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22-524: Coventry Premier Limited owned a British car and cyclecar manufacturing business based in Coventry from 1912 to 1923. It changed its name from Premier Cycles to Coventry Premier Ltd in November 1914. The business can trace its origins back to 1875 when William Hillman and William Herbert formed Hillman & Herbert Cycle Co Ltd , as bicycle makers. They were joined in 1876 by George B Cooper and

44-716: A four-stroke cycle ), however diesel single-cylinder engines are also used in stationary applications (such as the Lombardini 3LD and 15LD). A variation known as the split-single makes use of two pistons which share a single combustion chamber. Early motorcycles , automobiles and other applications such as marine engines all tended to be single-cylinder. The configuration is almost exclusively used in portable tools, along with garden machinery such as lawn mowers. Single cylinder engines also remain in widespread use in motorcycles, motor scooters , go-karts , auto rickshaws , and radio-controlled models . From 1921 to 1960,

66-400: A single cylinder or V-twin configuration (or occasionally a three or four cylinder engine), which were often air-cooled. Sometimes motorcycle engines were used, in which case the motorcycle gearbox was also used. All cyclecars were required to have clutches and variable gears. This requirement could be fulfilled by even the simplest devices such as provision for slipping the belt on

88-583: A 49 cc (3.0 cu in) four-stroke single-cylinder engine. There are also several single-cylinder sportbikes (such as the KTM 690 Duke R ), dual-sport motorcycles (such as the BMW G650GS ) and the classic-styled Royal Enfield 500 Bullet . The Moto3 class in the MotoGP World Championship have used four-stroke 250 cc (15.3 cu in) single cylinder engines since

110-522: A differential, there was enclosed chain drive throughout. The chassis was of 'tubular trussed construction' with half elliptic front springing and quarter elliptic rear. The brakes comprised a foot-operated band brake operating on the transmission countershaft, and two internally expanding brakes on the rear axle operated by the hand brake lever. The Premier Works was situated in Read Street, Coventry. The original factory buildings no longer survive, but

132-671: A meeting of the Federation Internationale des Clubs Moto Cycliste, it was formally decided that there should be an international classification of cyclecars to be accepted by the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria and Germany. As a result of this meeting, the following classes of cyclecars were defined: From 1898 to 1910, automobile production quickly expanded. Light cars of that era were commonly known as voiturettes . The smaller cyclecars appeared around 1910 with

154-595: A sales boom shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, with Temple Press launching The Cyclecar magazine on 27 November 1912 (later renamed The Light Car and Cyclecar ), and the formation of the Cyclecar Club (which later evolved into British Automobile Racing Club ). From 1912, the Motor Cycle show at Olympia became the Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Show. The number of cyclecar manufacturers

176-629: A single-cylinder engine requires a heavier flywheel than a comparable multi-cylinder engine, resulting in relatively slower changes in engine speed. To reduce the vibration level, they often make greater use of balance shafts than multi-cylinder engines, as well as more extreme methods such as a dummy connecting rod (for example the Ducati Supermono ). These balancing devices can reduce the benefits of single-cylinder engines regarding lower weight and complexity. Most single-cylinder engines used in motor vehicles are fueled by petrol (and use

198-575: The Citroën 5CV , Austin 7 or Morris Cowley . The cyclecar boom was over. The majority of cyclecar manufacturers closed down. Some companies such as Chater-Lea survived by returning to the manufacture of motorcycles. After the Second World War, small, economic cars were again in demand and a new set of manufacturers appeared. The cyclecar name did not reappear however, and the cars were called microcars by enthusiasts and bubble cars by

220-486: The Lanz Bulldog tractor used a large horizontally-mounted single cylinder two-stroke engine. However they are rarely used in modern automobiles and tractors, due to developments in engine technology. Single cylinder engines remain the most common engine layout in motor scooters and low-powered motorcycles . The Honda Super Cub (the motor vehicle with the highest overall sales since its introduction in 1958) uses

242-497: The chain drive. In 1923 the badge appeared on a basic version of the Singer Ten . The name was no longer used on cars from 1924, but bicycle making continued for a few more years. AJ "Jimmy" Dixon (Alfred James) of Enfield raced a Coventry Premier (No 8) in the 1921 Brooklands Junior Car Club 200 mile race. He finished in fourth place. About 500 three-wheel and 1200 four-wheeled cars were made. Cyclecar A cyclecar

