The Thundersley/AC INVACAR
In 1948 the English motorcycle enthusiast Bert Greeves adapted a motorbike with the help of Derry Preston-Cobb as transport for his paralysed cousin and Invacar Ltd. was born. It's the AC and Thundersley Invacars which are the most famous versions of the 3-wheeled invalid carriages but as the Virtualgaz team explains, the first invalid carriages resembled nothing more than three-wheeled tubs.*
In the early 1920's, Stanley Engineering of Surrey manufactured the bulk of the UK's self-propelled invalid carriages using the 'Argson' brand name. The introduction of the petrol engine was a natural progression as was electric battery power and by 1949, Stanley and other manufacturers like Harding Ltd. and Dingwall & Son had lucrative Ministry of Health contracts.
The first motorised tricycle was powered by a fan-cooled Villiers engine in 1922 while the first ever fully enclosed 198cc version was developed during 1938.
In 1948 Dingwall brought about the flat twin Coventry Climax air-cooled and chain driven go-cart styled carriage as Invacar, Barrett, Tippen & Son, AC Cars Ltd. and George Fitt Motors all gained M.O.H. contracts using mainly the Villiers 147cc power unit.
After some dubious 2-seated versions in the 50's, the M.O.H. standardised its requirements - 147cc Villiers, single seating and steel pressed wheels. Single front wheel drive, hydraulic braking and electric Dyna starting soon arrived.
A 1951 fawn and sage 'Padwin' prototype and the 1949 AC luxury version.
The Harding 'Spinal Carriage' of 1932 and the fibreglass Harper 'Model 55' of 1955.
Mid 50's Invacar 8a Model 52 and the 'Vi-Car' painted pinky-grey and a Barrett Minor.
During the 1960's and 70's the Invacar ruled with its modern fibreglass shell, ice blue colouring and belt drive. Extended wheelbase, a wider track and use of Austin Mini wheels saw the Invacars right through to the end of the final DHSS contract in 1977.
5,928 Invacar Model 67 'Acedes' carriages were built.
A 1966 'Delta' by Frank Tippen Ltd. and the aluminium Invacar Model 57 which was available only in blue with a petrol engine (13,155 manufactured) or the rarer 72-volt electric version - both with sliding windows.
1957 Harper Mk VI with rubber suspension and a 60's Mk12 Invacar with a white roof.
A 1968 prototype Model 70 with the Fiat 500cc parallel twin and 'Denny' Denly MBE, founder of the Invalid Tricycle Association who, on his 1946 Argson Deluxe, crossed the Alps in 1947.
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| New Thundersley Invacar rolling off the Essex production line... | 1976 respray | 1974 'Poo' |
Original Model 70 Brochure. Thanks to Dan Vitaletti Arvada, Colorado, USA.
Dan Vitaletti: "Hi, Invacar Instruction Manual which I recently bought on E-Bay. It is for the Greeves Invacar Mark 12E Invalid Car (1969-70). Though it primarily provides operating instructions, there is info on maintenance and repairs, including a wiring diagram. I can provide copies if anyone is interested. Thanks Dan Vitaletti, proud owner of the "Only Legally Owned Invacar in the World" Arvada, Colorado".
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FOR SALE
1976 Invacar
Handlebar version finished in 'Ice Blue'
58,000 genuine miles, recent full respray and recon. 600cc engine
First to see will buy - but it was never allowed !
Virtualgaz:
Dec 2009 Dave 'Hedgehog' Price - where are you? (email link is no good)
Peter
Wonnacott: "Hi Gaz, I read with interest the article by Roger
Saunders regarding Roy Halls and had a grin from ear to ear when noting
his many remarks as to the many escapades that took place over a period of
time during his employment at the factory. I worked at the factory for a
period of some ten years in total, the first quarter of that time was as
an engine assembler in the Greeves Motorcycle section and after a short
break, resumed my employment to work in the Test & Rectification
Department of the Invacar section.I worked through the ranks until finally
becoming Chargehand until the closure of the factory.
