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JA Prestwich Industries
JA Prestwich Industries, was a British engineering equipment manufacturing company named after founder John Alfred Prestwich, which was formed in 1951 by the amalgamation of J.A.Prestwich and Company Limited and Pencils Ltd. History John Prestwich, an engineer, commenced manufacture of scientific instruments in 1895, when he was 20, initially behind his father's house at 1 Lansdowne Road, Tottenham, London. By 1911 he had moved to new premises in Tariff Road, within the Northumberland Park area of Tottenham, London, anwhich still exists as of 2015 Prestwich was initially best known for his cinematography cameras and projectors. He worked with S.Z. de Ferranti and later the cinema pioneer William Friese-Greene. Circa 1902 J.A.Prestwich and Company began manufacturing motorcycle engines which were used in many motorcycle marques. The motorcycle engines were associated with racing and record success and were used in speedway bikes into the 1960s. Prestwich also made engines for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Villiers Engineering
Villiers Engineering was a manufacturer of motorcycles and cycle parts, and an engineering company based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton, England. Early history In the 1890s John Marston's Sunbeam had become extremely successful by relying on high quality of production and finish. But Marston was dissatisfied with the pedals on his machines, which he bought in. In 1890 he dispatched his son Charles to the US on a selling trip, but included in his instructions that Charles must discuss pedal engineering with Pratt and Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut and come back with a high-class pedal and the machinery for making it. Charles said that the Villiers Engineering Co. was "the ultimate fruit" of his trip to the US, being impressed by the production system and the labour saving devices. He pointed out that "it was not possible to develop these at Sunbeamland, which had long been working on another plan, but it was possible to start them in a new factory". As a result of the to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zenith Motorcycles
Zenith Motorcycles was a British motorcycle and automobile manufacturer established in Finsbury Park, London in 1903, by W.G. Bowers. Automobile manufacture only lasted from 1905–1906. The first Zenith motorcycle was the 'BiCar' of 1903, based on Tooley's Bi-Car design, which was purchased by Zenith for its own production. The BiCar was a unique design with hub-center steering and a low-slung chassis with the engine (from Fafnir in Germany) centrally fixed. Fred ('Freddie') W. Barnes was hired as chief engineer in 1905, and patented the "Gradua" variable-ratio belt drive transmission that year. The Gradua system simultaneously changed the diameter of the crankshaft belt-drive pulley to alter the drive ratio, while moving the rear wheel forward or back to maintain belt tension. The Gradua's action was controlled by a rotating lever atop the fuel tank, and was among the first attempts to provide multiple drive ratios for a motorcycle, at a time when very simple, direct belt-d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aeronca
Aeronca, contracted from Aeronautical Corporation of America, located in Middletown, Ohio, is a US manufacturer of engine components and airframe structures for commercial aviation and the defense industry, and a former aircraft manufacturer. From 1928 to 1951, the company was a major producer of general aviation aircraft, and also produced the engines for some of their early designs.Harris, Richard,Aeronca: Birth of the Personal Plane" ''AAHS Journal,'' Summer 2007, vol.52, #2, American Aviation Historical SocietyHarris, Richard,Aeronca/Champion History: Beyond the Bathtub -- Chiefs, Champs & Citabrias" from articles by Richard Harris first appearing in ''In Flight USA,'' 2003-2004, condensed on author's website. Aeronca is now (2011) a division of Magellan Aerospace, producing aircraft, missile, and space vehicle components at the same location adjacent to Middletown's Hook Field Municipal Airport. History Origins The Aeronca Aircraft Corporation was founded November 11, 192 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alliot Verdon Roe
Sir Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe OBE, Hon. FRAeS, FIAS (26 April 1877 – 4 January 1958) was a pioneer English pilot and aircraft manufacturer, and founder in 1910 of the Avro company. After experimenting with model aeroplanes, he made flight trials in 1907–1908 with a full-size aeroplane at Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ..., near Weybridge in Surrey, and became the first Englishman to fly an all-British machine a year later, with a triplane, on the Walthamstow Marshes. Early life Roe was born in Patricroft, Eccles, Greater Manchester, Eccles, Lancashire, the son of Edwin Roe, a doctor, and Annie Verdon. He was the elder brother of Humphrey Verdon Roe. Roe left home when he was 14 to go to Canada where he had been offered training as a Surveying, surv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
California Automobile Museum
California Automobile Museum is an automobile museum located in Sacramento, California. It has a collection of over 150 classic cars, race cars, muscle cars and early models displayed throughout of museum space. The mission of the California Automobile Museum is to preserve, exhibit, and teach the story of the automobile and its influence on our lives. History The California Automobile Museum was the first automobile museum in the west to be established in perpetuity. Founded in 1983 as the California Vehicle Foundation, the museum opened to the public in 1987 as the Towe Ford Museum, displaying the largest collection of Fords in the world, courtesy of Edward Towe, a Montana banker. David Flatt is the executive director of the museum. The first car to be donated to the California Automobile Museum was a restored 1938 Buick sedan, a gift from John Joyce, president of the Golden One Credit Union, which is still on display at the museum. In 1997, the museum was renamed The To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Motor Museum, Beaulieu
