North Bay British Car Club
(Please scroll down to select a particular marque's historical background)
Beginnings
of the British Motorcar Industry
In
the 1890s the most important industry in Coventry was cycle manufacture, but
by the turn of the century a slump in the demand for cycles led many companies
to change over to making motorcycles and motorcars. The key person in the foundation
of the Coventry motor industry was Harry Lawson. In 1896 he founded the first
factory in Britain to make motorcars for commercial sale. Although his project
eventually failed several other companies in the City decided to also make motor
vehicles.
The people who built these early motor vehicles knew more about making carriages
than cars. They designed the cars like horse-drawn carriages with wooden wheels
and no doors or sides. This is why early motor cars became known as 'horseless
carriages'. They were very expensive and only the rich could afford to buy them.
Many other road users didn't like the new motor cars because they were noisy
and frightened horses on the road. They were also scared that older industries
that relied on horse-drawn transport would be endangered.
By the outbreak of World War One the motor industry had become established in
Coventry and more people began working in car factories. Motor vehicles were
used a lot during the First World War and many more people had the opportunity
to learn to drive. When they returned from the War some of them bought motorcycles,
which were cheaper to buy and run than cars.
During the 1920s and 1930s cars became cheaper as mass production was introduced
into Coventry factories. Many smaller Coventry companies couldn't keep up with
mass production and went out of business. Towards the end of the 1930s the country
began to prepare for War again. New factories were built in and around Coventry
to support the war effort. These became known as 'Shadow Factories'. During
World War Two these factories built cars, engines, armaments and aeroplanes.
With troops at the front women made up a large number of the factory workers.
By the 1950s Coventry was a manufacturing Boomtown. Many people lived and worked
in the City not just in the motor industry but in the many other factories that
had set up in the City because of its skilled workers. People moved into the
City from all over Britain and abroad in order to find work. It was a very exciting
place to live. But by the 1970s the motor car industry began to decline. Larger
foreign companies began to sell more cars in Britain, which made it difficult
for Coventry's manufacturers to compete. The 'Boomtime' in Coventry's motor
industry was ending.
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