Coventry-Victor
Encyclopedia
Coventry-Victor was a British motorcycle
and car manufacturer. Originally
Morton & Weaver, a proprietary engine manufacturer in Hillfields, Coventry
, founded in 1904, the company changed its name to Coventry-Victor in 1911. The company still exists as AN Weaver (Coventry Victor) Ltd.
to fly in Britain.
combinations many of which were used as commercial outfits and became one of England's leading producers of horizontally opposed twins. The 1927 Coventry-Victor Silent Six has today become a sought after classic motorcycle. The company also supplied engines to many motor cycle and cyclecar
makers, especially Graham-White. Motorcycle production ended in 1936.
There were six reported Venus Prototypes all of which were ordered to be destroyed but one still exists at the Coventry Transport Museum. Little is known about the vehicle but it was found and recovered from a farm in the West Country in the 1980s
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
and car manufacturer. Originally
Morton & Weaver, a proprietary engine manufacturer in Hillfields, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
, founded in 1904, the company changed its name to Coventry-Victor in 1911. The company still exists as AN Weaver (Coventry Victor) Ltd.
Coventry-Victor aero engines
The company started manufacturing horizontally opposed engines in 1904, and on 17 May 1910 one powered the experimental Weaver Ornithoplane, designed by W. A. Weaver, one of the partners in the company. In a series of four tests the Ornithoplane achieved a steady flight for a quarter of a mile, becoming the first monoplaneMonoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
to fly in Britain.
Coventry-Victor motorcycles
In 1919 Coventry-Victor, using their 688 cc flat-twin engine, started making motor cycle and sidecarSidecar
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle.-History:A sidecar appeared in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903, issue of the British newspaper Motor Cycling. Three weeks later, a provisional patent was...
combinations many of which were used as commercial outfits and became one of England's leading producers of horizontally opposed twins. The 1927 Coventry-Victor Silent Six has today become a sought after classic motorcycle. The company also supplied engines to many motor cycle and 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...
makers, especially Graham-White. Motorcycle production ended in 1936.
Coventry-Victor cars
By 1926, the company found a new scope of activity: they launched their own design two-seater, three-wheeler car with the single wheel at the rear. There were four versions, the Standard, the Sports, the De-luxe, and the Parcelcar; prices started at £75. It used their own horizontal twin-cylinder engines of 688 cc at first, later enlarged to 749 cc, 850 cc and finally 998 cc. Drive was to the rear wheel via a two speed gearbox and chain drive. Early cars had a single brake. There was an updating in 1932 with styling by C F Beauvais and called the Luxury Sports with three-speed gearbox and costing from £110. The previous models remained available. Car production survived until 1938. After the Second World War, a prototype codenamed Venus was made with flat-four 747 cc engine never reached production.There were six reported Venus Prototypes all of which were ordered to be destroyed but one still exists at the Coventry Transport Museum. Little is known about the vehicle but it was found and recovered from a farm in the West Country in the 1980s