Coventry-Victor
| Industry | Manufacturing and engineering |
|---|---|
| Successor | AN Weaver (Coventry Victor) Ltd. |
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | Coventry UK |
| Products | Aero engines, motorcycles and cars |
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.
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 monoplane to fly in Britain.[1]
Coventry-Victor motorcycles
In 1919 Coventry-Victor, using their 688 cc flat-twin engine, started making motor cycle and sidecar combinations many of which were used as commercial outfits and became one of England's leading producers of horizontally opposed twins.[2] 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 Grahame-White. Motorcycle production ended in 1936.[3]
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.[4] 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
Other products
In 1946 The Engineer magazine reported [5] that Coventry Victor had added two new small flat twin petrol engines to their range, of 285cc and 340cc, known as the "Midget" - the two models only differing in the cylinder bore (55 and 60mm respectively). The crankcases, cylinder heads, and pistons were all of aluminium alloy. The camshaft and crankshaft ran in ball bearings. These were available air cooled (with added fan and cowling for stationary use), and as water cooled units for marine use. In later years the company concentrated on small diesel engines for the maritime market.
Present day
The company still exists as AN Weaver (Coventry Victor) Ltd. They no longer manufacture engines but provide spares and offer a service to maintain those they made.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ "A new Coventry Aeroplane". Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ↑ Tragatsch, Erwin (2000). The New Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles. London: Quantum Publishing. p. 560. ISBN 1861603428.
- ↑ "Coventry-Victor motorcycles". Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ↑ "Coventry Victor". Retrieved 2008-11-15.
- ↑ "A small petrol engine", The Engineer, May 3rd, 1946, p412-413
- ↑ "Coventry Victor Industrial and marine Engines". Retrieved 2008-11-15.
External links
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