Throughout my period of employment, Roy Halls was the main person many of us dealt directly with and I found him, like many others, to be a thoroughly pleasant fellow to work under. The workforce only consisted of a couple of hundred at most but it was like one big happy family as everyone knew everybody and it was always a joy to look forward to go there to work each day. Being one of the main Invacar testers, I must have been possibly one of the few to actually beat Derry Preston Cobb in an out-and-out race! One day he challenged me to a duel after having some improvements done to the braking system on his uniquely modified Invacar which had the new 600cc Steyr Puch Engine fitted (an uprated version of the standard 500cc type). Derry's Invacar was the only version that had a modified raised roof to accommodate him together with his wheelchair, which had to be clamped in for security. Accepting the challenge I selected a car from stock that had only just been roughly run in that day around our standard test run circuit (which was simply a few miles distance). To help matters I manually slackened all the brake drum adjustments off to ensure no friction from the new shoes thereby giving me optimum speed without any drag from then. We set off and Derry was ahead of me. I managed to squeeze past him as we raced down the 127 Arterial Road (but not easily I might add) as I felt it was a challenge race after all! I have to say that Derry, for all his disability, drove and handled that carriage with all the skill of an able-bodied person and had complete control throughout, however I don't think he was impressed at having lost the race - even though he congratulated me upon our return to the factory. Good fun and a laugh was enjoyed by one and all.
Sooner or later, working at the factory meant working outside in all weathers. When accommodated inside, it gave many of us protection from the elements; not least including the section occupied by the men from the Ministry who pre-inspected the vehicles prior to accepting them for final delivery. One of these fellows was disliked immensely for his pickiness and mood swings and how he would take it out on others, giving the impression he didn't want to be there in the first place. One day whilst returning from a road test in one of the Invacars, I approached the brow of the hill which Roy has mentioned here. It was a steep gradient with right-angled curves top and bottom - in a sort of slight 'Z' configuration. As i reached the peak at full throttle I hit a raised bump in the road which put me airborne for a split second and at the same time launched the whole car over to the right by a foot or two... straight into the path of an approaching Police Car which was climbing the hill containing three policemen including a sergeant. Quickly correcting the line of travel to the original as the Police Car jammed on its brakes in fear of a possible collision, I carried on down the hill regardless, noting in my rear view mirror the bright illumination of the Police Car's stop lights. Some quarter to a half mile further down the hill I reached the safety of the factory and blasted my way at full speed down the side of the factory to the open ground at the rear where lay the Test & Rectification department. I promptly leapt out to perform minor adjustments to the engine as was usual prior to passing the finished article over to the Ministy for further acceptance. As expected, with my head buried inside the engine compartment, the Police arrived looking for a blue Invacar (of which there were invariably quite a few) with driver in order to deliver a reprimand for dangerous driving on a public road. Turning my head around I noted that the very Ministry man whom was despised had (minutes earlier) arrived ahead of me and was sat unsuspectingly in an Invacar he had just himself tested, writing his usual reports and totally unaware of what had just taken place. He was the first person the Police approached and now within earshot, I heard them ask him if he had just travelled down the hill? Somewhat confused he replied that yes indeed he had - and then proceeded to get a severe ticking-off by the nice Policeman, promptly giving him a lesson in dangerous driving, which he accepted with a puzzled look upon his face... not remembering having nearly collided with a police car during his test run. Struggling to retain my composure upon hearing this guy getting a dressing down on my behalf really made my day with me muttering under my breath to myself "that couldn't have happened to a nicer fellow" and went home that evening feeling some sort of justice had been delivered, right or wrong, to a person that was normally on the side of dishing often trivial unfair and nasty authority out to others - a bit like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol (Bah Humbug, LOL!!).
Hoping this story may give others who remember those days at the factory more of the laughs many of us used to enjoy during our happy days there" Peter G Wonnacott [peterwonnacott@googlemail.com] 2009
Richard:
Hi, I was reading your web site regarding the Invacar Model 70. I have one
of these, on the road. I had a problem with a snapped belt. I managed to
get a new belt and while fitting it I checked the ratio of the gear box in
forward and reverse. I just wanted to let you know that, contrary to
popular belief, reverse gear has a lower ratio than forward. In reverse
the box gives 1 to 1. in forward it has a 1 to 1.25 increase on the output
shaft. Still makes them pretty quick in reverse !!
