A double belt-drive mystery: the bizarre cyclecar of Barrow-in-Furness

John A. Kent’s friend’s suggestion of a Buckingham seems like a good bet: they offered in 1913-14 a Sporting 12 h.p. Model with a special polished alloy body. That unsilenced large-bore exhaust looks like a racing-car feature. Among the dozens of series-produced cyclecars, few, if any, had the combination of features this one has, notably a water-cooled twin with twin belt drives, transverse front springing, racing body option, disc-over wire wheels, etc. The oval badge looks right too.

According to contemporary records in 1914, J. F. Buckingham of Coventry were making a water-cooled 90-degree vee-twin cyclecar with a two-chain, cone clutch-controlled two speed primary drive to a cross-shaft with twin belt final drives acting as the differential. Transmission was the same for the 89 by 120 m.m., 746 c.c. single cylinder air- and water-cooled versions—reverse was an extra. His in-house built, fore and aft-mounted, vee-twin had slightly offset cylinders of 89 by 88 m.m., giving 1,095 c.c. Just over-square, he claimed it was safe up to 5,000 r.p.m. but a too-tight turn on tarmac could throw off a drive belt.

Coincidental to the registration address, the Barrow Herald reported on the Westmorland Hill Climb at Greyhound Hill between Kendal and Sedbergh on April 18th, 1914: “Cycle-cars were a feature, the 12-h.p. Buckingham with racing body making fastest time in the big event.” It would be pushing coincidence too far to say that the older chap in the car has a moustache like J. F. Buckingham had…

But in May, 1914, J. F. Buckingham himself, drove his “hefty” belt-drive car in the Lancashire Automobile Club’s hill climb at Waddington Fells. He had a runaway win, climbing the hill at very high speed and appearing to be enjoying himself… as he did at many other such events, including at Brooklands.

It seems likely to me that the engine is, in fact, a flat-twin mounted fore and aft à la Douglas. The wheel discs are clearly not wood as they are distorted and bent in places, suggesting thin metal. Could the two pulleys be a simple two-speed transmission like a GN or Frazer-Nash? There doesn't seem to be a vast difference in pulley sizes although the belt seems to sit lower in one pulley than the other; maybe the distance between the flanges can be changed by screwing one side in and out at the centre, rather like a Zenith-Gradua? It looks like a modern vee-belt rather than the more common flat belt of most cyclecars, and there's scant sign of any tensioner.

What a fantastic home-built machine! It raises the question of who was the inspiration, and who was the builder?

The young gent in the background of the first picture obviously finds it amusing, but is the young man in the car the builder, apprentice or driver? Perhaps the more mature gent in the second picture is the instigator of the project, clearly in the belief that he has created "the fastest cyclecar ever." Looking closer at the evidence of the running gear, there seems to be a chain visible under the chassis, and the two exhaust ports would appear to be way too far apart for a vee-twin. I would think that it's maybe two singles linked together, but that does raise the question of the twin-spark magneto which is clearly visible. An engineer who decides to piggy-back two engines is probably more than capable of timing them through a single mag, but why not just use the single mags of each engine and then just worry about making both engines work together?

And why the double belt-drive? Early motorcycle engines didn't have a clutch, so perhaps then, as often now, a clamping pulley, or pulleys, have been introduced to provide a "clutch" system? Picture four also shows that the rear axle is clearly just a beam, so the double belts would provide a differential affect to the drive system. Why is there an access hatch in the right-hand side of the tail?

Clearly they are spoked wheels with beaded-edge (clincher) tyres, as seen in pictures two and four, with fairly crude metal, or possibly thin plywood, outer wheel discs. The rear body could also be thin plywood.

Lastly, if it is built for speed, why have a drag-inducing full-width vertical windscreen?

I'm probably raising more questions than answers, but that's why we all find these pictures fascinating. I'm looking forward to reading any updates.

According to a friend who is an expert on cyclecars, he says it is a Buckingham, circa 1914. The body is not typical and the fitment of a twin cylinder engine is also unusual.

The wheels are not massive but spoked.

I have no idea what make it is, but it's more than likely a one-off. What I do know is, I'd love to have it!

Clearly it has a vee-twin engine by the exhaust pipes. The make of the engine should be hinted at by the placement of the magneto coming through the bonnet side below.

Keep up the great work folks!