Phompsonby Motor Vehicles

[legodude494]

The Phompsonby Economic was Phompsonby’s attempt at getting a cheap car out for people who don’t need to luxury of the Phompsonby Family. Starting development at the same time as the Family’s release, in a couple of years Phompsonby had made a very cheap two door car for the people.

Like the Family, the Economic mounted a 1 litre inline 3 engine, under the name of Phompson Basic. The engine produced just 19.2 HP at 3,100 RPM and a maximum of 44.8 Nm of torque at 3,000 RPM. Like their other engine, the Basic ran on regular leaded fuel, with the same single barrel, single carburate design. The engine made 9 miles to the gallon.

This very small, very cheap and very basic engine means the Economic could go at 37 MPH, failing to even reach 40! It was rear wheel drive, like the Family, mounting a 2 speed longitudinal manual gearbox with no differentials.

Unlike with the Family, the basic was very barebones with regards to the interior. It had just the basic of designs, all just painted metal and no entertainment of any kind. It really was the most economical and cheapest car Phompsonby could make. It could still seat 4 people, with 2 in the front and 2 in the rear, though it wasn’t the most comfortable of rides! The rear of the car could still carry a large amount of goods and luggage, however, as well as a spare wheel, which was a staple of Phompsonby’s early designs.

[legodude494]

The Phompsonby Commercial was Phompsonby getting into the commercial moving business. The Commercial used heavier duty suspension and a beefier engine than any of their other vehicles thus far. The vehicle was not meant to carry passengers this time, but produce and supplies in a rear bed.

As before, the vehicle used a 1 litre inline 3 Phompson engine, named the Phompson Heavy Duty. This engine was built for torque, not horse power, so while it only produced a maximum of 41.4 HP at 5,600 RMP, with a max RPM of 6,300, the engine could produce a whole 64.3 Nm of torque at 3,400 RPM. This means it was capable of carrying heavier loads and transporting them around quicker than horse an cart. As with other engines, it ran on leaded fuel with the usual single barrel, single carburate design. It did 4.5 miles to the gallon.

With this heavy duty engine, the Commercial could travel at 54.7 MPH, failing to break 60, but the design was built for torque not speed, so top speed was never a priority. The vehicle was rear wheel drive with a longitudinal 3 speed manual gearbox and no differentials.

Since the vehicle was designed as a working vehicle rather than a recreational one, the passenger luxuries were not implemented. A basic dashboard and simple but functional seats meant that the driver would be comfortable enough without ramping up the price or material costs/time.

While not the most effective method of taking goods around, it was faster than the horse drawn alternative and didn’t require a load of tracks and a shunting yard like a steam train would require, even if the train was more powerful and could take a lot more goods. Still, the Commercial was considered a success, as seen here in the livery of a local greengrocer.

[legodude494]

As the motor vehicle started to become more widespread throughout the early part of the 20th century, police forces started clamouring for motorized transportation and vehicles to chase down criminals which were faster than bicycles. Phompsonby dived in with the special ‘police model’, a Phompsonby painted out in Metropolitan Police colours and lights. This came about after the WWI, when engines and cars were out of their infant stages.

The car mounted Phompsonby’s most powerful engine at the time, the Phompson Emergency, a 1.5 litre inline 4 engine. The engine produced 80.5 HP at 6,200 RPM and a maximum of 93.8 Nm of torque at 5,700 RPM. The engine ran on regular leaded fuel, as per the time, with the usual single barrel, single carburate. The engine did 8.4 miles to the gallon.

The police car had a top speed of 68.5 MPH and a 0-62 of 19.7 seconds. It was a rear wheel drive car with a longitudinal 4 speed manual gearbox and no differentials.

The car was fully enclosed with 2 seats at the front for the officers and a triple seat at the rear for either prisoners or other officers, depending on the situation. There’s little in the way of amenities for the officers other than a basic police radio for contacting the station. The car successfully helped out the Met Police in their early police vehicle days, though it would prove to be the only time Phompsonby would create a dedicated emergency vehicle outside of a wartime environment.

