1914 Rhodia 16hp Ambulance

• Believed to be the sole surviving Rhodia WWI ambulance
• Subsequently used as a taxicab/charabanc in Scotland
• Rediscovered derelict in the late 1970s
• Restored to concours-winning condition

The vehicle offered here is believed to be the sole surviving Rhodia ambulance used during World War 1. It was originally manufactured in the USA and is one of only a few exported to the UK. The agents were Mass Cars Ltd of 10 Milverton Street, London SE.

Many years later (in 1977) the Rhodia was recovered by the late Don Cameron from Crossways Garage, Beach Villa, Argyll together with other cars that had been locked away in 1939 and left untouched. The remains of a licence disc were found on the Rhodia stating 'PRIVATE, 16HP, £4 16s, RHODIA, G 7416, Dk GREEN' and dated April 13 1922. The 'G 7416' front number plate was present also and is still on the vehicle today. Motoring historian Michael Ware discovered that the Rhodia had been registered in Glasgow in March 1921 as a six-seater taxicab (the 'G' registration was allocated during 1914/1916).

Messrs Alexander and James Scobie ran the Rhodia as a taxi/charabanc at Strachur in 1921 before it was taxed privately in 1922. Alexander Naismith Stobie had served with the Royal Scots Fusiliers and then the Labour Corps in 1917. He was subsequently transferred to the Royal Flying Corps 92 Squadron and then on 1st April 1918 to 93 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Air Force, from which he was finally discharged on 29th March 1922. He died in Dunoon, Scotland in 1978. Alex Scobie had told local people that the Rhodia had been an ambulance and that he had brought it back from the Great War.

This Rhodia ambulance has been lovingly restored by the current vendor. (A photograph on file shows the vehicle's dilapidated state when acquired in 1980.) The engine block, leaf springs, steering column, most of the chassis, one and a half wooden wheels, and a small fragment of the dashboard were all that remained. The wooden wheels were built using hickory for the spokes; the body panels and engine covers fabricated from mild steel; the radiator constructed using silver-soldered sheet brass; the mudguards hand-tooled; and the windscreen frame made from brass. The vendor reconstructed the laminated steering wheel, and the rear canvas covers were also made and hand-sewn by him. The canvas cover's supports and the cab roof are exact replicas of the original ambulances of the period. An electric starter has been fitted for convenience.

The rebuild was completed in 2016 and since then the Rhodia has won two major concours awards. The vehicle comes with a most extensive history file including an article in The Automobile's February 2018 edition by Michael Ware entitled 'Back on the Road', which recounts the Rhodia's fascinating story in greater detail (close inspection recommended).