• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team
  • HI folks the server that hosts the site completely died including the Hdd's and backups.
    Luckily i create an offsite backup once a week! this has now been restored so we have lost a few days posts.
    im still fixing things at the moment so bear with me and im still working on all images 90% are fine the others im working on now
    we are now using a backup solution

Car Marques, Figureheads And Badges

S

Stitcher

Guest
ee.jpegThe badge on the left of these two was fitted during the 1930s, whilst the one on the right is the illuminated one with which I am more familiar.The company started as 'The Wolsely And Motor Company Limited'. Adderly Park, Birmingham, this as we all know became 'British Leyland U K Limited', Cowley, Oxford.
Herbert Austin came from Australia where he worked for 'Wolesley Sheep Shearing Company' and he started working at 'Wolesley Machine Tool Company' in 1893. Car production at the factory began in 1900, The company was taken over by Vickers in 1912 and over the years several mergers took place with Riley, Morris and M.G. after which it was re-named the 'Nuffield Group'.
qq.jpeg
Waverley and Weigel were two separate companies both in London, Waverley 1910-1931. Weigel even shorter, 1907-1910.
ww.jpeg

Whitlock Aster was a short lived one 1904-1906 but the original Whitlock made in Cricklewood London was active 1906- 1933.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Stitcher The illuminated badge was introduced a lot earlier than 1960. My grand-dad's 1939 Wolseley 12 had one. J
 
I agree. I can remember Wolseleys driving around as above, when I were a lad, in the 40s.

Doctors, Gaffers, people of that strata of society used to drive them.
 
I would not know the exact dates but the book I have gives those two, thanks for the info and I have edited the post.
 
I owned a couple of Wolseleys and a great car they were, best was 6/66, I treasured that car, but with a reg No ROD 90 I sold it to the general manager of Caffines, in Brighton in the 70's for quite a lot of money.
paul
 
Hi Trevor Herbert Austin may have 'come from Australia' but was actually born in Gt Missenden. See https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/austin-herbert-baron-austin-2913 Herbert (Baron Austin) Austin (1866-1941), engineer, was born on 8 November 1866 at Little Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, son of Giles Stephen Austin, farmer of Wentworth, Yorkshire, and his wife Clara Jane, née Simpson, of Rotherhithe. He was educated at Rotherham Grammar School and Brampton College and in 1884 went to Melbourne with an uncle. Soon after landing he was apprenticed to Henry Langlands junior in the oldest and most enterprising foundry in Melbourne.
 
Hello Bernie, yes I know but to put all that on the post would have made it very long, he was actually working in Australia and I should have put that he 'returned' and not that he 'came from'.
stitcher
 
mnb.jpeg
Because you are all older than I am, you are sure to remember these little beauties, they are 'Calormeters'. A dcorative temperature indicator that used to be fitted on the radiator cap, the caption says "up to the late 1930s". Wimot Breedon made a range of these for various models from around 1931.
The one above was just a basic type.
poi.jpeg
The second one known as "The Emperor".
poi - Copy.jpeg
The third one was an Emperor model with a pair of decorative wings added.
 
lll.jpeg
This Dolphin was fitted as a figurehead to a few French cars in the 1920s. I have posted it because I have one somewhere in the shed. I also have a Jaguar (the large one) and the Rover Viking (minus the spear).
 
When a boy in Edgbaston, the people next door had a beautiful big black car with a SPINX on the radiator cap.
paul
 
The sphinx was the mascot on,I think all the Armstrong Siddeley cars, but I would guess that the car in Edgbaston, which was very upper class pre 1960, would have been a Sapphire or a Star Sapphire, they were the top's of the range.
 
My immediate thought was Armstrong Syddeley Saphire but I googled it to make sure and the only ones I found in a quick look had a pair of wings on the radiater cap, but I still think sphinx on the Sapphire.
 
How many members know that 'Rover' used to make cycles? pedal and motorised. I know this thread is about car marques and the like but the Rover section starts with bikes.
jmh.jpeg---nyj.jpeg---zzxz.jpeg
Image No 1 is a Rover trycycle made by Starley & Sutton, Meteor Works, West Orchard, Coventry. 1884
Image No 2 is the The Patent Rover Safety Cycle, no date.
Image No 3 is just one of variey of 'Shield' badges fitted to these machines.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
cc.jpeg---v.jpeg---xx.jpeg---zz.jpeg
These four have all been linked to the Rover, it is one of the two figurines No 3 and 4 that I have got, but I do not know which one it is until I sort the shed out later this year.
 
I was told the Viking's name was George but not sure if my leg was being pulled.
 
ddd.jpeg
Based in Coventry, the Daimler Company Limited was established in 1896. Daimler merged with several other companies including B.S.A., Lanchester and Jaguar. There was at one time Daimler Benz in Germany and some connection with Mercedes in the past. Another merger took place in 1966 I think it was with B.M.C.
 
Daimler Benz (Mercedes) still has a factory (or factories) in Germany - I worked at one in Wörth am Rhein for a short time in 1999/2000 commissioning a machine for fitting tyres to rims for Mercedes Lorries (and I think the lorries were assembled there although we didn't get to see the rest of the factory!).
 
The British Daimler company was started to import cars from the German company, but soon branched out on its own manufacturing side. Mercedes was a model of German Daimler, named after Mercedes Jellinek, daughter of a director. The full story is here.
 
Lloyd, once again thank you for all your input and information .
 
vrte.jpegswq.jpeg
I remember the name Allday & Onions but this car is news to me.
 
Hi Stitcher The illuminated badge was introduced a lot earlier than 1960. My grand-dad's 1939 Wolseley 12 had one. J
When the Metropolitan Police used Wolsely cars as patrol vehicles, the bulb was removed from the Wolsely illuminated badge so that at night it couldn't be easily recognized as a police car when following other vehicles. Almost all of the police cars were Black in the 1940's, 1950's and early 1960's
Reg.
 
I remember when all the Police cars were black, and I remember them using Wolseley cars but I did not realise the rad-badge bulb was removed. Maybe thats because I was not allowed out in the dark when I was a nipper.
Thats an interesting point roverman, thanks.
 
zz.jpeg
The Vulcan Motor and Engineering Company Ltd.
This company produced cars during the period 1903-1928 and sometime during this period they amalgamated with Lea Francis.After this , passenger car production ceased but commercial vehicle production continued. The badge and figurehead was Vulcan- the god of industry, in 1945 the company was swallowed up by Rootes.
Image.jpg.jpeg
This was the Vulcan figurehead from 1911.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
gg.jpegI came across this item this morning and
whilst it is not about marques or badges, it does fit in with this post. I did not know whether to post it here or on the Broad Street thread so I may re-post on the Broad Street one as well.
View attachment 74906The badge on the left of these two was fitted during the 1930s, whilst the one on the right is the illuminated one with which I am more familiar.The company started as 'The Wolsely And Motor Company Limited'. Adderly Park, Birmingham, this as we all know became 'British Leyland U K Limited', Cowley, Oxford.
Herbert Austin came from Australia where he worked for 'Wolesley Sheep Shearing Company' and he started working at 'Wolesley Machine Tool Company' in 1893. Car production at the factory began in 1900, The company was taken over by Vickers in 1912 and over the years several mergers took place with Riley, Morris and M.G. after which it was re-named the 'Nuffield Group'.
View attachment 74907
Waverley and Weigel were two separate companies both in London, Waverley 1910-1931. Weigel even shorter, 1907-1910.
View attachment 74908

Whitlock Aster was a short lived one 1904-1906 but the original Whitlock made in Cricklewood London was active 1906- 1933.
 
Back
Top