1906 Brown Brothers 18/20hp Four-cylinder Side-entrance Tonneau

• Rare survivor of a short-lived British make
• Circa 3-litre Forman engine
• Three-speed gearbox
• Present ownership since 1996

Founded in 1888, the well-known London-based factors Brown Brothers Ltd offered a variety of cars under their own name between 1901 and 1911, some of which were made for them by Star of Wolverhampton. 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. From 1904 onwards cars featured Mercedes-like honeycomb radiators, and certainly Forman engines were used. One surviving 18/20 Brown Brothers car has a Brotherhood-Crocker engine, but this example features a four-cylinder sidevalve engine by Forman of 90x110mm bore/stroke, displacing 2.8 litres, which is coupled to a three-speed gearbox.

This car was unearthed some 69 years ago in a Hertfordshire scrapyard by Ernest Brown of the Brown Brothers company, and its survival was probably due to the fact that during the Great War it was re-bodied as an ambulance by Holmes & Co, coachbuilders to HM The King, with branches at Derby, London, Sheffield, Lichfield and Burton-on-Trent. Their plate is still on the dashboard, although when found the bodywork had been removed.

Most of the present body was discovered in the early 1970s by the late Michael Worthington-Williams and the late Cecil Bendall, having been found serving as part of a tennis pavilion at Yew Tree House, Belbroughton near Kidderminster, but originally mounted on a Brown Brothers car owned by the carpet magnate, the late Cecil Brinton. Only one other example of this particular model survives, in the ownership of Brown Brothers. Over the years Darracq expert Ron Knight became involved, and drawing on his Veteran-car knowledge, the body and chassis were brought together.

The late owner purchased the Brown at Brooks' Olympia sale in December 1996 (Lot 860). At that time the car was said to be completely restored but in need of some detail finishing and running in. Chassis, electrics and transmission were described as very good, while it was noted that the rear axle is from a larger Brown Brothers model. The history file contains copious correspondence, some of it concerning previous owners; invoices for an engine rebuild carried out in 1975; copy of a magazine article; and a VCC Certificate of Date. A usable four-cylinder Edwardian.