Clyno

The factory belonged to the Stevens Brothers who had supplied engines to Clyno previously but had entered voluntary liquidation in 1910 leading them to seek a sale.

[3] Clyno continued to exhibit at every possible trials attracting attention by taking on hills previously thought unclimbable.

The choice of Clyno over its competitors as supplier of the standard motorcycle combination outfit for the Motor Machine Gun Service was made in 1915, and is said to have been a decision taken by Winston Churchill.

[5] Clyno also signed an agreement with the Russian war commission to supply their army on top of their business with the British forces.

Clyno continued to supply the war effort providing mobile machine gun units, ammunition carriers and building dragonfly aircraft engines.

[3] After the war, the motorcycle industry collapsed and Clyno's Works Manager Henry Meadows departed the company to found his own.

A large number of cheap motor cycles no longer needed by the army were sold, undercutting the prices of Clyno's machines.

There was also a shortage of materials with which to produce new models and to compound Clyno's problems the Russians failed to pay for the motorcycles they received during the war which led to the withdrawal of financial backing.

The mainstay throughout their existence, the 10.8, designed by AG Booth had a 1368 cc 4-cylinder side-valve Coventry Climax model F engine fitted a Cox Atmos carburettor a 3-speed gearbox and sold for £250.

[6] At this point Clyno were the third largest car manufacturer in the country, behind Austin and Morris, and they decided to expand their operation by opening a new plant in Bushbury and introducing two new models.

The 12/35 had the engine bored out to 69.5 mm to increase the capacity to 1593 cc, presumably to cater for heavier coachwork, although most of these chassis seem to have carried fabric bodies.

Despite this Clyno continued to attempt to produce cheaper models releasing the small fabric bodied 'Nine' with a 951 cc engine in 1928 with a retail price of just £160.

[2] The car was intended to sell for £112.20, a price which annoyed Clyno's new dealers as the profit margin had been completely squeezed.