Best Regards, Richard (2009)
Roger Saunders: "Hi Gaz, I worked (until the end of 2008) in a Comprehensive school in Wickford, Essex. When the Thundersley factory closed Roy Halls, Works Manager at Greeves Invacar, was out of a job. With his engineering qualifications he applied for a job as a Metalwork teacher and worked out his time until retirement with Unqualified Teacher status. "Unqualified" was a real mis-nomer. He bought a wealth of skill and experience. Jigs were introduced and metalwork lessons were production lines in minature. What I remember most, and what moves me to write to you, were his stories of the old Greeves Invacar Works. Derry Preston Cobb certainly had a powerful engine in his Invacar. Every time a new improvement came out on the Greeves motorcycle engine (built in the same factory) he insisted on having it on his machine.The final engine was the Greeves version of the Villiers Starmaker racing engine, which was far too fast for the chassis. Employees were instructed NEVER to overtake Derry on the A127 on the way to and from work. He would invariably race them and, with his limited mobiltiy, accidents were common. Actually, he seldom hurt himself as he just landed like a rag doll. His disabiltity made people think he was really badly injured. Derry couldn't bend his body at the hips, so had a special car where the wheelchair was loaded from the rear. When he arrived for work he hooted and they came out and unloaded him. IMMSMW, the picture above "After some dubious 2 seated versions in the early 50's..."may well be of Derry in one of the early Invacars. According to Roy, they built the chassis in a jig, but, no matter which sequence was used in the welding process, it came out about half-an-inch (12mm) different from one side to the other. After many trials they just made the suspension mounting longer on one side to compensate! There were many and varied versions of the control system; foot and hand brakes, R/H and L/H throttles (operated by hand, foot, knee, elbow etc.), wheel and bar steering (with bars central or pivoting Left or Right) and all sorts of individual modifications which depended on the disability of the driver. Roy recalled that it was a nightmare if you were asked to drive one. You got in and took several minutes to work it all out. He thought the Works Testers were incredible. They would use the very steep Thundersley Church Hill, just up the road from the works, to check performance, brakes and handling. Seeing them descend at indecent speeds was scary for the onlookers, let alone the Testers. Early Invacar versions were much harder to drive than the automatic later models. Roy said that he was amazed at the skill of some considerably disabled drivers, who drove with great confidence. Others "should never have been allowed out on the road.." Trusting that this may be of interest to yourself, Roger Saunders". (2009)
.Dan Vitaletti: "Here's a scan of a sales brochure for a Mark 12C Invacar to post on your great website.Thanks Dan Vitaletti Colorado USA".(2005)
Daniel Rodd: "My friend Stuart Cyphus runs the 'Invaliud Carriage Register', which is a special register/page for Invacars and owners in the Register of Unusual Microcars magazine. He would be very grateful to hear from anyone who owns a surviving invalid carriage, or anyone who has any recollections, photos etc. on them. To join the Register of unusual microcars write to: Jean Hammond, School House Farm, Boarden Lane, Hawkenbury, Staplehurst, Kent, TN12 OEB. As a member you'll get a quarterly full colour magazine dedicated to the more unusual microcars, including seperate pages for different makes in the registers which have their own registrars, including the Invalid Carriage register. Stuart has on his register a grand total of 128 surviving road going invalid carriages (from the 1930's onwards). So the government didnt get them all!! Many were donated to museums, owned privately (ie were never government owned in the first place, as up till the mid 60's you could buy invacars yourself) were not on DSS books, or were"obtained" by other means, and there are many more out there, I know personally of someone with 10 in his garden, which have been there 30 odd years. Basically this means that there are surviving invacars out there and long may there be, but if you could put the above info on your invacar site that would be great, and a plea for anyone who owns or knows of any invas to contact Stuart. All the best, Daniel Rodd (2005). His Contact details are:"
The Invalid Carriage Register, Stuart Cyphus,
6, Mirfield Road, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 5BA
Tel 01993 709452.
Dan Vitaletti: "I recently restored and sold my '63 Invacar to a Disability Museum in New York (only museum of its kind in the USA). I can provide a short story and photos if you want for the website. Thanks Dan Vitaletti Colorado USA".(2005)[great Dan, looking forward to it]...
Ian Bingle:"Here's a question for you! There was a recording about the Thundersley Invacar. TRUE!! I remember it well, but no-one else seems to! (and I am NOT going round the bend!) I have tried to trace it without success! Have you heard of it? Best wishes, Ian (2004)
[Well, we didn't, but we do now, thanks Ian !...3mb of Collapsed Lung's finest moment...]"Collapsed Lung - Thundersley Invacar".