[legodude494]

World War I marked the violent explosion of the powder keg of Europe that had been piling up for 14 years. Over the next 4 years, 20 million young men would die in the battlefields of France while countless more would due in the years after due to disease and injuries, not to mention the brave women and civilians who also suffered and died over the course of the war. Naturally, the motor industry was not prioritized over the war years, but that didn’t mean manufacturers would sit there idly. Phompsonby, amongst others, all joining in for the war effort, creating engines, aircraft and vehicles for the army to use, be it from licenced government plans or their own designs. Phompsonby made several attempts to supply vehicles to the army alongside aircraft engines that they built for the war effort, notably several armoured car prototypes that were not given the green light. The most successful vehicle they provided was the humble ambulance.

The ambulance was a Phompsonby van that was modified for the army. Beefier suspension was fitted which gave it an increased ride height and allowed it to traverse the shell potted, mud ridden terrain of the Western Front, while specially designed off-road tyres were put on to give it some traction in the slick mud and rain of the trenches.

This example is one of the few surviving ambulances, now in the The Military Land and Air Museum. The ambulance has been painted in a matt army green with slit headlights to minimize their illumination to the enemy. The rear of the ambulance has a red cross on a while background, highlighting it as a non-combat vehicle and a part of the aid teams, who are protected under the Geneva Convention.

The ambulance uses the same engine as the Phompsonby police car, being the Phompson Emergency, a 1.5 litre inline 4 engine. The engine produced 80.5 HP at 6,200 RPM and a maximum of 93.8 Nm of torque at 5,700 RPM. The engine ran on regular leaded fuel, as per the time, with the usual single barrel, single carburate. The engine did 8.4 miles to the gallon. The ambulance itself could, on regular roads, achieve a top speed of 68.5 MPH with a 0-62 of 19.1 seconds, though on the war-torn Western Front, the many shell holes, exponential amount of mud and complete lack of firm ground meant none of that mattered and all that was needed was a good set of tyres, good suspension and a manual differential to allow it to pull itself over rough ground.

The ambulance model served the army and Red Cross well over the duration of the war, with thousands of them making the crossing over to France and helping to save countless servicemen’s lives over the course of the war. Some of the ambulances were lost over those 4 years, however, due to enemy fire or otherwise, but those that survived remained in Red Cross service until the early part of the 1920s. After that, the ambulances were mostly either sold or scrapped. Very few remain and most of these are not in running or restored condition, though this example does reside in a museum in restored and running order.

[abg7]

Aesthetically, these are some very detailed pre-war vehicles - I wonder what they will come up with next in the early post-war period?

[Prium]

I’m amazed by the level of detail that you’ve achieved even on the first cars you made. They show how much time you put into detailing them. Also the history of the company is a nice read. Keep up the good work!

[legodude494]

Thank you! I’ve always loved the old style of vehicle over the modern ones, so making these were great fun!

[legodude494]

After WWI, countries were recovering and economies were trying to get back on their feet. No great breakthroughs really happened, especially after the Spanish Flu outbreak of 1918-20. However, when the world finally started recovering, motor vehicle companies started to get back into it. Heralding in the Roaring 20s, Phompsonby released their new generation roadster, named the Phompsonby Longstar in 1921.

The car mounted their most powerful engine so far in a public car, being a Phompson Roaring, a 1.7 litre inline 4 engine. This engine produced 94.1 HP at 5,400 RPM and a maximum of 142.7 Nm of torque at 2,900 RPM. The engine ran on regular leaded with a brand new engine header system! Breaking away from the pushrods of old, the Roaring represented the first time direct acting OHC would be used on a Phompsonby car! It was also the first time twin carburettors were used. The engine was also the most fuel efficient engine Phompsonby had made, making 13.8 miles to the gallon.

With a top speed of 83.9 MPH and a 0-62 of 11.5 seconds, it was a great improvement in speed over their other models at the time. It was a rear wheel drive car fitted with the Phompsonby standard at the time, 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox without a differential.

With a return to peace and promise of great things in the future, Phompsonby put more effort into the interior design of the car. Premium upholstery and a premium dashboard with some in-car entertainment. A cloth top could be removed and put up manually for the driver and his passenger while 2 seats could be deployed behind the driver from a pop up hatch. Without a boot, all luggage was stowed on a rack behind the car where the spare wheel was.

The Longstar represented a great leap forwards for Phompsonby. After nearly 20 years of making basic inline 3 engines, the Longstar introduced several new technologies that would go on to become standard in the following years. An inline 4 engine, direct acting OHC headers and twin carburettors were all first used on the Longstar, while having a sporty car which could seat 4 was highly desirable. The Longstar would continue to be produced well into the 1930s, production stopping after several revisions just a few years before the outbreak of WWII.

