The Critchley Light car was briefly manufactured by Daimler Company of Coventry in 1899 to find use for about 50 unwanted 4 h.p. engines shipped to Coventry by the German Daimler works at Stuttgart.[4][6] The car was well regarded and sold well but was not intended to extend Daimler's range of high-powered expensive motorcars. As such, it was named Critchley after James S. Critchley Daimler's works manager[7]

Critchley light car
Overview
ManufacturerDaimler Motor Company
Also called
Production1899-c.1900
AssemblyCoventry, UK
DesignerJ. S. Critchley[4]
Body and chassis
Classlight car
LayoutTransverse FR
Powertrain
Engine1,100 cc (67.1 cu in) straight-twin engine[5]
Transmission4-speed manual
Dimensions
Kerb weight6+34 long cwt (756 lb; 343 kg)[6]

The car was equipped with advanced features, including pneumatic tyres and wheel steering. The engine was mounted transversely, with the flywheel rotating in the direction of travel.[6] The water-cooled engine drove the rear wheels through a belt transmission.[7] The belt was tensioned by moving the engine forward or backward in the frame. The steering wheel was on a vertical column on the right side of the car, such that it could only be operated by the driver's right hand.[3]

In 1900, a redesign of the Critchley Light Car was built and sold as the "Kimberley".[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ Nixon 1946, p. 66.
  2. ^ Nixon 1946, p. 14.
  3. ^ a b Douglas-Scott-Montagu & Burgess-Wise 1995, p. 61.
  4. ^ a b Nixon 1946, p. 65.
  5. ^ Nixon 1946, p. 222.
  6. ^ a b c Smith 1972, p. 9.
  7. ^ a b Thoms & Donnelly 1985, p. 64.
  8. ^ Smith 1972, p. 12.

References

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  • Douglas-Scott-Montagu, Edward John Barrington & Burgess-Wise, David (1995). Daimler Century: The full history of Britain's oldest car maker. Sparkford, Nr Yeovil, Somerset, UK: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-494-8.
  • Nixon, St. John C. (1946), Daimler 1896 to 1946: 50 Years of the Daimler Company, G.T. Foulis & Co.
  • Smith, Brian E. (1972). The Daimler Tradition. Isleworth, UK: Transport Bookman. ISBN 085184-014-0.
  • Thoms, David; Donnelly, Tom (1985). The Motor Car Industry in Coventry Since the 1890s. Beckenham, Kent, UK: Croom Helm. ISBN 0-7099-2456-9.