Edward Butler (1862–1940) was an English inventor who produced an early three-wheeled petrol
automobile
A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
called the Butler Petrol Cycle in 1888, which is accepted by many as the first British car.
Butler first showed plans for a three-wheeled petrol vehicle at the
Stanley Cycle Show in London in 1884, and again at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, also in London. Butler built his first car in 1888.
For comparison,
Carl Benz
Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automob ...
, who is generally recognised as the inventor of the modern automobile, built his first working motorcar in 1885, and unveiled it to the public in 1886.
Butler Petrol Cycle
Built by the
Merryweather Fire Engine company in
Greenwich
Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...
, in 1888, the Butler Petrol Cycle (first recorded use of the term)
[ G.N. Georgano, p.22.] was a three-wheeled petrol vehicle. The rear wheel was directly driven by a
5/
8hp (466W) 600 cc (40 in
3; 2¼×5-inch )
flat twin
four-stroke
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directio ...
engine (with
magneto ignition replaced by coil and battery),
equipped with
rotary valves and a float-fed
carburettor (five years before
Maybach),
and
Ackermann steering,
[ G.N. Georgano, p.20 cap.] all of which were state of the art at the time. The engine was liquid-cooled, with a
radiator
A radiator is a heat exchanger used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in cars, buildings, and electronics.
A radiator is always a ...
over the rear driving wheel. Speed was controlled by means of a
throttle
A throttle is a mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by construction or obstruction.
An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ha ...
valve lever. The driver was seated between the front wheels.
The vehicle featured in an article in the 14 February 1891 issue of ''
Scientific American
''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it, with more than 150 Nobel Pri ...
'', where it was stated that one gallon of fuel in the form of petroleum or benzolene could propel the vehicle for forty miles (5.9 L/100 km) at a speed of .
Butler improved the specifications of his vehicle over the years, but was prevented from adequately testing it due to the
Locomotives Act 1865 (the ''Red Flag Act''), which legislated a maximum speed for self-propelled road vehicles of in built up areas and in rural areas. Additionally, the vehicle had to be attended by three people, one of whom had to proceed in front of the vehicle waving a red flag.
Butler wrote in the magazine ''
The English Mechanic'' in 1890, "The authorities do not countenance its use on the roads, and I have abandoned in consequence any further development of it."
Due to general lack of interest, Butler broke up his machine for scrap in 1896, and sold the patent rights to
Harry J. Lawson who continued manufacture of the engine for use in motorboats.
Instead, Butler turned to making stationary and marine engines.
His motor tricycle was in advance of its better-known contemporaries on several points.
See also
*
List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
*
List of motorcycles of the 1890s
References
Other sources
*
*
G.N. Georgano ''Cars: Early and Vintage 1886–1930''. London: Grange-Universal, 1990 (reprints AB Nordbok 1985 edition). .
External links
Butler Petrol Cycle at 3wheelers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Edward
1862 births
1940 deaths
English mechanical engineers
People associated with the internal combustion engine
British automobile designers