[legodude494]

When it was released in 1905, the Phompsonby Family was the flagship model. It was the most well engineered of all the Phompsonby’s so far and its priority was on delivering its passengers to their destination in style and comfort. Now, 15 years on, the Family was starting to show its age. It was still being produced after several revisions and remained the flagship model of the company, but with the introduction of the Longstar, the Family was now old.

Phompsonby knew this, so as they were developing the Longstar they were also working on a successor to the Family, which promised to be a ‘revolution in the comfortable and stylish automobile’. Then, in 1922 just 1 year after the Longstar released, Phompsonby put the Family MKII on sale in the UK.

The MKII version of the Family used an all-new chassis but retained some nods to its predecessor. Chiefly, it still mounted an inline 3 engine named the Phompson General, but this one was larger and more power. A 1.5 litre inline 3, the same size as was in the ambulance during WWI, but this engine could produce 85.8 HP at 5,500 RPM and a maximum of 122.7 Nm of torque at 4,100 RPM. As usual, the engine ran on regular leaded fuel but it followed the Longstar in its use of direct acting OHC headers but retained a single carburettor. The engine could do 10.4 miles to the gallon.

The car could do a top speed of 80.5 MPH and a 0-62 of 15.2 in comfort, an improvement over the original Family. It was rear wheel drive with the standard longitudinal 4 speed manual gearbox and no differentials.

Keeping in with the style of the original Family, the car was in black with a dark red cloth top which was manually deployable. The wheels retained their yellow/gold highlights though the body was monocolour. The interior returned to luxury with a hand made wooden dashboard onboard amenities, luxury seats and the most comfort possible.

The Family MKII was a hit in replacing the aging Family, though the old model would continue to be supported until the end of the 1920s. The Family MKII was better in every way, with a more powerful engine, better fuel economy, a greater top speed and the same luxury that the original was known for.

[legodude494]

Phompsonby have got a racing subdivision of the company that was founded in 1920 under the name of Phompsonby Automobile Racing. They released their first race car that year under the name of the Phompsonby Powermax. This was a one of a kind specially built and developed race car designed in the space of 10 years to race on banked tracks like Brooklands. It partook in its first race at Brooklands racetrack that year, performing moderately well.

The Powermax mounted the most powerful engine Phompsonby had ever attempted at the time, being an 8.7 litre V8 engine named the Phompson Overdrive, producing 403.5 HP at 4,900 RPM and a maximum of 598.4 Nm of torque at 4,500 RPM. The engine had a single barrel, twin carburettor setup with direct acting OHC headers, according to the new engines Phompsonby were producing for the civilian market. However, this engine ran on super leaded fuel for the extra performance which meant that, with the added weight of the car, the engine could only do 5.3 miles to the gallon.

The car was capable of 130 MPH and a 0-62 in 10.1 seconds, making it a powerful but ungainly beast. It was rear wheel drive with a 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox and no differentials.

For the driver of the Powermax, nicknamed ‘The Green Beast’ by the race crew, it was on par with all the other race cars of the time. It was very loud, due to the absence of any exhaust mufflers or bafflers, as well as the lack of an enclosed cabin. It was noisy and the buffeting of the wind meant the driver was always battling the air as well as the car. There was only the bare minimum for the dashboard and simple seats. Unusually for most race cars, the Powermax held spare wheels on the rear behind the fuel tank, while massive vents were mounted over the engine as well as the front grille, giving the engine plenty of cooling.

The Powermax was incredibly powerful for the time, which is what Phompsonby were going for, but it came with a lot of drawbacks. While the engine was powerful, it made the car very heavy, as did the spare wheels on the rear, which meant that the car didn’t benefit from the extra power. The car was also ungainly as a result of it, meaning the driver had a concentrate a lot more than other drivers to keep the vehicle from spinning out. It was also not as streamlined as other cars of the early '20s due to it starting development 10 years prior in 1910. When development started in 1910, streamline bodies were a thing of imagination, so when the Powermax was finally finished 10 years later, newer bodies had made that imagination a reality. Because of this long development time, the engine was also having to battle the drag caused by the body as well as its own weight. Still, the car raced for 5 years with mixed results before being phased out by a new Phompsonby, which was improved over the Powermax. Its best race year came in 1924, when it finished in the top 5 cars in most of its races.