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264-408: The company launched the 8 hp Super Runabout two-seat, three-wheeled cyclecar with 1056 cc, water-cooled, V twin engine, shaft drive to a rear-mounted gearbox and chain drive to the rear wheels. In 1921 Coventry Premier was bought by Singer and the three-wheeler was replaced by a four-wheeled version using the same engine but now having the gearbox combined with the rear axle, eliminating

286-590: The company renamed Hillman, Herbert & Cooper Ltd , operating out of the Premier Works in Coventry, their Premier brand of cycles being very successful, with the factory covering 3 acres. In 1891 The Premier Cycle Co Ltd was formed to take over Hillman, Herbert & Cooper as a going concern, however the Premier Cycle Co was wound up later that year. Some time later The New Premier Cycle Co

308-710: The general population. Several motor racing events for cyclecars were run between 1913 and 1920. The first race dedicated to cyclecars was organised by the Automobile Club de France in 1913, followed by a Cyclecar GP at Le Mans in 1920. The Auto Cycle Union was to have introduced cycle car racing on the Isle of Man in September 1914, but the race was abandoned due to the onset of the war. Single-cylinder engine Compared with multi-cylinder engines, single-cylinder engines are usually simpler and compact. Due to

330-451: The greater potential for airflow around all sides of the cylinder, air cooling is often more effective for single cylinder engines than multi-cylinder engines. This reduces the weight and complexity of air-cooled single-cylinder engines, compared with liquid-cooled engines. Drawbacks of single-cylinder engines include a more pulsating power delivery through each cycle and higher levels of vibration. The uneven power delivery means that often

352-466: The numerous makes were relatively short-lived, but several brands achieved greater longevity, including Bédélia (1910–1925), GN (1910–1923) and Morgan (1910–present). By the early 1920s, the days of the cyclecar were numbered. Mass producers, such as Ford , were able to reduce their prices to undercut those of the usually small cyclecar makers. Similar affordable cars were offered in Europe, such as

374-520: The pulley to act as a clutch, and varying of the pulley diameter to change the gear ratio. Methods such as belt drive or chain drive were used to transmit power to the drive wheel(s), often to one wheel only, so that no differential was required. The bodies were lightweight and sometimes offered minimal weather protection or comfort features. The rise of cyclecars was a direct result of reduced taxation both for registration and annual licences of lightweight small-engined cars. On 14 December 1912, at

396-430: The site in more recent times was the location of a factory used by Lucas Aerospace. A proper light car designed by the works manager G.W.A. Brown, who had been with Talbot , was added in 1914 with four-cylinder engine of 1592 cc and shaft drive. Testing of the 4-cylinder car continued during the war, but when peacetime production restarted in 1919 it did not appear. Brown had moved to Arrol-Johnston in 1917. Instead

418-707: Was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive motorized car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the car. It could accommodate only two passengers, often sitting in tandem . The demise of cyclecars was due to larger cars – such as the Citroën Type C , Austin 7 and Morris Cowley – becoming more affordable. Small, inexpensive vehicles reappeared after World War II, and were known as microcars . Cyclecars were propelled by engines with

440-550: Was formed to acquire the business of The Premier Cycle Co. In 1902 this company renamed itself as The Premier Cycle Co Ltd . In 1914 The Premier Cycle Co Ltd changed its name to Coventry Premier Ltd, and continued as such until sold to Singer in 1920. The Coventry Premier trademark continued to be used by Singer until c1927 when they ceased bicycle production. William Hillman went on to set up his own Hillman car company in 1907. Hillman, Herbert & Cooper started manufacturing motorcycles from 1908. The Premier cyclecar

462-413: Was launched in 1912. Described at the 1912 Motor Cycle and Cycle Car Show as 'a smart looking two-seater vehicle with coachwork torpedo-type body at 100 guineas'. The engine was a 998 cc air-cooled V-twin (85mm bore, 88mm stroke) with special heavy flywheel for cyclecar work and Bosch magneto. The transmission included a leather cone clutch and two speed gearbox (with reverse), and the rear axle included

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484-535: Was less than a dozen in each of the UK and France in 1911, but by 1914, there were over 100 manufacturers in each country, as well as others in Germany, Austria and other European countries. By 1912, the A.C. Sociable was described as "one of the most popular cycle cars on the road, both for pleasure and for business", though another source states that the "Humberette" was the most popular of cycle cars at that time. Many of

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