Day-Leeds
The Day-Leeds was a British automobile manufactured by Job Day & Sons of Leeds, Yorkshire. [1]
William Henry Day was a chartered accountant who in 1886 set up as a manufacturing chemist. With his brothers Albert and Charles they set up the company of Job Day & Sons making engines designed by William Henry and under Albert packaging machinery. It was named after their father Job Day a Lincolnshire farmer.[2]
In 1912 they made their first car, a cyclecar powered by an air cooled 998 cc V-twin engine which they built themselves. The tubular steel chassis had half elliptic springs all round.[3] Drive was to the rear axle through a cone clutch, three speed gearbox with diferential and finally a belt or chain to each rear wheel. A top speed of 50mph (80km/h) was claimed.[1] The bodywork was open with two seats and acetylene lighting at the front and a single oil light at the rear. The basic car cost £110 or £120 with windscreen, hood, lights and horn. It was no longer being advertised in 1913 so production may have ceased.[2]
As well as cars a range of motor cycles was also offered with a 499cc single cylinder engine.[2]
For 1914 a completely new and more coventional light car was shown at the 1913 London Motor Show with a four cylinder 1130 cc engine made by Turner but this was soon replaced by a 1286 cc water cooled side valve engine made by themselves.[1] The engine was designed by W L Adams of the Laxtonia Engineering Works of Peterborough who also designed a World War I aero engine. The car had semi elliptic leraf springs, rear wheel only brakes and a wheelbase of 7 feet 9 inches (2362mm) and a track of 3 feet 9 inches (1143mm).[3] Drive was to the rear axle through a cone clutch, separate three speed gearbox and torque tube.
The model was revived after World War I with electric lighting now fitted. Body types included a two seat open car and a coupe made by nearby company Lockwood and Clarkson. The price quoted on the UK market in 1919 was £400 for the open two seater and this seems to have been uncompetitive as the price was progressively reduced to £225 when production ceased in 1926. It is thought that around 300 cars were made in the post war period.[4]
Only two cars are thought to survive, one in England and the other in Australia showing that some cars were exported.[2]
Production of packing machinery continued with the company being absorbed by the Baker Perkins company.[1]
Models
| Model | Years | Cylinders | Capacity | Wheelbase | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8.9 | 1912–1913 | V-twin | 998 cc | 5.5 cwt (280 kg) | ||
| 10 | 1914 1919-24 | four | 1286 cc | 7ft 9in (2362) mm | 14.5 cwt (710 kg) |
References
- ^ a b c d Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
- ^ a b c d Worthington-Williams, Michael (March 1995). "The Day-Leeds Story". The Automobile. 13: 42–46.
- ^ a b Culshaw; Horrobin (1974). Complete Catalogue of British Cars. London: Macmillan. ISBN 0-333-16689-2.
- ^ Baldwin, N. (1994). A-Z of Cars of the 1920s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-53-2.