Phompsonby Motor Vehicles

[legodude494]

The History of Phompsonby

From Steam Engines to Supercars

Phompsonby Motor Vehicles Limited, or Phompsonby for short, is a time-tested automotive company based in the United Kingdom that has delivered a range of vehicles for over 100 years.

Phompsonby was first created on the 26th June 1890 under the name of Phompsonby Steam Works, creating a range of small steam engines for use in agricultural and industrial environments. These steam engines were small, cheap to maintain and delivered a small but consistent amount of power.

However, at the turn of the century and the sudden interest in petrol driven combustion engines, Phompsonby turned to developing motor vehicles for use on the road. In 1901, Phompsonby changed their name and unveiled to the public their first motor car, named the Phompsonby Family, though it would be several more years until the car was finally put onto the road.

At the outbreak of WWI, Phompsonby put a hold on developing and building all civilian vehicles in an attempt to help the war effort. Instead of building car and van engines, they started building aircraft engines for the new Royal Flying Corps as well as trying to convert their current vehicles into something they could give to the British Expeditionary Force in France to use. The most successful of these ventures was the ambulance. Taking a base Phompsonby van, fitting some more beefy suspension to it and adding chunkier tyres, thousands of them made their way over to France where they traversed the mud of France to save many servicemen’s lives.

After the war, Phompsonby settled back to their routine of making civilian cars and vans. For the interwar period, they grew into a larger company with many different models on the streets of the United Kingdom and wider Empire. The 1920s were considered to be the ‘Golden Age’ of Phompsonby, when a new car was released nearly every year to massive success. This ‘Golden Age’ lasted until the end of the decade, when a failed car combined with the Great Depression through the company into turmoil with financial problems and low sales figures due to the previously mentioned problems. However, during 1933-34, the UK started to recover the Phompsonby were able to make a slow recovery back to a stable state, producing just a few models with some success.

When WWII rolled around, Phompsonby once again put their vehicles on hold to help the war effort. Not only did they make aircraft engines like in the last war, they also produced tank engines, armaments and also assembled Spitfires and Hurricanes in their vehicle workshops. Also like the last war, they converted many of their spare vans into ambulances for the army to use to ferry wounded around and also supplement their general use vans.

Post-war, Phompsonby once again returned to manufacturing civilian vehicles, though this time at a slower pace, as the country was being rebuild. One of their first cars was the Phompsonby Dart, a sleek sports car. As the time progressed, Phompsonby started producing different car styles to keep up with the changing markets. The 1965 Phompsonby Petite was a small, compact hatchback which had a powerful engine for its size, proving popular with the boy racers of the day!

Rolling into a new century, the 2000s saw a build up towards Phompsonby’s 130th birthday in 2020 and their 100th birthday centenary of producing motor vehicles in 2015. Phompsonby also started experimenting a lot more with creating high performance hyper and supercars, the likes of the Phompsonby Hypercar and the Phompsonby Mach 2.

In 2020/21, the company celebrated their 110th birthday of producing motor vehicles by introducing their ‘retro’ line of vehicles. The most notable of these is the Phompsonby Rocket and the Phompsonby Dynasty. The Rocket is a hypercar built to look like a 1960s performance car, whilst the Dynasty was a return to their roots quite literally. It was the same body as they had first used 110 years ago while the engine was the same size, but with all the modern tools, materials, equipment… and a turbocharger! Phompsonby has withstood the test of time and promises to stay for another 130 years!

Phompsonby Racing Group LTD

Racing from banked track to F1

Phompsonby has always had a history of creating race cars for UK races. It started with the Phompsonby Powermax, a race car producing in the 1910s with mounted a large, loud engine to give it enough speed and torque to stick to the banked tracks of old. During the interwar period they continued to build one-off cars as racing developed, keeping up regular appearances at race tracks such as Brooklands.

After WWII, Phompsonby held back while the country recovered, not rejoining racing until the 1950s. During the late '50s, Phompsonby started to look at building a car to enter the 1960 Le Mans 24 hour race. Over the course of 2-3 years, Phompsonby worked away and finally entered the 1960s Le Mans with the Phompsonby Le Mans Special, a sleek performance car with a powerful Boxer 6 engine, which ran for 4 years until 1964, when it was replaced with a new model for 1965.

