Santler (car)
Encyclopedia
The Santler was a British car built in Malvern Link
, Worcestershire
, England
, between 1889 and 1922. They have a good claim to be Britain's first makers of petrol driven cars.
The Santler brothers Charles (1864-1940) and Walter (1867-1942) ran a small general engineering company started by their father in about 1875. They moved into the bicycle business and in 1887 designed a small steam engine which they had running in 1889 and installed in a four wheeled chassis. All of this was being done in their spare time while the business moved on to electrical installation with small generators run by steam or gas engines or water turbines. One of their clients was the mother of pioneering motorist Evelyn Ellis. Using the expertise gained with small engines, Charles adapted one of the gas engines to replace the steam engine in their experimental car. The fuel was compressed town gas stored in a tank under the chassis but this was heavy and gave the car a limited range. Around 1894 the engine was replaced again by a single-cylinder petrol one. There has been some controversy over the exact date this was done but in 1986 it was confirmed by the dating committee of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. The car still exists but not with the original engine.
A new and improved car was built in 1897 but again the work from their main business kept vehicle production as a spare time activity. They may also have made some motorised bicycles. A further car, a two seater, was made in 1901 still with a single-cylinder engine, now mounted at the front, with belt drive to a central gearbox and chain to the rear wheels. It was subsequently converted to four seats.
A larger four seater followed in 1907 followed by another gap until a new model appeared in 1913 with a four-cylinder Dorman engine. This was the first Santler to be advertised for sale with a two seater at £175 and four seater at £190. There was also a van. It is not known how many were made. The First World War stopped further developments, and the factory was turned over to military work.
After the war the brothers tried to sell a motor plough they had developed from 1910 onwards but this was not a success. Returning to car production they brought out a three wheeler called the Rushabout in 1920 advertised for £165. This was similar to the car made by the nearby Morgan Motor Company
using a front-mounted, air-cooled, V-twin engine, but suspension and transmission were not the same. It was not a success, and in spite of a drastic reduction in price to £85 did not sell. About 12 were made but none are known to survive. The company finally ran out of money and closed in about 1922.
Walter went on to become resident engineer at Ampleforth College
, where they had fitted an electric generator in the 1890s. Charles also left Malvern, but he went to New Zealand to work on railway signalling. He returned home in 1939 but was killed by the only bomb dropped on Worcester during the Second World War.
Malvern Link
Malvern Link is an area of Malvern, Worcestershire, England to the north and east of Great Malvern. The centres of Malvern Link and Great Malvern are separated by Malvern Link Common, an area of open land that is statutorily protected by the Malvern Hills Conservators...
, Worcestershire
Worcestershire
Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, between 1889 and 1922. They have a good claim to be Britain's first makers of petrol driven cars.
The Santler brothers Charles (1864-1940) and Walter (1867-1942) ran a small general engineering company started by their father in about 1875. They moved into the bicycle business and in 1887 designed a small steam engine which they had running in 1889 and installed in a four wheeled chassis. All of this was being done in their spare time while the business moved on to electrical installation with small generators run by steam or gas engines or water turbines. One of their clients was the mother of pioneering motorist Evelyn Ellis. Using the expertise gained with small engines, Charles adapted one of the gas engines to replace the steam engine in their experimental car. The fuel was compressed town gas stored in a tank under the chassis but this was heavy and gave the car a limited range. Around 1894 the engine was replaced again by a single-cylinder petrol one. There has been some controversy over the exact date this was done but in 1986 it was confirmed by the dating committee of the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain. The car still exists but not with the original engine.
A new and improved car was built in 1897 but again the work from their main business kept vehicle production as a spare time activity. They may also have made some motorised bicycles. A further car, a two seater, was made in 1901 still with a single-cylinder engine, now mounted at the front, with belt drive to a central gearbox and chain to the rear wheels. It was subsequently converted to four seats.
A larger four seater followed in 1907 followed by another gap until a new model appeared in 1913 with a four-cylinder Dorman engine. This was the first Santler to be advertised for sale with a two seater at £175 and four seater at £190. There was also a van. It is not known how many were made. The First World War stopped further developments, and the factory was turned over to military work.
After the war the brothers tried to sell a motor plough they had developed from 1910 onwards but this was not a success. Returning to car production they brought out a three wheeler called the Rushabout in 1920 advertised for £165. This was similar to the car made by the nearby Morgan Motor Company
Morgan Motor Company
The Morgan Motor Company is a British motor car manufacturer. The company was founded in 1910 by Harry Frederick Stanley Morgan, generally known as "HFS" and was run by him until he died, aged 77, in 1959. Peter Morgan, son of H.F.S., ran the company until a few years before his death in 2003...
using a front-mounted, air-cooled, V-twin engine, but suspension and transmission were not the same. It was not a success, and in spite of a drastic reduction in price to £85 did not sell. About 12 were made but none are known to survive. The company finally ran out of money and closed in about 1922.
Walter went on to become resident engineer at Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College
Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire, England, is the largest Roman Catholic co-educational boarding independent school in the United Kingdom. It opened in 1802, as a boys' school, and is run by the Benedictine monks and lay staff of Ampleforth Abbey...
, where they had fitted an electric generator in the 1890s. Charles also left Malvern, but he went to New Zealand to work on railway signalling. He returned home in 1939 but was killed by the only bomb dropped on Worcester during the Second World War.