Edward Butler (inventor)
Encyclopedia
Edward Butler was an English inventor who produced an early three-wheeled automobile, the Butler Petrol Cycle, which is accepted by many as the first British car.
Butler showed plans for his three-wheeled vehicle at the Stanley Cycle Show in London in 1884, two years earlier than Karl Benz
, who is generally recognized as the inventor of the modern automobile. Butler's vehicle was also the first design to be shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, also in London.
ignition replaced by coil and battery), equipped with rotary valves and a float-fed carburettor (five years before Maybach
), and Ackermann steering
, all of which were state of the art at the time. Starting was by compressed air. The engine was liquid-cooled, with a radiator
over the rear driving wheel. Speed was controlled by means of a throttle
valve lever. No braking system was fitted; the vehicle was stopped by raising and lowering the rear driving wheel using a foot-operated lever; the weight of the machine was then borne by two small castor wheels. The driver was seated between the front wheels.
The vehicle featured in an article in the 14 February 1891 issue of Scientific American
, where it was stated that one gallon of fuel in the form of petroleum or benzolene could propel the vehicle for forty miles (5.9 L/100 km) at a speed of 3-10 mph (5–16 km/h).
Butler improved the specifications of his vehicle over the years, but was prevented from adequately testing it due to the 1865 Red Flag Act, which legislated a maximum speed for self-propelled road vehicles of 2 mph (3 km/h) in built up areas and 4 mph (6.5 km/h) in rural areas. Additionally, the vehicle had to be attended by three people, one of which had to proceed in front of the vehicle waving a red flag.
Butler wrote in the magazine The English Mechanic
in 1890, "The authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it."
Due to general lack of interest, Butler broke up his machine for scrap in 1896, and sold the patent rights to Harry J. Lawson who continued manufacture of the engine for use in motorboats.
Instead, Butler turned to making stationary and marine engines. His motor tricycle was in advance of its better-known contemporaries on several points.
Butler showed plans for his three-wheeled vehicle at the Stanley Cycle Show in London in 1884, two years earlier than Karl Benz
Karl Benz
Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and car engineer, generally regarded as the inventor of the gasoline-powered car, and together with Bertha Benz pioneering founder of the automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz...
, who is generally recognized as the inventor of the modern automobile. Butler's vehicle was also the first design to be shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, also in London.
The Butler Petrol Cycle
Built by the Merryweather Fire Engine company in Greenwich, in 1888, the Butler Petrol Cycle (first recorded use of the term) was a three-wheeled vehicle, with the rear wheel directly driven by a 5/8hp (466W) 600 cc (40 in3; 2¼×5-inch {57×127-mm}) flat twin four stroke engine (with magnetoMagneto
A magneto is a type of electrical generator.Magneto may also refer to:* Magneto , permanent magnetic alternating current rotary generator* ignition magneto, magnetos on internal combustion engines...
ignition replaced by coil and battery), equipped with rotary valves and a float-fed carburettor (five years before Maybach
Wilhelm Maybach
Wilhelm Maybach was an early German engine designer and industrialist. During the 1890s he was hailed in France, then the world centre for car production, as the "King of constructors"....
), and Ackermann steering
Ackermann steering geometry
Ackermann steering geometry is a geometric arrangement of linkages in the steering of a car or other vehicle designed to solve the problem of wheels on the inside and outside of a turn needing to trace out circles of different radius...
, all of which were state of the art at the time. Starting was by compressed air. The engine was liquid-cooled, with a radiator
Radiator
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in automobiles, buildings, and electronics...
over the rear driving wheel. Speed was controlled by means of a throttle
Throttle
A throttle is the mechanism by which the flow of a fluid is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases , but usually decreased. The term throttle has come to refer, informally and incorrectly, to any mechanism by which...
valve lever. No braking system was fitted; the vehicle was stopped by raising and lowering the rear driving wheel using a foot-operated lever; the weight of the machine was then borne by two small castor wheels. The driver was seated between the front wheels.
The vehicle featured in an article in the 14 February 1891 issue of Scientific American
Scientific American
Scientific American is a popular science magazine. It is notable for its long history of presenting science monthly to an educated but not necessarily scientific public, through its careful attention to the clarity of its text as well as the quality of its specially commissioned color graphics...
, where it was stated that one gallon of fuel in the form of petroleum or benzolene could propel the vehicle for forty miles (5.9 L/100 km) at a speed of 3-10 mph (5–16 km/h).
Butler improved the specifications of his vehicle over the years, but was prevented from adequately testing it due to the 1865 Red Flag Act, which legislated a maximum speed for self-propelled road vehicles of 2 mph (3 km/h) in built up areas and 4 mph (6.5 km/h) in rural areas. Additionally, the vehicle had to be attended by three people, one of which had to proceed in front of the vehicle waving a red flag.
Butler wrote in the magazine The English Mechanic
The English Mechanic
The English Mechanic and World of Science was a popular-science magazine, published weekly from 1865 to 1926, generally consisting of 24 pages...
in 1890, "The authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it."
Due to general lack of interest, Butler broke up his machine for scrap in 1896, and sold the patent rights to Harry J. Lawson who continued manufacture of the engine for use in motorboats.
Instead, Butler turned to making stationary and marine engines. His motor tricycle was in advance of its better-known contemporaries on several points.