c.1920 Kingsbury 2¼hp Scooter

Frame no. 134 Engine no. 117

Footnotes

• Rare survivor from a short-lived make

• Purchased in 1994

• Eligible for the Banbury Run and Graham Walker Run

"Aircraft engine factory, which produced after the WWI small cars, scooters not unlike the Autoped and Krupp and also 261cc motorcycles with their own engines." – Tragatsch.

During WWI the Barningham Brothers' Kingsbury Engineering Co Ltd was one of several firms that built the Geoffrey de Havilland-designed Airco DH.6 training aircraft for the Royal Flying Corps. After the end of hostilities the firm switched production to the Kingsbury motor scooter, which was introduced in 1919. The 'stand up' Kingsbury mounted a 2¼hp two-stroke engine at the forward end of a simple platform frame which was topped by a wooden footboard. There was chain drive via countershaft to the rear wheel, while the front wheel was sprung. Both wheels were of the disc type. Two brakes were employed, both acting on the rear wheel, one operated by hand, the other by foot. The fuel tank sat atop the engine. Tan-Sad offered a sprung seat for the Kingsbury, greatly increasing the design's practicality. A lightweight motorcycle was added to the range in 1920 and production of the scooter ceased soon after.

An older restoration, this rare motor scooter was purchased at a UK auction in December 1994. Notable features include a Mills carburettor, BTH magneto, P&H headlamp, Lucas rear lamp, and a VMCC badge. Accompanying paperwork includes the auction catalogue page, a (copy) old V5 registration document, and a (copy) Oldtimer-Markt magazine article (May 2003) featuring this actual machine. It should be noted that the V5 incorrectly records the frame number as '117'.


• Rare survivant d'une marque éphémère

• Acquis en 1994

• Eligible aux Banbury et Graham Walker Runs

Ancienne restauration, ce rare scooter a été acquis lors d'une vente aux enchères au Royaume-Uni en décembre 1994. Ses particularités comprennent un carburateur Mills, une magnéto BTH, un phare P&H, un feu arrière Lucas et un écusson VMCC. La documentation jointe comprend la page du catalogue, un ancien document V5 (en copie) et un article en copie du magazine Oldtimer-Markt de mai 2003 concernant précisément cette machine. On notera que le V5 porte le numéro de cadre incorrect « 117 ».


It should be noted that these vehicles have either been on display in the museum or kept in store since Peter and Ulrike passed away. Their present mechanical condition is not known; accordingly, perspective bidders must satisfy themselves with regards to their condition, completeness, correctness, or otherwise prior to bidding.

On notera que depuis le décès de Peter et d'Ulrike ces véhicules ont été maintenus en exposition dans le musée ou entreposés. L'état actuel réel des mécaniques est inconnu et les éventuels acquéreurs devront s'assurer par eux-mêmes de la condition, de l'intégrité, de l'authenticité et autres points relatifs à la qualité des machines avant de porter leurs enchères.