Ian Bingle: "I have a "street-legal" Tippen Delta electric. I have owned it for about 10 years and I think it may have been part of the manufacturer's batch allocated to the British Legion. My Tippen was manufactured in 1974 and the chassis plate states this. 'Manufactured by Frank Tippen & Sons 1974' plus serial number etc. The problem with all invalid vehicles (and indeed with London Transport buses) is that the year shown may not be the original year as these vehicles frequently get refurbished and re-registered with different bodies etc. This would certainly be true of the later Thundersleys. I believe, however, that my Tippen was genuinely made in '74. Another weird thing is that the fibreglass body appears to be self-coloured in the Ministry blue. And yet it has been re-sprayed a very slightly different shade, which is now peeling off to reveal the original colour! Ian (2004)
John Benson: "Hey there Virtualgaz, You set a hard task (of tracking down a rogue IC he saw in June 2004)... but today I saw our target... after a wild goose chase around Hove (UK) today (spotted the car, but didn't have the camera!) dashed home and went back to Sainsbury's... possibly the first Invacar being tailed too? Anyhow here are some photos, it's taxed too till next year so will prob be with us for a while... Regards John" (July 2004) (brought to you by www.crosscurve.com -making your ideas into reality)... PIC#1 PIC#2
Ian Campbell: Hi, back in the 70's I worked for a company "Hatherlys" in Footscray, Kent (UK) who had a Ministry contract to service invalid carriages. In the trade they were known as "Cruds". Recovery of broken-down carriages were made with a van towing a two wheeled ambulance, you just picked up the front and dropped wheel into the channel on the ambulance. It was not unusual to be hooted at and told "eer mate it's fallen over". As mechanic's testing carriages, we all had to pass a test - a man from the Ministry came, we drove round the pumps on the forecourt and that was it! We had one client who had an AC spinal special (like a stretched limo), he drove it from a prone position. It had a red flashing light fitted incase he got into difficulties. There were still a few electric open (Stanley?) carts around with the tiller steering. Party trick by us naughty lads was to reverse back couple of feet then slam it into full forward. If nothing broke the resulting wheelie was most impressive!!! Best Regards, Ian Campbell (2004)
Dave Price: " I heard there was to be a reunion with all the surviving Thundersley workers this year. Does anyone know anything about it?" Dave Price, ex Thundersley lorry-driver / packer. (2003)
Graham Walker: "HI THERE,I USED TO OWN A MODERN AC INVACAR,TO WHICH I REMOVED THE ROOF,ADDED WIDE ALLOY MINI ALLOYS WITH LOW PROFILE TYRES, ADDED 2 HUGE SPOTLAMPS, PAINTED IT BRIGHT RED, AND WAS EVEN SEEN ON BBC 'TOP GEAR', BEATING A MESSERSCHMITT TIGER IN A SIDE BY SIDE SLALOM RACE!! BELIEVE IT OR NOT I EVEN OUTCORNERED HIM, AND I HAVE THIS ON VIDEO....A GREAT CAR...CHEERS, GRAHAM"(2003).
Dave Price: "I drove the the lorry and trailer delivering Invacars and the Greeves motorcycles for fourteen years. Derry Preston-Cobb (MD) had his own special invalid car with a Greeves racing engine, side mounted. It was a very fast machine and we regulary had to go and rescue Derry when he turned it over trying to corner too fast. When he had to give up this machine, he gave me the engine to fit in my Bond mini-car. The Bond went so fast it frightened me, because the brakes were not efficient enough to stop it quickly. The lorry and trailer carried four cars, two on the truck and two on the trailer. To load the lorry, I had to drive up the lowered trailer tailboard and fast up a steeper ramp onto the back of the truck. The first car was easy enough, but with the second one, I had to brake sharply after speeding up the ramp, so as not to smash into the first one. I had some great times there and still have freinds I worked with". Dave Price (Hedgehog) (2003)
Q. Has there ever been an instance of a stolen Invacar? A. Yes, one of John Curley's customers has had hers stolen twice!
Q. Did you have to be 'disabled' to drive one? A. In the UK, it was the only lawful way.
Q. Is it true that you couldn't legally own an Invacar? A. All Invacars were Government/Council owned.
Q. Is 82mph the absolute maximum aerodynamic speed of an Invacar? A. No, 85mph is the reputed record!
Q. Do they really do 97 mpg? A. No, more like 35mpg in reality.
This is Ian in his 19?? Argson with Jon Heasman who runs a project called GAP (Garnet Access Project) which provides access to the countryside for disabled people. The Argson is being used by Jon to promote the project.
Possibly the only Greeves Invacar in North America? Dan Vitaletti of Colorado, collector of Greeves motorcycles, just had to have an Invacar - so when he saw this one for sale he paid a king's ransom and drove a 2,000 mile round trip to pick it up. It was the only Greeves Invacar imported by the Greeves Motorcycle west coast distributor, Nick Nicholson and is a 1963 Mk.12A (Ser. no. 81618) with a Villiers 11E (617D 2739) having covered a mere 2,219 miles.
This superb 1968 Tippen Delta belonging to A.M. of Massachusetts was originally taken to Nova Scotia by a war veteran. He would like to find out more about the number of surviving TD's and is currently searching for location of the serial number. Any thoughts anyone?
*Research carried out using a variety of information including Jon Curley's personal documentation and 'A Brief Pictorial History of the Invalid Tricycle' by Fred Nailer (1985).
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