The Gibbons was a British 4 wheeled

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. A key ...

made from 1917 to 1929 by engineering pattern makers Gibbons and Moore of

Chadwell Heath Chadwell Heath is an area in east London, England. It is situated on the boundary of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and the London Borough of Redbridge, around west of Romford and east of Ilford, and north-east of Charing Cross. ...

, Essex. The first car was made in 1914 but production did not start until 1917. By 1920 the car was described as the MkIII. The car was unusual in having the air-cooled engine mounted outside the body on the front right hand side The first cars had a basic 2 seater body with the seats side by side and 4 hp single-cylinder, four-stroke JAP engine. Subsequent cars had a variety of engines, some with two cylinders. The engine drove a countershaft mounted across the car. From this two forward gears were provided by belts to either of the rear wheels with ratios selected by clutches on different diameter pulleys on either end of the countershaft. Braking was by blocks bearing on the drive pulleys. The bodywork was made of plywood and as well as side by side, tandem seating was also available on a version advertised as the Sport model with room for an adult and child in the rear. A Mk IV version was also advertised and claimed to be lighter than the MkIII. It had no doors and was powered by a two-stroke engine. The car could also for a while be bought in kit form with a set of plans being advertised For 5 shillings with machined or un-machined parts available. A four-seater model, the 10/25 with V twin Blackburne engine were advertised in 1925. Chain drive replaced belts on this model and there was a

Sturmey Archer Sturmey-Archer was a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England. It primarily produced bicycle hub gears, brakes and a great many other sundry bicycle components, most prominently during their heyday as a subsidiary of the Raleigh ...

three-speed gearbox with reverse. Drum brakes were fitted on the rear wheels. Lighting remained by acetylene, with headlights extra, but a full length hood and a rear windscreen were provided for weather protection Production numbers are not known exactly but period advertisements referred to more than 1000 made. Most production was between 1921 and 1926 but the car was still advertised in 1929; by then it was being made "to special order". Only one car is known to survive.

References

{{reflist Cyclecars Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Kit car manufacturers Companies based in Essex

See also

References