Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 146,706 pages of information and 232,164 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Williamson Motor Co
From Graces Guide
Williamson Motor Co of Earlsdon, Coventry. Also as A. Williamson and Co.
Company formed by William Williamson when he left the Rex Motor Manufacturing Co
Maker of cars from 1913 and motorcycles produced from 1912 to 1920.
1912 The first machine made it debut and offered power with silence, and no vibration, courtesy of its 8hp flat-twin water-cooled engine, made for them by Douglas of Bristol. As it was part of their stationary engine range, it had a starting handle, like that of a car. It was a typical Douglas engine with side valves, gear-driven magneto and was installed low down in a long frame to drive a two-speed Douglas gearbox with all-chain drive.
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of cars see the 1917 Red Book
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices of motorcycles see the 1917 Red Book
1913 An air-cooled version was added, but it did not sell as well as the quieter machine and had a tendency to over-heat. It did, however, continue to be offered as an option. Most models sold were water-cooled and used for sidecars.
1916 Production continued until that year, and then stopped until after the War.
1919 Late in the year they returned with the air-cooled flat-twin and a new model with the 771cc sv JAP V-twin engine and three-speed Sturmey-Archer gearbox with all chain drive.
1920 Only the V-twin remained, this being sold with the sidecar as a complete combination. It was their final year of production.
1932 Company listed to be struck off [1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- The British Motorcycle Directory - Over 1,100 Marques from 1888 - by Roy Bacon and Ken Hallworth. Pub: The Crowood Press 2004 ISBN 1 86126 674 X
- [2] MICMA Web Site
- [3] Ian Chadwick's motorcycle web site
- [4] Miscellaneous A-Z Classic and Vintage Motorcycles web site
- The Encyclopedia of the Motorcycle by Peter Henshaw. Published 2007. ISBN 978 1 8401 3967 9