[legodude494]

The 1920s was a golden age for Phompsonby. They were making leaps and bounds with their vehicles, producing many different models during the roaring 20s, releasing nearly one car a year. In 1923, they released a new body type they hadn’t tried before. This was the Phompsonby Wagoneer, a wood panel station wagon advertised as something perfect for taking on holiday!

Like with most of their vehicles at the time, the Wagoneer mounted an inline 4 engine, named the Phompson Traveller. This was a 1.8 litre engine producing 90.4 HP at 5,000 RPM and a maximum of 142.7 Nm of torque at 3,500. As with all their current engines, it ran on leaded fuel with direct action OHC headers and single barrel duel carburettors. This engine could get 13.2 miles to the gallon.

The vehicle could do a top speed of 83.2 MPH and a 0-62 of 14 seconds, making it as fast as the Longstar but without the acceleration or handling characteristics of it. As usual, it was also rear wheel drive with a 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox and no differentials.

The Wagoneer was all about style and comfort, even more so than the Family MKII which released the previous year. The wood panels were made of premium, high class wood, the interior had a matching polished and varnished wood dashboard and the seats were hand crafted and embroidered. The interior amenities were all top of the range at the time and, matching the holiday aim of the vehicle, it had a whopping 6 seats in 3 rows! The rear sets of seats could be removed and left at home to give more space for luggage inside.

The Wagoneer was a moderate hit, selling in numbers similar to what Phompsonby estimated, but the car wasn’t as big of a seller as Phompsonby hoped, now realised to be down to the cost. While 6 seats was outrageous for the time, it wasn’t needed by many families, meaning the high price caused by the costly wood panelling and the extra seats meant many people couldn’t afford it and didn’t need all the extras the Wagoneer offered, so they instead opted to purchase the Family MKII, which resulted in the astronomical amount of sales of that car.

[legodude494]

After the initial poor performance of the Powermax, Phompsonby Automobile Racing started work on a successor to the Powermax. Basing the new model on the designs they saw at the Powermax’s races, they started building a new race car under the temporary title of the ‘Powermax II’. In half the development time of the Powermax, Phompsonby came out with a brand new and far better design under the name of ‘Green Arrow’.

The Green Arrow had a brand new engine with a massive 6 litre V12 engine called the Phompson Overclocker. This engine could make a total of 410.8 HP, 7 more than the Powermax, at 5,500 RPM and a total of 543.1 Nm of torque at 4,800 RPM. This engine, while not as large or quite as torquy as the Overdriver engine in the Powermax, was slightly more powerful and far lighter, greatly contributing towards the superiority of the Green Arrow. The engine still had direct acting OHC headers but it had a monstrous 6 carburettors, contributing to the power output of the smaller engine. To top it off, the engine was more fuel efficient at 6.5 miles to the gallon with the super leaded fuel!

It’s not like the car was slower than the Powermax either. Far from it, actually. The top speed was just 0.3 MPH slower at 129.7 MPH but it had a far better 0-62 at 8.9 seconds. It was still rear wheel drive with the 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox and no differentials.

The driver was slightly more comfortable than the Powermax, with a better seating arrangement and an enclosed cockpit. There was less wind tugging at them and the driver could duck behind the windscreen to be more streamlined. The car was also safer in a crash than the Powermax due to the surrounding body around the driver. Learning from the Powermax, no spare wheels or any kind of extra weight was on the car, going completely for speed.

The ‘Green Arrow’ debuted at the end of 1925, appearing during the Powermax’s final race and racing alongside it to build up interest and show the world just how much better the ‘Green Arrow’ was over the Powermax. The ‘Green Arrow’ was lighter, faster, more streamlined, better handling and safer than the Powermax, making it a complete improvement over the previous. It showed in that race as it finished in front of the Powermax by several places.

The ‘Green Arrow’ was far more well received by the race crew, who praised the sleeker design, reduced weight and, most importantly, better handling over the beast that was the Powermax. The ‘Green Arrow’ raced all the way up to 1932 with far more success than the Powermax ever achieved. The ‘Green Arrow’ finished in the top half nearly every championship, winning 6 championships during its career, one in 1926, 1 in 1927, 2 in 1929, 1 in 1930 and one final victory in 1931. By the 1930s, the ‘Green Arrow’ was just not as good as the new competitors appearing on the scene. Only the skill of the driver was keeping it competitive, but Phompsonby had seen this time coming and had prepared a new model which once again debuted in the final race of the ‘Green Arrow’.

