An advert from 1910.

As we have seen Turner Motor Manufacturing Company obtained a licence to build Miesse steam cars which proved quite a success and in 1906 we find Mr. Dumbell their managing director writing to the press extolling the virtues of his cars with regard to the dust problem.

At about this time production of the steam car was going well. Turner's found themselves with some surplus capacity and undertook to build some petrol cars for Seymours, a London firm. The Seymour Turner cars which were exhibited at the 1906 Olympia Motor Show were about the largest cars that the firm would build. The 4.1 litre cars had four cylinders with dimensions of 100 x 130mm, high tension magneto, a four speed gearbox with direct drive on top and shaft drive. It would seem that these cars were only produced for about a year.

On arrival in England Coatalen had found work with Charles Crowden, an engineer from Leamington Spa and a very early expert in mechanical road traction, being in the business before the turn of the century. Coatalen soon moved to Humber's Coventry works where he designed a number of successful cars. He then joined up with William Hillman to produce the Hillman-Coatalen cars, on one of these he finished 9th in the 1908 RAC Tourist Trophy.

It can be seen that Louis Coatalen was keen on motoring competitions being a firm believer that racing improves the breed. There would not be another T.T. until 1914 when as we shall see a Coatalen designed Sunbeam would be the winner.

Louis Coatalen left Hillman and joined Sunbeam as Chief Engineer, and as noted above his first design for them was the 14/20. The car received much praise from the technical press, for this was the first Sunbeam to have shaft drive. The engine had its four cylinders cast in pairs with 'T' heads and dimensions of 95 x l35mm. The car made its debut in the 1909 Scottish Six Days Trial running throughout without an involuntary stop of any kind. It was placed second in its class, whilst a chain drive model received an RAC certificate for lapping Brooklands at 57.67m.p.h. Production models began to reach the public during 1910.

A car fitted with this engine was timed over the flying start half-mile during 1910 at 71.98mph. and press reports of the car were most complimentary. As noted above, Louis Coatalen was very keen on motor sport. Brooklands the famous Weybridge track opened in 1907 as the world's first purpose built motor racing track.

For 1911 a new car was built for Brooklands, named 'Toodles II'. It had a more conventional single seater body but was considered mechanically daring, with chain driven single overhead camshaft and valves inclined from opposite sides of the cylinder head, operated by rocking levers. Very light steel pistons were fitted and the four cylinder engine had cylinder dimensions of 80 x 160mm. It proved very successful taking 22 prizes during 1911 and winning a match race against C. Bird's 60h.p. Napier. Remember the Sunbeam was rated at only l5.9h.p., but it won by half a mile over five miles at a speed of 83m.p.h. There were many more Sunbeam successes in 1911, but the following year would see the first really big international success for the Wolverhampton firm with Louis Coatalen as designer.

Sometime around 1908 D.H.& S. Engineering of Sedg1ey Street, makers of the well known Diamond cycles decided to build motorcycles and the company became D.F.& M. from the initials of the founders, Dorsett, Ford and Mee.

During 1912 patents were taken out for a very advanced design of motorcycle designed by Walter Ford, who was a very clever engineer and his advice was sought by many other motorcycle manufacturers. The 1912 design had a 2.75h.p. inlet over exhaust engine, in unit with a two speed gear. A bevel wheel drove two shafts, one of which drove the cone clutch, with a final chain drive.

It was listed at 50guineas (£52.50) but few were made, and just when sales should have been picking up the 1914 war put a stop to production. A pity for here was a machine that did deserve better sales.

Mr. Dorset, of D.F & M was also connected with some other projects including a rather unorthodox motorcycle introduced in 1909; the Omega. Not to be confused with the better known machine of the same name made by W.J. Green of Coventry in the 1920s. The thinking behind the Wolverhampton machine was to attract those who would shy away from ordinary motor bicycles and it was very much on pedal cycle lines. Its 1.5h.p. air cooled side valve engine being mounted low in the frame of a heavyweight cycle in which the crankcase formed the bottom bracket. The ingenious feature being that the cycle pedalling gear passed through the crankshaft. The advantage of which is that the pedals were always in the most convenient position when needed, and the low engine position gave a low centre of gravity making the machine stable and not given to sideslip. The design also kept vibration to a minimum.

An Omega motor bicycle.