Motor Cars

Many early 20th century photographs include motor cars and if you can identify the model or the registration number this can help dating the picture.

Old Herts

Motor Cars

Subject Index 

The Surrey Vintage Vehicle Society site has many pictures of old cars and a help section, and their comments are added below where relevant.

Peugeot car circa 1905 registered in Hertfordshire  

This Hertfordshire registered Peugeot car, AR 419, came from Beryl Grove (via Jim Mullary) and the driver could be Arthur John Reynolds, son of Jacob Reynolds of Heath Farm, or Beryl's father, Richard Thomas Grove.

The car almost certainly belonged to a member of the Reynolds Family of Heath Farm, St Albans, Herts.  --  Reg AR 419 would be Hertford County Council mid/late 1904. Levers by steering column say this is a c 1904 De Dion Bouton 6HP Two Seater. [Identification]


 

This Photograph was taken at Stagenhoe Park, St Pauls Walden, in August 1910. The registration letter CL was used in the Norwich area between January 1904 and August 1927. The car (bonnet mascot shown) appears to have both acetylene and electric lights.

The driver (and presumably owner) is Dudley George T Tacon (1886-1972), a regular visitor to Stangenhoe. Dudley was the son of the Rev. Richard John Tacon, Rector of Rollesby, Norfolk, and at the time of the 1911 census was a Cambridge student (at Eton in 1901). His passenger was Dorothy Mary Bailey Hawkins (1887-??) daughter of William Bailey & Emma Louisa Hawkins of Stagenhoe Park.

CL434 is Norwich 1908. Our Bryan Goodman is the only one who came up with an answer on the car which was a 1908 GC Light Car with Sultan 8HP engine made  by  Automobiles  G. C. , H. Guyot et Cie, Paris, - and only in 1908.  [Indentification]


The number PU 9062 shows it was registered in Essex between July 1923 and September 1925, the high number suggesting some time in 1925.

Likely built in the UK but car is French. Essex CC registered, this is a 1925 Citroen 5CV Model C , as RHD, probably built in Slough, Bucks.  Difficult to tell if it is a Tourer or a Trefle,  not Cabriolet.    [Indentification]


London Road,
Colliers End


The badge on the radiator is not recognisable but the car appears to be a Bullnose Morris. The RO number was issues in Hertfordshire between April 1925 and March 1928, and the low number would suggest it was one of the first to be registered in 1925.

Bullnose Morris indeed, Registered in Hertfordshire early 1925. Our Chas Moody advises small radiator, no front wheel brakes, flat sided rear bodywork : 1925  Morris Cowley  Two-Seater with Dickey.    [Indentification]

 

The car we had when I was a child was an Austin 10. It had the number JH 5571 and was registered in Hertfordshire between June 1931 and December 1935 - probably sometime in 1933. Unfortunately I don't think there are any photographs of it in the family files.

The Site OldClassicCar includes much useful information including the dates of car registration numbers. However you need to be careful as when you changed your car you could keep the old number, which is why you can see modern cars which have cherished number plates going back 100 or more years.


Old News

Motor Cars in St Albans in 1904

 

Fatal car accidents in 1905

If you can add to the information given above tell me.

May 2012   Identifications of cars added
February 2017   Link to Fatal car Accidents