The Phillips Panda was one of a number of

mopeds A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. The term used to mean a similar vehicle except with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. Mopeds typi ...

produced by the

Phillips Cycles Phillips Cycles Ltd. was a British bicycle manufacturer based in Smethwick near Birmingham, England. Its history began early in the 20th century and ended in the 1980s by which time it had become part of Raleigh Industries, itself a part ...

company of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the 1950s and early 1960s. The factory also produced the slightly more expensive

Phillips Gadabout The Phillips Gadabout was one of a number of mopeds produced in the early 1960s by Phillips Cycles of Birmingham, England. The Gadabout was the more expensive model, boasting two-speed manual transmission and telescopic front fork suspension. Th ...

models. Phillips Cycles Ltd. was a respected

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

manufacturer based in Bridge Street,

Smethwick Smethwick () is an industrial town in Sandwell, West Midlands, England. It lies west of Birmingham city centre. Historically it was in Staffordshire. In 2019, the ward of Smethwick had an estimated population of 15,246, while the wider bu ...

. Founded by J.A. Phillips and E.W Bohle in Birmingham around 1892, its history ended in the 1970s, by which time it had become part of Raleigh Industries, itself a part of the huge

Tube Investments TI Group plc (formerly "Tube Investments") was a holding company for specialised engineering companies. It was based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. It was registered as ''Tube Investments'' in 1919, combining the seamless steel tube businesses of Tu ...

group. For a number of years, the company was the second-largest bicycle producer in Britain after Raleigh. The "Phillips" brand is still used around the world, especially in China and the Far East, having been licensed by Raleigh.

General Description

The single-speed Panda Mark 1 and 2 utilised what probably became the last manufacturing installation of the 49 cc German Rex cyclemotor engine, which first appeared around 1950 in the form of a front-mounted, belt-driven cycle attachment, the strong but basic Panda frame being specifically built to house the motor. The Rex engine at 6:1 compression has no bhp given but carries a 12-millimetre Bing

carburettor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meterin ...

to the aluminium barrel with sleeve liner in conventional fore & aft porting layout. The

crankcase In a piston engine, the crankcase is the housing that surrounds the crankshaft. In most modern engines, the crankcase is integrated into the engine block. Two-stroke engines typically use a crankcase-compression design, resulting in the fuel/a ...

cavity unusually extends all the way to the back of the motor to include lubrication of the reduction gear and its bearings by the induction gases. This results in a reduced scavenge pressure. Mounted on the end of the output shaft with the sprocket inboard, the tiny 2½" Rex dry clutch is a particularly frail pull-operated device and typically responsible for the final demise of most machines. The Panda has a 'grip-locking' clutch lever and a carburettor set-up that provides a very reliable and steady tick-over. The rear brake comprises a back pedal Perry Coaster hub and a conventional bicycle-type hub brake, handlebar lever operated for the front brake. Mark 1 version had no suspension but the mark 2 had telescopic front forks, larger headlamp and deeper valanced rear mudguard but retained the solid rear frame. The electrical system comprised a Miller flywheel magneto with lighting coils. The final Panda mark 3 was simply an imported French Mobylette made by

Motobécane Motobécane was a French manufacturer of bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and other small vehicles, established in 1923. "Motobécane" is a compound of "moto", short for motorcycle; "bécane" is slang for "bike." Motobécane is a different co ...

badged as a Phillips.{{Cite web , last=Daniels , first=Mark , date=2011 , title=The Final Card , url=https://www.icenicam.org.uk/articles3/art0057.html It had nothing in common with the previous home-produced models.

Technical specifications (Mark 1 and 2)

Engine: *Rex air-cooled, single cylinder, two-stroke *bore 40.5 mm *stroke 38.25 mm *capacity 49 cc *compression ratio 6:1 *Single Gear Ratio 17.3:1 Clutch *Rex Dry multi-plate Carburettor *Bing model 1/12/27 Ignition & Lighting *Miller flywheel magneto 6 volt 18 watt (Headlamp 6 V 15/15 W, tail lamp 6 V 3 W) Lubrication *Petroil mixture 16:1 Fuel Tank *Approx 4 litres including 0.4 litres reserve. Brakes: *Front - 3.5 inch hub (mark 1), handlebar lever operated *Rear - Back pedalling Perry Coaster Hub Tyres *23 X 2 inch with Schrader type valves Size *Overall length 1820 mm, height 940 mm, width 152 mm Total Weight * Approx 32 kg Equipment *3.5 inch headlamp (mark 1), electric horn, bipod stand, rear carrier, tyre inflator, large tool bag and tool kit Finish * Silver Grey with tank and fairings in Flamboyant Red

References

Mopeds Transport in Sandwell