Since then, Phompsonby have kept up with race cars, though with the rise of Formula 1 racing, Phompsonby have lost their edge in F1 cars. Despite this, they are not giving up any time soon, since they have continued to build Le Mans cars for the last 60 years and other one off vehicles such as rally cars or other track cars.

Car Models
–Civilian–
-Discontinued-
1905 Phompsonby Family
1907 Phompsonby Economic
1909 Phompsonby Commercial
1912 Phompsonby Police (a special, more powerful police car)
1914 Phompsonby Ambulance (an ambulance conversion for the army during WWI)
1921 Phompsonby Longstar
1922 Phompsonby Family MKII
1923 Phompsonby Wagoneer
1924 Phompsonby Everyman
1924 Phompsonby Enterprise
1926 Phompsonby Limousine
1927 Phompsonby Standard
1929 Phompsonby Luxury
1939 Phompsonby Utility Van (a light 4x4 utility van created for the RAF)
1946 Phompsonby Dart
1965 Phompsonby Petite
1970 Phompsonby Elematic
1975 Phompsonby Overhauler (their first true off-roader)

-Current-
2020 Phompsonby Nippy
2020 Phompsonby Superlux
2020 Phompsonby Explorer (new generation SUV)
2020 Phompsonby Family Nova
2020 Phompsonby Hypercar (a one off hypercar)
2020 Phompsonby Rocket (part of the retro line)
2021 Phompsonby Mach 2 (a one off hypercar)
2021 Phompsonby Dynasty (part of the retro line)
2021 Phompsonby Elematic II (part of the retro line)

–Race–
1920 Phompsonby Powermax
1925 Phompsonby ‘Green Arrow’
1933 Phompsonby Recharging
1960 Phompsonby Le Mans Special MKI
1965 Phompsonby Le Mans Special MKII
1972 Phompsonby Le Mans Special MKIII
1976 Phompsonby Le Mans Special MKIV

Phompsonby’s page on the Automation Wiki(s): Phompsonby Motor Vehicles | Automationverse Wiki | Fandom
Phompsonby Motor Vehicles | Automation Lore Wiki | Fandom

[legodude494]

The Phompsonby Family was the first ever motor vehicle Phompsonby developed. Development started at the turn of the century in 1900, with the very early prototype being unveiled in 1901. However, this was little more than a chassis with wheels and a body. It would be another 4 intense years before they finally released the Phompsonby Family in 1905.

The car mounted a 1 litre inline 3 engine, named the Phompson Family. This engine produced 45.5 HP at 7,000 RPM with a maximum of 50.6 Nm of torque at 5,700 RPM. The engine ran on regular leaded fuel, which was standard at the time, with a single barrel, single carburate configuration. The engine did 6.7 miles to the gallon.

The car had a top speed of 67.6 MPH and a 0-62 of 27.2 seconds. It was rear wheel drive, mounting a longitudinal manual 4 speed gearbox and no differentials.

The car featured a manual cloth roof that could be folded and unfolded in a few minutes for some protection against adverse weather. The interior was luxurious to make buyers interest. A hand made wood dashboard and painstakingly crafted seats ensured that passenger and driver comfort was as good as it could be for the time.

This car, along with the models released in the years afterwards, ensured that public awareness and reputation of Phompsonby was good. By ensuring that both passengers and drivers were welcome and in comfort while driving, Phompsonby gained an early reputation for luxury and build quality.

[Hshan]

@legodude494

This engine produced 70.4 HP at 7,000 RPM with a maximum of 78.2 Nm of torque at 5,700 RPM

What.
The.
Actual.
Fc…

I mean, that’s the exact polar opposite of what an early 1900s engine would be like. Also, 70 hp is plenty for 1905, sth like insane luxury car territory. Flagship Rolls-Royce at the time made 48 hp @1250 rpm (I know, can’t really be replicated in the game) from a roughly seven litre engine. Though I must admit, the styling is really good

[legodude494]

Yeah, I know it’s not realistic, since the model T had 40 hp when it released in like 1908, but I wanted something that actually moved in Beam XD. This was one of the first cars I made in Automation and I cared more about the styling over the actual engine in it. I did use the worst parts available in 1946 Automation, so it’s all cast, pushrod, etc. I can always push back the year to like 1910 or something.

[legodude494]

Actually, scratch that, I had the engine set up wrong! For some reason, Automation changed it from a 1 litre inline 3 to a 1.5 litre inline 4, which bumped up the horse power. I’m changing it now. It’s a good thing you called me out on it I suppose!

[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.