[legodude494]

With a new decade comes new versions of old, successful models. Phompsonby had already remade the Family a few years earlier and in 1924 it was time for a remake of the cheap Phompsonby Economic. This year saw the release of the successor cheap car, named the Everyman. It followed the same design philosophy of the Economic, making it as cheap and basic for the everyday person to afford.

The Everyman mounted a 1.25 litre inline 3 engine, to keep it cheap, named the Phompson Efficient. It retained a few technological advancements from the new Phompson engines, namely the use of direct acting OHC headers but it kept a single carburettor. The engine made 57.3 HP at 5,900 RPM and a maximum of 87.8 Nm of torque at 3,600 RPM. However, to make this engine as fuel efficient, and therefore cheap to run for the general person, it marked the first use of a new ‘eco carburettor’, meaning the engine could do a whopping 16.9 miles to the gallon on regular leaded fuel!

Because of the small, cheap engine the car could only do 70.5 MPH, just 4 MPH faster than the original Phompsonby Family back in 1905! It could also do 0-62 in 19 seconds! It was still rear wheel drive with the standard longitudinal 4 speed manual gearbox and no differentials.

Like the original Economic, the car was generally sold in white with a permanent black roof. The interior was once again basic, with no added luxuries, entertainment and just the basic of seats. Like the Longstar, there was a hatch at the rear of the vehicle which allowed two more seats to be used, along with a spare wheel and luggage rack at the rear.

The Everyman did indeed succeed in replacing the Economic, though it wasn’t quite as much of a hit as Phompsonby expected. The engine fuel efficiency was a big selling point of the car, but the speed and look of the car meant that many people simply bought an original 1905 Family, which was more luxury and the same speed as the Everyman, though far worse with fuel efficiency. Nevertheless, the Everyman reach the expectations of the company, but only remained on sale until the end of the decade, with production slowing down in 1929-30, which the car dropping altogether when the Great Depression happened.

[legodude494]

In the same year as Phompsonby released the Everyman, they also launched the replacement for the Commercial. Called the Phompsonby Enterprise, it promised to be everything the Commercial was but more modern. It retained the rear flatbed and beefy engine of the Commercial’s philosophy, but better.

The vehicle used a large 1.8 litre inline 4 engine called the Phompson Workhorse, built for torque not RPM, for transporting heavy loads. This was Phompsonby’s most torquy engine to date, bar the race cars, capable of 88.2 Hp at 5,500 RPM and a massive 151.3 Nm of torque at 2,900 RPM. It used direct acting OHC headers, regular leaded fuel and twin carburettors and could achieve 13.9 miles to the gallon.

The vehicle wasn’t particularly fast, at 80.2 MPH and a 0-62 of 13.9 seconds, however like the Commercial before it, the vehicle wasn’t built for speed. It’s a fully 4x4 vehicle, with manual differentials and a 3 speed longitudinal manual gearbox.

The vehicle had just a basic interior, not as basic as the Everyman, but it was hardly as luxury as the Longstar or Family MKII. The interior was just a basic wood dashboard and comfortable enough seats to absorb some of the impacts from the suspension, which was tailored more towards country driving and off-road work over the other cars. There was also double the number of spare wheels over a normal car, with one each side of the engine.

The Enterprise achieved its goal of replacing the Commercial as the main hauling vehicle of the Phompsonby fleet, meaning that all 3 of the original Phompsonby designs from before the war had a successful replacement launched. The Enterprise was a good replacement for the Commercial, building on the foundations laid out by it. The engine was powerful enough to haul goods without much effort and the vehicle itself was good for off-roading with the stiff suspension, high ride height and manual differentials. Still, as with the Commercial, it was one of the least bought vehicles due not many people needing to haul goods about. The Enterprise remained available up to 1930, when it was discontinued due to the Great Depression and declining sales numbers.

[Knugcab]

You have very nice and detailed designs indeed. As for the engineering, it is hilarious for the era, on the other hand, Automation is not done for engineering pre-war cars so one could as well have a little fun.

[legodude494]

Thank you for the design compliments and yes, the engines and other stats are not realistic but like you said Automation isn’t exactly set up for this far back, so I’m doing the best I can! The engines are far more powerful than they aught to be, but when I get to the 50s and beyond, I’ll have the actual automation unlock progression route to guide me with the parts! With these I’m just using the worst parts available to me and slowly upgrading them as I see appropriate as I go up the years to the '50s. The engines for the '30s cars should be near to IRL engine numbers hopefully, and I’m essentially skipping the '40s due to the whole ‘world on fire’ thing!

