Castle Three

Castle Three
Overview
Manufacturer Castle Motor Company
Production 1919-1922
Body and chassis
Class cyclecar
Powertrain
Engine 1094 cc Dorman or 1207 cc Peters in-line 4-cylinder
Transmission two- or three-speed
Chronology
Successor In development[1]

The Castle Three was a British three-wheeled cyclecar made from 1919 to 1922 by the Castle Motor Company of Castle Mill Works, New Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

History

The company was originally been a car repair business founded in 1906 by brothers Stanley and Laughton Goodwin but grew to make munitions during World War I and entered the car building business with the coming of peace and the post-war boom.

The cars

The car was aimed at the top end of the Cyclecar market and so was fitted with a four-cylinder, water-cooled engine. The first batch of cars had side-valve, straight four, Dorman engines of 1094 cc with the remainder using Belgian Peters 1207 cc engines. These were in-unit with a gearbox, either of two-speed epicyclic or three-speed conventional type and drove the single rear wheel by a shaft and bevel gears.[2]

The open two-seater body with dickey seat had a smart nickel-plated radiator and electric lighting and was attached on a chassis with the suspension using quarter elliptic leaf springs at the front and semi elliptic at the rear. Unusually for a cyclecar, artillery wheels were used rather than wire-spoked ones.

The car was exhibited at the 1919 London Motor Show and a reputed 2,300 orders were taken. Not all these were confirmed and it is estimated that around 350 were made. Two are known to survive. [3]

A prototype of a four-wheel version was made but never went into production. The company closed in 1922, selling the works to a carpet maker.

Successor

Castle Three Motor
Overview
Manufacturer Castle Three Motor Company
Body and chassis
Class Three-wheeler
Body style roadster
Layout FR
Chronology
Predecessor Castle Three

In August 2013 the Castle Three Motor Company Limited was incorporated in Alnwick, Northumberland with plans to develop, manufacture and sell new generation three-wheeled sports cars for the recreational and motor sport markets.[4]

While the original had 2+1 seating and a four-cylinder engine, the new three-wheeler will have two seats and use an externally sourced twin-pot — either in V or boxer form — to power the rear wheel via a largely proprietary drivetrain.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Autocar Article (Dated August 15th) http://www.autocar.co.uk
  2. ↑ Baldwin, N. (1994). A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-53-2.
  3. ↑ G.N. Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
  4. ↑ Company website http://www.castlethree.co.uk
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