The company produced a unique articulated car which was partly or wholly designed by Thomas Hugh Parker. It is not known how many of these cars were produced, but it seems likely that they were built at the Tipton Works.

An article about the car appeared in the "Motor Car Journal" on 2nd November, 1907. A transcript of it follows:

Building one of the cars. Courtesy of the late Jim Boulton.

As will be seen from the accompanying illustration, the frame is in two distinct parts, the engine and transmission gear being all supported on the forward frame, the front pair of road wheels acting both as steerers and drivers. 

Among the advantages claimed for the new design is the fact that the car can be turned in a very small radius, and that it works amongst traffic with perfect ease and safety; the risk of skidding is practically eliminated, the drive being on the front axle and the engine, gear-box and all driving and steering gear, together with the driver's seat, being also mounted on the forward pair of wheels. 

The back portion of the car, being essentially a trailer, is well hung on springs with long centres, and as there are no working parts underneath, vibration is reduced to a minimum, and solid tyres can be used. The front chassis is self contained and forms an avant-train, which can be used for various types of bodies, as, for instance, with a brougham, an ordinary open car body, char-a-banc, or light delivery van.

An experimental cab has, we are informed, been run in London for about eight months, and has not only proved its adaptability for traffic, but is able to turn in a circle of a diameter of 21ft, or 4ft. less than the police requirements. The Sedan company are also introducing a new change-speed gear known as the Wirtz, which comprises several novel features, and to which we hope to refer in a later issue.

The surviving Sedan car. Courtesy of the late Jim Boulton.

The prototype, powered by a four cylinder White and Poppe engine, ran for eight months as a taxi in London. Its success led to the formation of the Sedan Auto-Car Syndicate who wished to market the vehicle as both a car and a commercial lorry. 

Londonderry steam waggons had been built at the Marquis's works, and when this venture failed, the company expressed an interest in manufacturing the Parker vehicle. The car was modified at the works and a SHEW (Seaham Harbour Engine Works) nameplate was attached to the radiator. The enterprise failed and only three vehicles were built, including a lorry for the Parker family's "Coalite" company.

The SHEW car was kept at the works as a runabout and extensively modified in about 1912. The articulating chassis steering was removed and replaced with conventional Ackermann steering. After the First World War the car was used on the Marquis of Londonderry's estate at Wynyard Park until the onset of the Second World War when it was stored in one of the outbuildings on the estate. 

The surviving SHEW car at Beamish Museum.

He rebuilt the body and replaced the solid-tyred rims with beaded edge rims and pneumatic tyres. In the 1960s the car was sold to a garage in Mirfield near Leeds and then sold again to a private collector in 1967.

Its whereabouts were unknown until it resurfaced in a Cheffins Auction in June 2003, from where it was purchased by the Beamish Museum.

I would like to thank the late Jim Boulton for his help in producing this section.