[legodude494]

Phompsonby took a year off to develop new models, skipping out on the middle of the decade and returning in 1926 with the Phompsonby Limousine which was, as the name suggested, a limousine. The body had an enclosed cabin for passengers while the driver/chauffeur rode in the front with a standard windscreen for the time.

The limousine housed a Phompson Deluxe engine, designed to be smooth running and quiet for the passengers. The engine was a 1.5 litre inline 4 producing 89.2 Hp at 6,200 RPM and a maximum of 115.1 Nm of torque at 4,300 RPM. As was the Phompsonby standard of the time, it used direct acting OHC headers, regular leaded fuel and twin carburettors. The vehicle could do 13.7 miles to the gallon.

The vehicle was designed to get the passengers around in comfort and relative speed. The top speed was 82.1 MPH and 0-62 in 14.1 seconds. The gearbox was a longitudinal 4 speed manual without differentials.

The interior was designed for maximum comfort and passenger relaxation, with a hand made bespoke wood interior and all the luxuries you could ever need! Any and all amenities were catered for and no request was too small. As such, the limousine often varied from car to car, each one different to the last based on the whims of the buyer. The suspension and ride quality was built for comfort so that any and all bumps would be mitigated for the people riding in the cabin.

The limousine wasn’t manufactured in high numbers as it was never intended to be sold in large quantities. Indeed, Phompsonby knew this was a far rarer vehicle to be sold, so it was generally built ‘on request’ when someone who could afford it asked for one. As such, the limousine sold in very few numbers, generally less than 500 cars built between 1926-1930, at which point no-one could afford one due to the Great Depression. Phompsonby expected the car to not to sold in great numbers, so they didn’t loose much in unsold stock when the UK fell into the recession of the early '30s.

[legodude494]

in 1927, Phompsonby released a new general purpose vehicle to the public named the Phompsonby Standard. This was a basic car in the middle of their high end offers. Not as premium as the Family MKII or Longstar but more desirable than the Everyman just 3 years earlier.

The car the first time Phompsonby ever reused an engine in a vehicle, since it used the Phompson Traveller engine, the same as was used in the Phompsonby Wagoneer in 1923. It was a 1.8 litre engine producing 90.4 HP at 5,000 RPM and a maximum of 142.7 Nm of torque at 3,500. As usual it ran on leaded fuel with direct action OHC headers and single barrel duel carburettors. However, the vehicle weighed more than the Wagoneer, resulting in a little worse fuel economy at 12.9 miles to the gallon.

The speed of the car was also in the middle of the pack compared to their other offerings at the time. The top speed was 81.9 MPH and a 0-62 of 13.4 seconds, worse than the Longstar but very close to the Wagoneer. The car was rear wheel drive with a 4 speed longitudinal manual gearbox and no differentials.

The interior also mirrored the general purpose plan for the vehicle. It wasn’t as barren as the Everyman but not as premium as most of their other cars during this time. The interior had some amenities and the upholstery and dashboard was nice to look at and the vehicle was comfortable to drive. The car was also a 4 seater, enough to most situations but with enough space in the back for extra baggage.

The vehicle proved worth its development time, as it filled Phompsonby’s missing vehicle slot as a general purpose, everyday car of the people. It was large enough to suit families with children but without the high price tag of something like the Family MKII or Wagoneer. The vehicle was still fast, capable of getting around town or to holiday destinations and you could get there in relative comfort. The car remained on sale until the early 1930s when it was phased out along with a lot of Phompsony’s other cars due to the Great Depression.

[legodude494]

After the release of the Standard, Phompsonby were promising a great car. This car promised to be the pinnacle of car design. It would be large, premium, economic and powerful, with a fast top speed, all new engineering designs, a brand new drive train, gearbox and a complete overhaul of the current car building climate. What they came out with in 1929 was the Phompsonby Luxury and it failed on nearly every front. Phompsonby had never had a true failure of a car, only underwhelming or ‘on par’ with expectations, such as the Wagonner or Everyman. The Luxury was the first time Phompsonby failed to deliver a solid car.

