• Rare survivor of a short-lived British make
• Purchased by Brown Brothers in the early 1960s
• Professionally restored by TT Workshops
• Displayed at Brown Brothers Ltd's Swindon headquarters

Founded in 1888, the well-known London-based motor factors Brown Brothers Ltd supplied a wide variety of components and accessories for cars, motorcycles and bicycles. In 1899 the company diversified it activities, offering motor tricycles and the American Whitney light steam car, which was marketed as the Brown-Whitney. Between 1901 and 1911, Brown offered a variety of cars under its own name, some of which were made for them by Star of Wolverhampton (Brown had no manufacturing facilities of its own). In 1902 the company were advertising that 'almost any type of engine can be fitted', and both shaft drive and chain drive models were available. The Star-built light cars had single-cylinder 6hp or twin-cylinder 8hp Aster engines and shaft drive. Brown's later cars featured Mercedes-like honeycomb radiators from 1904 onwards and certainly Forman engines were used. At the Olympia Motor Show in 1906 Brown exhibited three fours of 18/20, 20/22 and 24hp, plus a 40hp six. A cheaper make – the Albruna – was spun off in 1908. Brown ceased motorcar manufacturing in 1913 when the company decided to concentrate on it core business, though production of motorcycles continued under the Vindec name until 1929.

It is known that Mr Sands, a Sussex farmer, once owned this four-cylinder Brown tourer. Descendants of Mr Sands contacted the vendor while researching their family tree and family archives, and kindly provided a photograph of the Sands family in their 'Sunday best', seated in the car outside their farmhouse (see file). (The farmhouse is still in existence today.)

What remained of the car was discovered in a Sussex field in the early 1960s by Brown Brothers Ltd, who purchased the wreck (see photographs). The car was then restored and ran in the 1964 Lord Mayor of London's Show. The VCC issued dating certificate No. 1094 in October 1967. The car was displayed at Brown Brothers headquarters at Great Eastern Street, London for a few years before it went, on loan, to the Cheddar Motor Museum.

In the late 1980s, Brown Brothers had the car restored by TT Workshops of Westbury, Wiltshire and it was then displayed at the company's Swindon headquarters and used for promotional purposes. In 2002 the Brown completed the London-to-Brighton Run as a Edwardian guest car. Offered with a V5C document and VCC Dating Certificate.

Please note that this lot is subject to VAT on the Hammer Price.