L. Gardner and Sons

L. Gardner and Sons Ltd was a British builder of diesel engines for stationary, marine, road and rail applications.

About 1868 Lawrence Gardner set up as a sewing machine maker in Upper Duke Street, Stretford Road, Hulme, Manchester.

In 1903 it became a limited company, L Gardner and Sons Ltd. Norris and Henty Ltd, of London, were appointed as sales agents.

During the 1930s a number of LW-series engines (usually 4LWs, but occasionally 6LWs) were installed in large luxury cars including Lagondas, Bentleys and Rolls-Royces.

The Gardner engine's reliability and economy (tests showed that even a two-ton Bentley could achieve 30 miles per gallon of fuel while having a top speed of 80 mph), coupled to its remarkable refinement and smooth running abilities, made it the only suitable compression-ignition engine at the time.

[1] After the war the 'LW' diesel engine continued to be built in large numbers for lorries and buses and was later supplemented by the more modern 'LX'.

The introduction of emissions regulations for road-going Gardner diesels would have required the development of significantly modified, or totally new, engine designs, and in the marine market there was a shift away from big, low-speed, high-torque engines such as Gardners, towards adapted high-speed automotive turbodiesels.

This was opposite to how a lot of other manufacturers advertised their products, and how Gardner themselves had previously stated power ratings of the pre LX series engines.