London Motors was a Canadian
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 ...
company located in
London, Ontario
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
. The company was formed by William Stansell, who was previously involved with the production of the
Brock car in
Amherstburg
Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site.
The town ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
.
In 1921 Stansell raised $75,000 to form London Motors Limited, with a factory located at King and Ridout Streets.
Prototypes were ready by the autumn of 1921.
The London Six featured wooden disc wheels, a pointed
windscreen
The windshield (American English and Canadian English) or windscreen (Commonwealth English) of an aircraft, car, bus, motorbike, truck, train, boat or streetcar is the front window, which provides visibility while protecting occupants from t ...
and a
Herschell-Spillman
The Allan Herschell Company was a company that specialized in the creation of amusement rides, particularly carousels and roller coasters. The company manufactured portable machines that could be used by traveling carnival operators. It was star ...
6-cylinder engine.
The engine was tilted down at the rear, providing a lower
drive shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power (physics), power, torque, and rotation, usually ...
and reducing universal joint strain.
The aluminium body made the car very light, allowing a top speed of to be reached.
Production began in late 1921, with the following models:
* Touring car
* Hardtop tourer/roadster
* Sedan
* Sedan Special
Prices ranged from $2,600 for the tourer to $3,700 for the sedan.
The car's slogan was "Canada's Quality Car".
Bodies were originally built at a factory in
Ingersoll, Ontario
Ingersoll is a town in Oxford County on the Thames River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The nearest cities are Woodstock to the east and London to the west.
Ingersoll is situated north of and along Highway 401. Oxford County Road 119 (formerly ...
, but when the supplier was unable to keep up with demand, Stansell rented factory space next door to the London Motors factory.
When
Governor General
Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
Julian Byng visited London, several London Six owners loaned their cars for official ceremonies.
claimed that the London Six was the most comfortable car that she had ever travelled in.
In 1924, Stansell made visits to various firms and bankers looking for extra capital in order to expand production.
In his absence, the board of directors of the company allowed control to be taken over by new investors, who wound up the company in early 1925.
Total production of the London Six was 98 cars.
References
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Canada
History of manufacturing in Ontario
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