The National Motor Museum (originally the Montagu Motor Museum) is a museum in the village of Beaulieu, set in the heart of the New Forest, in the English county of Hampshire. History The museum was founded in 1952 by Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu, as a tribute to his father, John, 2nd Baron Montagu, who was one of the pioneers of motoring in the United Kingdom, being the first person to drive a motor car into the yard of the Houses of Parliament, and having introduced King Edward VII (then the Prince of Wales) to motoring during the 1890s. At first, the museum consisted of just five cars and a small collection of automobilia displayed in the front hall of Lord Montagu's ancestral home, Palace House; but such was the popularity of this small display that the collection soon outgrew its home, and was transferred to wooden sheds in the grounds of the house. The reputation and popularity of the Beaulieu collection continued to grow: during 1959, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tornax
Tornax was a motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ... manufacturer in Wuppertal, Germany. Tornax built its first motorcycle in 1926. This was the model I-26, which has a 600 cc single-Cylinder (engine), cylinder Flathead engine, side-valve engine imported from JA Prestwich Industries Ltd, JAP in London, England producing 15 Horsepower#Brake horsepower, bhp. For the remainder of the 1920s all Tornax models featured side-valve and overhead valve (OHV) JAP engines of 500, 550 and 600 cc, apart from the V-28 in 1928 whose 600 cc side-valve engine was supplied by the German engine manufacturer Horex, Columbus in Bad Homburg. In 1930 Tornax produced its first twin-cylinder model, the III-30, which had a side-valve 1000 cc V-twin JAP engine producing . In 1931 it add ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hecker (motorcycle)
Hecker was a company in Nürnberg, Germany that manufactured motorcycles from 1922 until 1956. Production began with engines supplied by Scharrer & Groß. In 1925 S & G started making their own motorcycles so Hecker switched to engines from 198cc to 548cc bought from JAP in London, England. In the late 1920s Hecker also manufactured a model with a 746cc V-twin engine from Motosacoche of Switzerland. In 1931 Germany's economic crisis led the company to switch to making lightweight motorcycles powered by Sachs engines. After the Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ... Hecker built lightweight motorcycles with ILO and Villiers engines. Production terminated in 1956. External links Hecker Owners' Club Motorcycle manufacturers of Germany {{Motorcy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ardie
Ardie was a company in Nürnberg, Germany that manufactured motorcycles from 1919 until 1958. The company's name derives from that of its founder, Arno Dietrich. At first Ardie made motorcycles with its own 288cc and 304cc single cylinder two-stroke engines. In 1925 the company switched to using engines from JAP in London, England. In the 1930s Ardie switched again to engines made by the German companies Bark and Kūchen. In 1930, Ardie President Willy Bendit assigned German engineer Josef Ganz to build a prototype of a small Volkswagen according to his design. This Ardie-Ganz prototype was finished in September 1930 and achieved highly successful road-test results. The car featured a tubular chassis, mid-mounted engine, and independent wheel suspension with swing-axles at the rear. In 1936 the company returned to making motorcycles with two-stroke engines of its own manufacture. During the Second World War the company made a model with Ardie's own design of 350cc twin-cyli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terrot
Terrot was a motorcycle manufacturer in Dijon, France. Charles Terrot and Wilhelm Stücklen had founded a machinery factory in Cannstatt, Germany in 1862, and Terrot added a branch factory in Dijon in 1887, and in 1890 the Dijon factory added bicycles to its products. In 1902, the Dijon factory made its first motorcycle. It was powered by a 2 bhp engine supplied by Zédel of Switzerland. After that, Terrot built motorcycles with engines from 173cc to 498cc from proprietary engine suppliers including the Swiss manufacturers MAG and Dufeaux, the English makers Chater-Lea and JAP along with Givaudan engines from Lyon, France. Terrot produced its first twin-cylinder model in 1905. From 1915 onwards, it supplied 500cc machines to the French Army. In 1921, Terrot launched new two-stroke models: the 175cc model L and the 267cc model E. In 1925, the latter model was developed into the 250cc model F. From 1923 onwards, Terrot also produced four-stroke models. First with a 350cc J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dresch
Dresch et Cie (1920–1949) was one of France's more important motorcycle manufacturers.The Illustrated Directory of Motorcycles. Micro De Cet, Mirco De Cet. MotorBooks International, 13 Feb 2003 It was founded in Étampes, France by the eccentric multi-millionaire French-Algerian industrialist Henri Dresch, whose other business interests were to include an upmarket spa hotel. Within five months of its founding, it was able to rise to the forefront of its specialty,PME et croissance économique: l'expérience française des années 1920. Michel Lescure. Économica, 1996 going on to use advanced designs such as press-steel frame and forks and shaft drives, and later moved to the Everest factory in Paris's 15th arrondissement. The company's products ranged from 98cc to 246cc single-cylinder two-stroke machines to luxury 750cc four-cylinder model. Dresch used proprietary engines from various suppliers including Aubier Dunne, Chaise, JAP, MAG, Stainless and Train. In 1930, it produ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
AJS Model D
The AJS Model D is a British motorcycle made by A. J. Stevens & Co. Ltd in Wolverhampton between 1912 and 1925. With production halted by the First World War AJS managed to develop the Model D into a popular sidecar machine and it was eventually replaced by the larger capacity AJS Model E. Development In 1905 the Stevens Motor Manufacturing Company built a V-twin motorcycle powered by a JA Prestwich Industries Ltd motor, with leading-link front forks and a swinging fork at the rear. A new company, A J Stevens & Co ( AJS), was founded in 1909 to manufacture motorcycles and at the 1912 London Motorcycle show they launched the 698cc side valve AJS Model D. Featuring cylinders at 50 degrees and chain drive to a three speed countershaft gearbox with a hand gear change, the original engines had quickly removable cylinder heads but after problems with oil leaks a more permanent head was specified for 1913. The side valve engine was lubricated by a 'total loss' system operated by a h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