True to their word, Phompsonby did mount their largest engine yet in the car, a massive 2.2 litre inline 4 engine named the Phompson Luxurious. It also produced the most amount of horse power yet from one of their engine, being their first civilian engine to break 100 horse power, making 110.1 Hp at 5,700 RPM and a maximum of 172.8 Nm of torque. However, nothing was really ‘new’ about the engine that Phompsonby promised. It still used leaded fuel with direct action OHC headers and single barrel duel carburettors, though it did use eco carbs. The engine could also do 16.1 miles to the gallon, but it wasn’t the 25 miles to the gallon Phompsonby promised.

The car was fast, faster than even the Longstar, though by now that car was 8 years old! The top speed was 88.5 MPH, faster than any production car from them before, though the 0-62 was 12.5 seconds, slower than the Longstar. The car also failed to deliver on the promise of a new drivetrain and gearbox. The car was still rear wheel drive with a 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox and no differentials.

The car was also deemed ugly compared to other offerings from other companies and from Phompsonby themselves. The car was long, too long for the engine and it served to be a nuisance when driving, as the car was too long for the tighter UK roads. The colour was meant to be regal, with a black body and red highlighting colour, but the overall design of the car was not up to Phompsonby standard. The headlights didn’t fit with the style of the car, though the new spoked wheel design was indicative of the wheel design to be used on most cars in the 1930s. The interior was very premium as promised, with a similar level detail and care put into it as given to the Family MKII. However, this just served to make the car even less desirable, as the interior was just as good on the Family MKII and that car was all round better than this car.

The car was a massive flop when it was released. Barely any sold and it was universally disliked by nearly everyone. It was too long, ugly, expensive and underwhelming. Nearly everything Phompsonby had promised did not get delivered with this car, resulting in extremely poor sales and a massive monetary and time loss by Phompsonby into this car. It didn’t revolutionise the motor industry, new engineering techniques were not employed, the suspension, gearbox and engine design were all the same, the only improvement of the engine being that it was larger, resulting in the increase of power.

The car was on sale for less than a year and its failure ushered in the Great Depression in the UK as well as the end of Phompsonby’s ‘Golden Age’. The company financially crashed from the combination of the failure of the Luxury, the market crash of the Great Depression in the UK and an overall lack of people buying their current offers, partly from the failure of the Luxury but also from the Great Depression. Phompsonby wouldn’t produce a new car for nearly half a decade after 1929 while it was struggling to recover and waiting for the global economy to recover.

[legodude494]

Going into the 1930s Phompsonby were in a HEAVY ‘Dark Age’. The massive failure of the Luxury and the Great Depression hitting the UK meant Phompsonby were nearing bankruptcy several times, only being kept afloat by the success of the ‘Green Arrow’ and their racing team. In 1934 Phompsonby started to attempt a comeback to the market, releasing the Family MKIII, the next incarnation of their Family line.

It was tradition at this point that the Family line of vehicles used inline 3 engines and the Family MKIII was no different. The car used a 1.8 litre inline 3 engine which made 96 HP at 5,800 RPM and a maximum of 136.5 Nm of torque at 3,700 RPM. The car still ran on regular leaded fuel and used direct action OHC headers and single barrel duel carburettors. The engine was the most efficient of all the Family models at 11.6 miles to the gallon.

This version of the Family was the fastest of them so far, capable of 83.9 MPH and a 0-62 in 13.3 seconds, all of which were improvements over the MKII. It still used a 4 speed manual longitudinal gearbox with no differentials and rear wheel drive.

The Family line were most known for their exquisite interiors. As such, the MKIII also delivered on that as well. The interior was once again hand made, premium wood, varnished and polished to the highest degree. The seats were soft and comfortable, capable of absorbing most bumps or humps on the road. There was as many amenities as possible for the time, once again focussing on passenger and driver comfort.

The car was not a massive success. It performed far under Phompsonby’s expectation for one reason, the failure of the Luxury. Because that car was also a luxury car and failed massively, the public were wary of this new offering from Phompsonby. The loyal customers of Phompsonby did purchase the Family MKIII and loved it, but many new customers were scared away due to the failure of the Luxury, or they purchased a Longstar or pre-owned Family MKII. The Family MKIII didn’t give Phompsonby the jump start they wanted back to success and the car was discontinued in 1938 as the Second World War loomed. It also marked the death of the Family line, as Phompsonby decided to drop the naming convention after this car.