The Jappic, first entered at

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

on the Easter Monday meeting of 1925, was a tiny two seater

cyclecar A cyclecar was a type of small, lightweight and inexpensive motorized car manufactured in Europe and the United States between 1910 and the early 1920s. The purpose of cyclecars was to fill a gap in the market between the motorcycle and the c ...

that had a 344cc

JAP ''Jap'' is an English abbreviation of the word " Japanese". In the United States, some Japanese Americans have come to find the term offensive because of the internment they suffered during World War II. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, ''Jap ...

motorcycle engine. The car was designed by H.M.Walters and built by the coachbuilders

Jarvis of Wimbledon Jarvis & Sons Limited were South London-based motor dealers for Morris and MG, and latterly coachworks providing special bodies for various car chassis until after World War II. Operations Like many similar UK motor dealers and coachworks, th ...

. The frame was made from the wood ash with 3/32 inch steel flitch plates and tubular cross-members. It had expanding rear brakes on the rear, but no front brakes. The wheels where shod with 650x65 motorcycle tyres, which were attached by a chain-driven axle to a two-port overhead valve 74x80mm single-cylinder JAP engine via a three-speed gearbox (chain-driven from the engine). Walters managed to break the Class J flying mile record in the car at a speed of 70.33 mph, but by 1926, the original engine was replaced with a 495cc JAP engine. The car was then obtained by Mrs Gwenda Stewart, who changed the cars name to Hawkes-Stewart and refitted the original 344cc engine. Unfortunately the car was destroyed in a garage fire at

Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry A race track (racetrack, racing track or racing circuit) is a facility built for racing of vehicles, athletes, or animals (e.g. horse racing or greyhound racing). A race track also may feature grandstands or concourses. Race tracks are also us ...

in 1932. Jarvis of Wimbledon intended to build replicas, but none are believed to have been produced. In 2019, two replicas appeared at the Vintage Revival Montlhéry - one was built in the UK and the other in New Zealand.

References

* Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England Cyclecars {{Vintage-auto-stub

See also

References