London Motors was a Canadian automobile company located in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
. The company was formed by William Stansell, who was previously involved with the production of the
Brock car in
Amherstburg
Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site.
The town is ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
In 1921 Stansell raised $75,000 to form London Motors Limited, with a factory located at King and Ridout Streets.
Prototypes were ready by the autumn of 1921.
The London Six was an impressive vehicle featuring wooden disc wheels, pointed
windscreen
The windshield (North American English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from the elements. Mo ...
and a
Herschell-Spillman
The Allan Herschell Company specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was started in 1915 in the ...
6 cylinder engine.
The engine was tilted down at the rear, providing a lower
drive shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power and torque and rotation, usually ...
and reducing universal joint strain.
The aluminium body made the car very light, allowing a top speed of 85 mph to be reached.
Production began in late 1921, with the following models:
* Touring car
* Hardtop tourer/roadster
* Sedan
* Sedan Special
Prices ranged from $2,600 for the tourer to $3,700 for the sedan.
The car's slogan was "Canada's Quality Car".
Bodies were originally built at a factory in
Ingersoll, Ontario
Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west.
Ingersoll is situated north of and along Highway 401. Oxford County Road 119 (formerl ...
, but when the supplier was unable to keep up with demand, Stansell rented factory space next door to the London Motors factory.
When
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Julian Byng
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, (11 September 1862 – 6 June 1935) was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the List of governors general of Canada#Governors General of Canada, ...
visited London, several London Six owners loaned their cars for official ceremonies.
claimed that the London Six was the most comfortable car that she had ever travelled in.
In 1924, Stansell made visits to various firms and bankers looking for extra capital in order to expand production.
In his absence, the board of directors of the company allowed control to be taken over by new investors, who wound up the company in early 1925.
Total production of the London Six was 98 cars.
References
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Canada
History of manufacturing in Ontario
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