Ernest and Percival Waddams Petter (1873–1955) were identical twins born on 26 May 1873 in High Street, Yeovil, Somerset, the third and fourth of the fifteen children of James Bazeley Petter, ironmonger and iron founder, of Yeovil, and his wife, Charlotte Waddams.
[1] Ernest, along with his twin Percy, had built the Petter Horseless Carriage by 1895, the first British car with an internal combustion engine.
The car, using a converted four-wheel horse-drawn phaeton and a 3 hp (2 kW) horizontal oil engine, had a top speed of 12 miles per hour (19 km/h).
However, the venture was not commercially viable, and the company transitioned to making engines for industrial and agricultural customers.
Ernest and Percy then proceeded to purchase the company from their father in 1901, and restructured it into James B Petter & Sons, both serving as managing directors.