S.E. Opperman Ltd., Elstree; Borehamwood, Herts., UK. 1956 – 1959
The Unicar was a 2-4 seater microcar constructed from fibreglass. It had a rear-mounted 2-stroke 2-cylinder engine of just 225 cc or 328 cc. The car was also available in kit form.
This miniature GT model, called the Stirling, made its debut at the 1958 London Motor Show. Engine size had grown to 424 cc. Very few were sold.
Morris 1913-1984
1912 W.R.M. Motors was renamed Morris Motors Ltd. in 1919.
Merged with Austin in 1952 as subsidiaries of The British Motor Corporation Limited, later British Leyland. The Morris brand name was used until 1984.
Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922-1948
Jaguar Car Limited, Coventry, England. 1948 to date
William Lyons set up business producing high quality sidecars under the name “Swallow Coachbuilding” (later SS Cars ltd) in 1931. They soon switched to designing and building handsome and sporting bodywork for Morris, Austin, Fiat, Swift and Standard. The Jaguar name was first used in 1936 on a beautiful 4-door sports saloon. In 1945 the name of the company was changed from SS Cars Ltd to Jaguar Cars Ltd. Became part of BMC in 1966, then BMH and then British Leyland. Independent until 1990, when Jaguar were bought by Ford. In 2008 they sold Jaguar (and Land Rover) to Tata Motors. Since then Jaguar Land Rover Limited has been an independent subsidiary.
Models featured:
Humber (UK)
Thomas Humber started making bicycles in 1868, Car manufacture took off in 1898. Part of the Rootes Group since 1930. Chrysler United Kingdom from 1970-1973.
Hillman Coatalen, Coventry, Hillman Motor Car Co Ltd; Chrysler United Kingdom Ltd; Peugeot-Talbot. 1907-1976
Member of the Rootes Group since 1928.
The first Minx appeared in 1932. At first designations were referred to as a different “Phases”. This was later changed to “Mark”. The redesigned “Series” Minxes were introduced for the 1957 model year.
Models featured:
Elva [UK] 1955-1968/69
Elva began as a sports/racing car, powered by Coventry-Climax or Ford engines. The first road-going car was produced in 1958. This was the Courier.
The 2-litre Elva BMW GT 160 was designed by Fiore of Paris and the aluminium coachwork was by Fissore of Turin. The car was extremely low – it stood just 40 inches (1 metre) high. Powered by a 1991 cc dry-sump BMW engine it was capable of a top speed of 160 mph (257 kmh). A glass-fibre version was to be made available for the UK market.
In 1964 Elva was taken over by Trojan Ltd. and production ceased in 1969.
UK, 1947-2020
Bristol was established in 1910 and manufactured aircraft. After the war production shifted to automobiles. The first Bristol cars were British versions of the famous BMW 328 which they manufactured under licence. Bristol have always manufactured fast, expensive touring cars, built to high standards.
Bond produced their first 3-wheeler in 1948/1949. The first models were fitted with Villiers 2-stroke motorcycle engines. In 1965 the two-strokes were replaced by Hillman Imp units, mounted in the rear. In 1970 Bond introduced the Bond Bug, an entirely new design by Tom Karen, featuring a hinged roof instead of doors. The engine was a 4-cylinder 701 cc unit that delivered 29 hp at 5000 rpm.
Bond also produced some nice-looking sports cars between 1963 and 1971 called the Bond Equipe.
Ford of Britain produced cars specifically for the UK market until 1967, when the operation was merged with that of Ford Germany. UK Fords were sold in Europe and the former colonies.
For Ford Models produced after 1967 see menu item Ford Europe.
This includes KA, Fiesta, Grenada, Scorpio, Focus, Mondeo… etc.