Calthorpe cars
Encyclopedia
The Calthorpe Motor Company based in Bordesley Green
, Birmingham
, England made a range of cars, motorcycles and bicycles from 1904 to 1932.
engines. The cars were successfully raced in France
in the Coupe de l'Auto series. A small car was announced in 1913 for the 1914 season with the 10 hp Minor, which proved to be a real large car in miniature, with a 3-speed gearbox and shaft drive.
After the war the large cars were dropped, but the Minor re-appeared with a slightly larger engine of 1261 cc. In 1920 a Mr J Mathews was in charge of production, and a target of making 50 cars a week was set. The cars continued to have excellent coachwork made by the Calthorpe subsidiary company of Mulliner
(acquired in 1917), who had an adjacent factory. Sporting activity continued with Woolf Barnato
, amongst others, racing at Brooklands
. George Hands briefly left the company in 1922 to set up his own Hands make of cars in the Calthorpe motorcycle factory in Barn Street, Birmingham but returned in 1924. Whilst away he developed the six-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine that was fitted for a short time to the 12/20. The Hands cars seem to have used Dorman
engines.
The days of the high-quality light car were coming to an end by the late 1920s, and sales of the fairly expensive Calthorpe were declining. A receiver had to be appointed in 1924, and the Bordesley Green factory closed, but very limited production kept going for a while. A final fling with the 1925 15/45 six-cylinder 2-litre car was really too late, and sales of the remaining stocks of cars had virtually ceased by 1928.
About 5,000 cars were made in the post-war period; pre-war production is uncertain. Fewer than ten cars are thought to have survived.
Bordesley Green
Bordesley Green is an inner-city area of Birmingham, England about two miles south-east from the city centre. It also contains a road of the same name. It is also a ward in the formal district of Hodge Hill. Neighbouring areas include, Alum Rock, Saltley, Small Heath and Yardley.Heartlands Hospital...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England made a range of cars, motorcycles and bicycles from 1904 to 1932.
Formation
The company started out in the 1890s as a Birmingham bicycle maker called Hands and Cake run by George W. Hands. This was renamed the Bard Cycle Manufacturing Company in 1897 changing to the Minstrel Cycle Company in 1901.Car production
In 1904, the first motor car, a 10 hp four-cylinder model, was announced. They briefly made some larger types, but it was in the light car field that they specialised, using proprietary White and PoppeWhite and Poppe
White and Poppe was a Coventry based proprietary engine and gearbox manufacturer established in 1899 by Alfred James White and Peter August Poppe. White was a watchmaker and Poppe an engineer and together they produced precision parts for the automotive industry...
engines. The cars were successfully raced in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in the Coupe de l'Auto series. A small car was announced in 1913 for the 1914 season with the 10 hp Minor, which proved to be a real large car in miniature, with a 3-speed gearbox and shaft drive.
After the war the large cars were dropped, but the Minor re-appeared with a slightly larger engine of 1261 cc. In 1920 a Mr J Mathews was in charge of production, and a target of making 50 cars a week was set. The cars continued to have excellent coachwork made by the Calthorpe subsidiary company of Mulliner
H. J. Mulliner & Co.
H. J. Mulliner & Co. was a well-known British coachbuilder operating at Chiswick in West London.The Mulliner family can trace their coachbuilding history back to 1760, building coaches for the Royal Mail in Northampton....
(acquired in 1917), who had an adjacent factory. Sporting activity continued with Woolf Barnato
Woolf Barnato
Joel Woolf Barnato was a British financier and racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s. He achieved three consecutive wins out of three entries in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.-Early life:...
, amongst others, racing at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
. George Hands briefly left the company in 1922 to set up his own Hands make of cars in the Calthorpe motorcycle factory in Barn Street, Birmingham but returned in 1924. Whilst away he developed the six-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine that was fitted for a short time to the 12/20. The Hands cars seem to have used Dorman
Dorman
Dorman is a surname originating in Germany with the spelling of Döhrmann, but mostly found in Austria, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ukraine, Jamaica and France.It may refer to:...
engines.
The days of the high-quality light car were coming to an end by the late 1920s, and sales of the fairly expensive Calthorpe were declining. A receiver had to be appointed in 1924, and the Bordesley Green factory closed, but very limited production kept going for a while. A final fling with the 1925 15/45 six-cylinder 2-litre car was really too late, and sales of the remaining stocks of cars had virtually ceased by 1928.
About 5,000 cars were made in the post-war period; pre-war production is uncertain. Fewer than ten cars are thought to have survived.
Car models
| Type | Engine | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calthorpe 10 hp | 1530 cc side-valve two-cylinder water-cooled | 1904 | 87 inches (2,209.8 mm) wheelbase. Shaft drive. |
| Calthorpe 16 hp | 2383 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1905 | 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 12/14 | 1810 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1906-08 | 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase. Updated 10 hp model |
| Calthorpe 28/40 | 4562 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1907 | 117 inches (2,971.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 25 | 4250 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1908-10 | 86 inches (2,184.4 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 12/14 | 2297 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1909-11 | 98 inches (2,489.2 mm) or 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 16/20 | 3261 cc side-valve four-cylinder water coole | 1909-16 | 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 15 | 3012 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1911-13 | 114 inches (2,895.6 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 20 | 3817 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1911-13 | 114 inches (2,895.6 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 12/15 | 1868 or 1924 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1912-15 | 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 15 | 3016 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1912-15 | 114 inches (2,895.6 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 10/12 Minor | 1087 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1914-15 | 87 inches (2,209.8 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 10.4 | 1261 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1919 | 99 inches (2,514.6 mm) wheelbase |
| Calthorpe 10/15 | 1261 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1922-26 | 102 inches (2,590.8 mm) wheelbase. Three-speed gearbox. two-seater £240 in 1924. |
| Calthorpe 12/20 I and II | 1496 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1922-32 | 86 inches (2,184.4 mm) wheelbase. Four-speed gearbox. Engine quoted as 30 bhp at 3000 rpm. Detachable cylinder head from 1924. Two-seater £285 in 1924, £295 in 1926. Saloon £425 in 1924, £395 in 1926. |
| Calthorpe 12/20 III | 1991 cc overhead-cam six-cylinder water-cooled | 86 inches (2,184.4 mm) wheelbase. Very few made. | |
| Calthorpe 10/20 | 1327 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1924-31 | Updated 10/15. 103 inches (2,616.2 mm) or 106 inches (2,692.4 mm) wheelbase. Two- or four-seater £235 in 1924, £215 in 1926. Pressure lubricated engine from 1925. |
| Calthorpe 15/45 | 1991 cc overhead-valve six-cylinder water-cooled | 1925-28 | 112 inches (2,844.8 mm) wheelbase. Four-wheel brakes. Three-speed gearbox. Very few made. |
| Calthorpe 12/25 | 1720 cc side-valve four-cylinder water-cooled | 1926 | 86 inches (2,184.4 mm) wheelbase. Updated 12/20. Pressure lubricated engine. |