Ashby (automobile)
Encyclopedia
The Ashby was a cyclecar
produced in Towcester
Northamptonshire and Chorlton-cum-Hardy
, Lancashire between 1919 and 1924 by Victor Ashby and Son, who owned a garage in Towcester
with manufacturing capabilities.
After returning from World War 1, the younger Victor Ashby designed a cyclecar
which came to the attention of aeroplane makers Short Brothers
.
Short Brothers employed six Ashby staff members, with the car being known as the Short-Ashby in 1921. Short Brothers withdrew their support in 1922 due to poor sales. The Ashbys then moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy
, where production of a two-seater light car powered by a 970cc 8 hp engine, three-speed gearbox or four ratio friction drive
, continued until 1924.
Cyclecar
Cyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
produced in Towcester
Towcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
Northamptonshire and Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, Lancashire between 1919 and 1924 by Victor Ashby and Son, who owned a garage in Towcester
Towcester
Towcester , the Roman town of Lactodorum, is a small town in south Northamptonshire, England.-Etymology:Towcester comes from the Old English Tófe-ceaster. Tófe refers to the River Tove; Bosworth and Toller compare it to the "Scandinavian proper names" Tófi and Tófa...
with manufacturing capabilities.
After returning from World War 1, the younger Victor Ashby designed a cyclecar
Cyclecar
Cyclecars were small, generally inexpensive cars manufactured mainly between 1910 and the late 1920s.-General description:Cyclecars were propelled by single cylinder, V-twin or more rarely four cylinder engines, often air cooled. Sometimes these had been originally used in motorcycles and other...
which came to the attention of aeroplane makers Short Brothers
Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first company in the world to make production aircraft and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s...
.
Short Brothers employed six Ashby staff members, with the car being known as the Short-Ashby in 1921. Short Brothers withdrew their support in 1922 due to poor sales. The Ashbys then moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy
Chorlton-cum-Hardy is a suburban area of the city of Manchester, England. It is known locally as Chorlton. It is situated about four miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Pronunciation varies: and are both common....
, where production of a two-seater light car powered by a 970cc 8 hp engine, three-speed gearbox or four ratio friction drive
Friction drive
A friction Drive or friction engine is a type of transmission that, instead of a chain and sprockets, uses 2 wheels in the transmission to transfer power to the driving wheels. This kind of transmission is often used on scooters, mainly go-peds, in place of a chain.An example of this system is in...
, continued until 1924.