Vintage car ident please

Tony,

I see this got a mention in the Bromley Times this week.

Perhaps one of their readers can positively id the vehicle.
On that note, have you tried researching the Kentish Times archives? I am sure there have been similar pictures in there before over the years.

On the other hand. Perhaps the current owner of the number will eventually
hear of it and will be able to confirm if it is attached to the same basic machine, or not, as the case may be.

Rod

Thanks guys. I’ll do one, if not all, of your suggestions tonight and If I hear anything I’ll report back on this thread. I should have been a detective, this is fun. 😀

Tony.

Someone suggested Forecar?

Does anyone know how I would go about getting in contact with the driver of A5462? I believe his name is David Noakes. I’d love to know the history of this bike.

Tony

I suggest you contact the organisers of the London to Brighton. He was entry number 26 last year.
They will have to give him your contact details and allow him to phone you. They won’t give contact details to you. I’m sure he’d be interested in your pics/tales too.

Looking at the two machines together, I am now thinking it’s the same machine. The Struts arrangement is the same anyway. I can’t find a picture of the “Present” A5462 taken from the Port Side, like yours. The back axle arrangement looks different.

Does anyone know how I would go about getting in contact with the driver of A5462? I believe his name is David Noakes. I’d love to know the history of this bike.

Tony

I think it’s a 2. There is a serif at the start. In those days, any bolts protruding onto the plate face would be dead central and/or disguised with the base colour of the plate. So the Serif isn’t a bolt.

JB, I initially thought of Olds because of the Tipper type passenger seat, which folds up as a Boot (Trunk)…the part her legs are in being the lid. Also, for some reaso I associated the cross-sectional curved mudguards with Olds.
I quickly changed my mind to the Humber.
But, as stated, it could be a Heinz 57 of a Car!

[QUOTE=PeeDee;1725218]The Reg. A5462, is…..
1899 De Dion Bouton tricycle.

By the way, is it a ‘2’ on the end or could it be a ‘Z’? A546Z.

Tony

Tony, why do you need to know? Or in fact do you know and are quizzing?

I am doing some research for my website. I was sent this photo of Downe Post Office in Kent and in the drive is the vehicle.

[ATTACH]193808[/ATTACH]

That’s when I recieved the photo in my original post. I have spoken to a relative of the owner of the post office (she sent me the post office picture) and he is the man driving it. Apparently he, Charles Abbott, was very keen in motorbikes. In fact his grandson use to race them. The lady who sent me the PO picture was delighted to see the picture of Charles on his bike with, we assume, his wife Alice.

So before I put all this on the website I wanted to get some more details of what the motorbike was.

Tony

What throws you into the certainty of that JB?

I’ve never seen an Olds like it. I’ve seen plenty of his curved dash runabouts (produced from 1901-07)…probablythe most numerous surviving cars of that era.

Not having been around when R.E. Olds was cranking them out in Lansing, I can’t claim to be all-knowing, but it’s not one like I’ve seen.
It looks to be a cyclecar, something Olds would have abandoned by 1901…if indeed he ever made tham at all. The curved dash was an entry-level car for America…with proper cars being so inexpensive, there weren’t many cyclecars built in North America.

Why do you think it might be an Olds?

What throws you into the certainty of that JB?

It’s no Oldsmobile.

Tony, why do you need to know? Or in fact do you know and are quizzing?

also at that period in motoring history it could also be a home build

True, True.

Scratch builds tended to be tiny one-man affairs though…..but owt’s possible. The Apron bit up front looks very much like a Lagonda type. Again, these were probably all made by Brooks saddles or similar.
I’m sticking with Humber.

also at that period in motoring history it could also be a home build

A5462 took part in the London to Brighton last year. That’s how I found that one quick.

But I know that Humber and Oldmobiles liked the pass. in a “Tipper” mode LoL.
I was going to plumb on something French at first, but no…..I’m going with Humber.

Crumbs, that was quick. many thanks. But like you say, 4 wheels?

The Reg. A5462, is…..
1899 De Dion Bouton tricycle.

But clearly, it isn’t.

Humber had a passion for having the passenger up front, but I think it could be an Oldsmobile also.