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Autocrat Light car Company

canonvela

proper brummie kid
Does anyone know where this was? They produced cars from 1913 to 1926 in Gough Road, Birmingham but the only Gough Road with a factory that could have produced cars is the one in Greet owned by the James Cycle Co.

James started to produce sidecars in 1913, the same year that Autocrat started so they could have been linked in some way and another company, The New Merlin Cycle Company started to produce cars in a Gough Road in the same year.
 
The 1913 Kellys lists:
Autocrat light car co., 3 Gough road, Edgebaston
This was also the address of The New Merlin Cycle co, cycle manufacturers .
This Gough Road was between Sun St West and Carpenter Road
In 1915 both are listed as at Cox St West. No number is given, but they are between 29 and 30 .
In 1921 : Autocrat Light Car Co. (New Merlin. Cycle Co. Limited), motor manufacturers, 188 & 138A, Edward road. T A " Autocrat;" T N 265 South
Mike
 
Interesting. Thanks Mike

The chap who started the Autocrat Light Car Co was William Ivy Rogers who was on the first Council of the Cycle Engineers Institute ( the forerunner of todays MIRA) and the first Hon Sec of the Midland Aero Club. In fact he was one of the first ever passengers in an aeroplane as S F Cody took him up in his 'flying cathedral' in 1909.
I would guess that the Gough Road, Edgbaston address is his as it is not the sort of road to have a car factory in. This means that the cars were made elsewhere. Cox Street West I knew about but didn't know of the Merlin/Autocrat link so the Autocrat may have been produced in a workshop there in its early days.
So where is Edward Road?
 
Found it. And the factory building still exists.

It is surprising how many of the original pre-war car factories are still there - if a little messed around with.
 
HI GUYS ;
I was just wondering whether did bill switch gear of aston lane and well head lane aston
made lamps as well and did anybody ever work there way back in the early fifties or just before
and can anybody tell me when did company first form on making there components at aston lane
and whilst i am on aston lane witton end does anybody remember love s the sweet wholesalers whom i beleive was around he same time
i drove down aston lane a couple of weeks ago and i was gob smacked to see how its all gone and changed
and to see a tesco store along there i lived down there many ; many years ago
have a nice day every body best wishes Astonian
 
An Autocrat story.

One model, the 12hp I think, was fitted with an engine built by Dorman of Stafford. One of these cars had been rebuilt by the Dorman apprentices, a long time back. I don’t know whether it still exists but I encountered it, broken down, with the driver looking under the bonnet. I stopped and asked if I could help and the driver said “it’s nothing major, but I would feel better if I could get it back home to sort it out.”

I had a tow rope, and my car has a substantial tow bar, so we hitched up as it turned out he only lived about 400 yards from me.

Unfortunately this was before the days of mobile phones with cameras, so I have no record to prove it, but it can’t be too often you would have encountered an Autocrat being towed up Radford Bank in Stafford by a 1953 Bentley!
 
Hello John,I was browsing on my I pad today and I came across your post about the autocrat. It was I at the end of your tow rope. The autocrat belonged to Dorman Diesels and I drove it for weddings of Dorman employees if requested ,also several Shakespeare runs from Coome Abbey 60 miles around the countryside.Many years ago I drove it for the international scout jamboree at Chatsworth with the chief scout and chief guide in the rear seat. We nearly lost the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire off the back of the trailer being towed by my colleague David Bradbury with his steam engine,but that's another story.
The car resided for many years in the foyer at Dormans then moved eventually to Perkins at Peterborough
I believe that a retiree has researched the cars history. I will try to find out more. I still wake up in sometimes in the night in a cold sweat thinking about my adventures with this car.
Once again thanks for the tow.
Best regards David Powell .
 
Interesting. Thanks Mike

The chap who started the Autocrat Light Car Co was William Ivy Rogers who was on the first Council of the Cycle Engineers Institute ( the forerunner of todays MIRA) and the first Hon Sec of the Midland Aero Club. In fact he was one of the first ever passengers in an aeroplane as S F Cody took him up in his 'flying cathedral' in 1909.
Wikipedia says " Unusually for the time the company seems to have been run by two women, Ivy Rogers and Miss Howell."
 
Hello David, that’s brilliant!

I also think I recall you saying “don’t stop too quickly because this won’t!”. We did manage to keep the rope taut, so no problems. A further coincidence appears after what you said in your post, I don’t know David Bradbury, but was at the local Grammar school at the same time as his brother? John, who was one year after me.

Small world!
 
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Hello John,I was browsing on my I pad today and I came across your post about the autocrat. It was I at the end of your tow rope. The autocrat belonged to Dorman Diesels and I drove it for weddings of Dorman employees if requested ,also several Shakespeare runs from Coome Abbey 60 miles around the countryside.Many years ago I drove it for the international scout jamboree at Chatsworth with the chief scout and chief guide in the rear seat. We nearly lost the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire off the back of the trailer being towed by my colleague David Bradbury with his steam engine,but that's another story.
The car resided for many years in the foyer at Dormans then moved eventually to Perkins at Peterborough
I believe that a retiree has researched the cars history. I will try to find out more. I still wake up in sometimes in the night in a cold sweat thinking about my adventures with this car.
Once again thanks for the tow.
Best regards David Powell .
Great story David & welcome to the Forum!
 
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