Vale Special
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| Vale Special | |
|---|---|
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| Manufacturer | Vale Engineering Company |
| Production | 1932-1935 approx 100 made |
| Predecessor | none |
| Successor | none |
| Body style(s) | two seat tourer four seat tourer (Tourette) |
| Engine(s) | Triumph 832 ccI4 Coventry Climax 1098 cc I4 Coventry Climax 1476 cc I6 |
| Transmission(s) | 4 speed manual |
| Wheelbase | 84 or 102 inches (2134 or 2590 mm[1] |
| Width | 55 inches (1397 mm)[1] |
| Designer | P.E. Pellew |
The Vale Special (sometimes just Vale) was a British sporting car made between 1932 and 1935 in Maida Vale, London. [2] [3]
The Vale Motor Company was set up in 1931 by Pownoll Pellew (later the ninth Viscount Exmouth), as a 'gentleman's hobby' in a rented workshop behind the Warrington pub in Maida Vale. [2][3] It soon expanded with funding from Allan Gaspar and Robert Wilcoxon, thanks largely to help from Pellew's then girlfriend Kay Walsh.
The cars were initially hand made and based on Triumph Motor Company components. The first cars used the 832 cc side valve engine from the Triumph Super 7 fitted to a chassis bought in from Rubery Owen with semi elliptic leaf springs all round and the hydraulic brakes and axles from the Triumph. The top speed was only 65 mph (105 km/h)[4] which was too slow for serious sporting events so from 1933 a 1098 cc, overhead inlet side exhaust, four cylinder, Coventry Climax engine was offered followed in 1934 by the 1476 cc six cylinder version of the same engine.
Most cars were lightweight two-seater open bodies, with fold flat windscreens, but a four seat version on a long wheelbase chassis called the Tourette was available with the larger engined versions.
About 100 cars had been made when production stopped in 1935[2], though the actual figure is greatly disputed.
[edit] External links
- Ave Atque Vale - A book on the history of the Vale Special.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
- ^ a b c David Cox, "Ave Atque Vale - the story of the Vale Special" ISBN 0-9553010-0-9
- ^ a b David Cox, "Ave Atque Vale - the story of the Vale Special"
- ^ Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
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