Trojan Utility Car

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Designed just before the First World War by maverick engineer, Leslie Hounsfield, the quirky but effective Trojan Utility Vehicle was a remarkably successful attempt to bring mobility to the masses in the early days of the motoring age.

Radically simple in all respects, it soon caught the eye of Leyland Motors who teamed up with Hounsfield to mass produce the vehicle from a former aircraft factory at Ham Common in 1922. It was powered by an ingenious 1.5-litre four-cylinder two-stroke engine with just seven moving parts, mated to a two-speed and reverse epicyclic clutchless gearbox, all housed beneath the front seats in a rigid floor-tray that acted as the chassis.

Started by pumping a lever working a pawl-and-ratchet mechanism to the right of the driver, it developed 10hp with bags of low rev torque, the power being transmitted to the solid rear axle by a duplex chain. Cruising comfortably at 35mph and taking hills in its stride, it also had a notably good ride thanks to long and soft ‘Wondersprung’ cantilever springs at each corner.

Priced at just £125 on solid tyres (pneumatics were a £5 extra), it was the cheapest four-seater car on the UK market, cheaper even than a Model T Ford but just as capable and much easier to drive and maintain. As the sales literature said, it really was “The car for the man who can’t afford a car”. Other sales slogans included: “If anything goes wrong, there’s nothing to put right” and “Can you afford to walk?” – the latter based on a calculation that it would cost you more in shoe-leather and socks to cover any significant distance than it would if you went by Trojan!

Available as both a car and a commercial (“Even the errand boy is safe with a Trojan”), the Utility was a great success until it was replaced by the more luxurious Trojan 10hp in 1926, with 16,842 of all types sold during the 1920s (Brooke Bond Tea alone buying a fleet of 1,350 delivery vans). Today it is thought that only around 80 Trojans survive and there is a thriving club to support the model which is now highly sought-after as a Vintage trials machine thanks to its excellent traction and pulling power.

According to the large history file that accompanies the vehicle, this particular Utility Car was first registered in Hull in August 1925 to a Major Cardwell and was then used by his wife back in Hanley Swan, Worcestershire, until the late 1930s, with some nice period photos showing the car during this time. In 1956 the car was then acquired by another Worcester resident, The Hon James Wallace (Baron Dudley), of Napleton near Kempsey, who was to keep it until 1958.

After a couple more changes of ownership the car was acquired in 1960 by a syndicate of six people in the Malvern area who dismantled it and restored the parts between themselves before selling them to a Mr RC Howard in 1965. He reassembled the car and promptly sold it to Trojan historian and enthusiast, Eric Rance of Wakefield, who was to keep it for the next four decades and use it regularly. During this time Rance also wrote the definitive book on the Trojan marque, ‘Can You Afford to Walk?’, which naturally features this very car within its pages.

In 2002 Rance sold the car to another Trojan expert and enthusiast, Bob Adams, author of many technical articles about the marque, who was responding to the following advert:

“If you can't afford to walk, why not converse with pedestrians while you drive? 1925 Trojan Utility. Well known original car for sale, due to illness. Present owner 38 inexplicable years. Ideal vehicle for lethargic masochist. Many rare period accessories. New battery and pneumatics (sheer luxury). Host of spares, including engine, transmission and set of solid tyred wheels (sheer purgatory). Knows its own way to Malvern. Not hacked about. £6,500.”

The current owner acquired the car about six months ago and has much enjoyed his time with the vehicle, writing about it in the Trojan Owners’ Club magazine and on his website (www.mothy.co.uk). However, he has recently been bequeathed another classic car to join one he already owns and sadly no longer has room for the Trojan, hence the reason for sale.

In good condition throughout and with a very pleasing patina, the car is said to be in good running order and certainly started promptly and drove very nicely when we were treated to a lengthy run on the occasion of our visit, bowling along happily at 35mph with a notably comfortable and rattle-free ride down country lanes on the ‘Wondersprung’ suspension.

The car comes with a full set of weather gear including hood and sidescreens, all in good condition, and still retains its original hand-operated, double-sided windscreen wiper that attempts to clear both sides of the screen at the same time in amusingly crude fashion! A spare set of solid-tyred wheels are also included which not only give the car good trials performance off road, but also lighten its responses on road.

The large and interesting history file includes old photographs, correspondence between past owners, two buff log books from the 1950s and 60s, many old MOTs back to 1976 and a large amount of rare technical literature relating to the model, much of it amassed by Trojan experts Rance and Adams. An original ‘Driver’s Instruction Manual’ and ‘Service Manual’ are also included (both collector’s items in their own right), plus a VSCC buff form.

Due to be driven some 35 miles to the sale, this is a highly correct example of a most unusual vehicle, with excellent provenance, that is sure to provide a great deal of fun for the lucky new owner. 

To see some wonderful period footage of the Trojan's abilities both on and off-road, copy and paste this YouTube link into your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ais64mPRzhs
 

To see some YouTube footage of this car completing the 30-mile run to Brightwells, click on this link: