft premises at Chiswick during World War I. To occupy the factory, tools and staff, the company started making engines for cars and purchased a design for a 8HP light car from Arturo Elizalde, who manufactured a similar car in Spain from 1919 to 1923. There was a delay in introducing the 8HP caused by the moulders strike so it was not the first Gwynne car to be made. This occurred in 1920 when production of the Albert 14HP transferred from the Albert premises in Vauxhall Gardens to the Gwynne works in Chiswick, after the Albert company had fallen into receivership. This was a natural progression as Gwynne had already been making the engine for this model and the 12HP for the Albert concern. The 12HP was not continued by Gwynne and next model introduced was the delayed Elizalde-designed 8HP manufactured by Gwynnes Pumps Ltd, launched at the Motor Show in November 1922. As a result of a restructuring, in 1926 Gwynne Engineering had moved to Lincoln as part of Fosters and Neville Gwynne persisted with Gwynne Cars Ltd at Chiswick Wharf. In 1927 an expanded version of the 8HP, rated at 10HP was introduced and this and the 14HP lasted until the cessation of car production in 1930 when the Gwynne Cars Ltd entity was liquidated, the 8HP having being dropped in 1928. Successes and failures of the various Gwynne companies are recorded until the disappearance of the company name in 1968.
Out of print
Published 2002
Price: £
ISBN: #978-1870519670
