Francis Motors

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Keith
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Re: Francis Motors

Post by Keith »

The 1949 Bentley Mk 6 advertised above the Jensen has done 18,000 miles in 18 months?
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Re: Francis Motors

Post by MikeWilliams »

H types were also 32hp and H12 was only registered for the road in March 1946. It was described in other adverts as dark cream with brown leather upholstery. It was in Staffordshire in 1949 and Reigate in 1951, but might not be the same car.

I am away just now, so not able to check Calver's latest tome as to where the first owner was located.

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Re: Francis Motors

Post by Chris_R »

Keith wrote:The 1949 Bentley Mk 6 advertised above the Jensen has done 18,000 miles in 18 months?
That's a similar rate of use to the Jensen and what made me ponder if the wealthy had other ways of getting hold of petrol that was otherwise denied to most of the population. I don't know what the rules were that allowed someone to get more petrol than the basic ration allowed, there must have been ways for essential users e.g. doctors, vets and others.
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Richard Calver
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H12 Hermon Bradley

Post by Richard Calver »

This was H12, owned from new by Hermon Bradley, an industrialist and a friend of Richard Jensen. The Albion Works at Bilston run by Bradley was a significant employer in the Midlands, being focused on sheet metal work. It was located about 5 miles from the Jensen factory at Carters Green. The Albion Works contributed to the British war effort in both world wars, as indeed did Jensen Motors during WW2. Bradley is referred to as Major Bradley in some Jensen records, probably a rank attained during WW1. He was young enough to fight at that time but didn't, on account of his reserved occupation, and too old to fight the second time around. Given his occupation, he would have faced no barrier to using as much petrol as he required for his work. It is possible that the Albion Works contributed materials or components to the early Jensen cars but I have no evidence of that. It was a small world in those days and all the Midlands manufacturers knew each other. There is a bit about the Albion Works and Bradley online. He traded up from H12 in 1949 when he bought PWA9, the first of the Austin-engined PWs, apparently.
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Re: Francis Motors

Post by MikeWilliams »

Thank you Richard. Can't wait to read all this sort of information in your book on coachbuilt cars, but will you ever publish it? (You don't have to answer that!)

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Richard Calver
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Re: Francis Motors

Post by Richard Calver »

You won't catch me out with them trick questions. We seem to have strayed far from the topic, Francis Motors.
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