Other manufacturers known to use Villiers engines up to 1915 include the Campion, The Hobart, the Chater-Lea, the Diamond, and the Excelsior.ĭuring World War One, in common with many firms not directly involved in making military transport, the Villiers factory changed to production of munitions, in particular fuses for 75mm shells. Whether many of either model were made before war orders halted production in 1915 is unclear. In spite of the huge success of the 269 cc two-stroke, the four-stroke engine had not completely been shelved, as in October 1914, J.H Motors of Oldham announced two motorcycles, the No.1 fitted with a 2.75 hp Villiers four-stroke engine of 349 cc (74.5 x 80 mm bore and stroke), and a 2.5 hp two-stroke model using the Villiers 269 cc engine. Barnett & Co), the Ixion, the Juno, and the Roulette. During 1913 the Sun-Villers motorcycle was launched manufactured by the Sun Cycle & Fittings Co.īy 1914 the Villiers 269 cc 2-stroke engine had been adopted by a large number of motorcycle manufacturers, such as the Allday ( Alldays & Onions), The Royal Ruby, The New Ryder, the Bown-Villiers, the Coventry-Eagle, the Gerrard, Sparkbrook, the Invicta (A. Later that year it developed a 269 cc two-stroke (70mm bore and stroke) and the simplcity of this engine and attractive price made it a rapid success.
The production of free wheels reached its peak just after the Second World War, as the company produced 80,000 per week or 4 million per year.Īpart from the production of freewheels outlined above, the company produced its first engine in early 1912, a 350 cc four-stroke complete with integral two-speed gearbox.
Secondly, it developed and patented the cycle free-wheel, which every cycle manufacturer required. Firstly, John Marston sold the company to his son Charles for £6,000 on a loan against future profits. As the factory was producing more parts than Sunbeam required, it sold components to other manufacturers.ġ902 was a momentous year for Villiers. Under the direction of Charles, the company made cycle parts for the Sunbeam company. Īs a result of the tour, in 1898, John Marston bought a small Japanning works based in Villiers Street, Wolverhampton. He pointed out that "it was not possible to develop these at Sunbeamland, which had long been working on another plan, but it was possible to start them in a new factory". was "the ultimate fruit" of his trip to the US, being impressed by the production system and the labour saving devices.
Charles said that the Villiers Engineering Co.
In 1890 he dispatched his son Charles to the US on a selling trip, but included in his instructions that Charles must discuss pedal engineering with Pratt and Whitney in Hartford, Connecticut and come back with a high-class pedal and the machinery for making it. But Marston was dissatisfied with the pedals on his machines, which he bought in. In the 1890s John Marston's Sunbeam had become extremely successful by relying on high quality of production and finish. 5 Production during the Second World War.