Beaulieu Museum P2

THE BEAULIEU NATIONAL CAR MUSEUM: Continued...

MOTOR VEHICLE EXHIBITS:

1880: GRENVILLE STEAM CARRIAGE: Considered to be the oldest self-propelled passenger-carrying road vehicle in working order. The Grenville was designed circa 1875 by Robert Grenville in association with George Churchyard. Interestingly Churchyard went on to become the Chief Mechanical Engineer of the Great Western Railway (GWR). The vehicle was powered by a vertical boiler which consumed five gallons of water and 6lbs of coal per mile. Driver controls included throttle and cut-off levers, foot operated whistle and a brake pedal. Maximum speed was nominally 30kmh.

1895: KNIGHT: Considered to be the first purpose built British petrol powered car to run on public roads, the Knight was originally developed as a three wheeler. The vehicle was constructed by John Henry Knight of Farnham, England. Incredibly in October 1895, Knight was fined half a crown plus costs for not having a Traction Engine licence or the obligatory man walking in front of the vehicle. The Knight was displayed to the public at the 1896 Crystal Palace Motor Exhibition. The Knight was powered by a 1,565cc single cylinder engine and it had a maximum speed of 10mph.

1896: PENNINGTON AUTOCAR: Developed by Edward Joel Pennington, there were only five vehicles manufactured and this exhibit is believed to be the only surviving example. The vehicle was powered by an 1,868cc twin cylinder engine capable of driving the vehicle to a maximum claimed speed of 65kmph. The manufacturer was the Great Horseless Carriage Company, Coventry, England.

1899: RENAULT: This car is believed to be the oldest Renault car in existence, it was built by Louis Renault in 1898 and the following year Louis funded the Renault Company with his brothers, Marcel and Fernand. The 1899 Renault was the first production car to utilise a propeller shaft to transmit power to the rear wheels in lieu of the then current methods of chain or belt drive. The car was manufactured by Renault Freres, Billancourt, France and it was powered by a 273cc single cylinder engine with a maximum speed of 31mph.

1935: AUBURN 851 SPEEDSTER: Under the direction of E.L.Cord, Auburn cars gained a reputation for luxury, style and performance. This car was personally tested by record braking driver Ab Jenkins to prove it could exceed 160kmh. The car is reputed to have been used in the film Desire, which starred Marlene Dietrich. The car was manufactured by the Auburn Automobile Company, Auburn, Indiana and it was powered by a 4,585cc straight eight, side valve engine which produced 115bhp @ 3,600rpm. The car had a top speed of 160kmh.