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‘Silent But Powerful’ promises the 1905 advertisement for the Simms-Welbeck
motor car. Designed by Frederick Simms, Britain’s road transport pioneer,
at his Welbeck works in Kilburn, northwest London, the vehicle is a cornerstone
of the British motor industry. Simms had campaigned hard to persuade the
British public of the advantages of motorised, as opposed to stirrup-driven,
horse power. In 1896, 10 years after the first cars were made in Germany
by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler, Simms was building them in Coventry under
licence from Daimler. At the same time, he and Robert Bosch were developing
a motor magneto to improve ignition and engine performance. The pair’s success
encouraged Simms to sell off his Daimler concession and set up on his own.
In 1907, he founded Simms Magneto Company, now known as Lucas Automotive.
Lucas has loaned the prototype Simms motor car to the Museum of London where
it is the focal point of a small exhibition. The show lasts until 23 September.
There’s enough to whet the appetite for a tour of transport museums . .
. culminating in a wander through the Ecology Gallery at the Natural History
Museum to learn about the consequences of 500 million cars.