ABC Motors
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive, Aerospace, Engine manufacturing |
| Founded | 1912 |
| Founder | Ronald Charteris |
| Defunct | 1951 |
| Fate | Acquired by Vickers |
| Headquarters | Hersham, Surrey , England |
Key people | Granville Bradshaw (lead designer) |
| Products | Automobiles, aircraft, motor scooters, aero engines, road vehicle engines |
ABC Motors Limited—known as the "All British (Engine) Company"—was based in Hersham, Surrey, England, and specialized in the production of automobiles, aircraft, motor scooters, and engines designed for both road vehicles and aviation. Established in 1912 by Ronald Charteris, the company’s lead designer was the inventive Granville Bradshaw. In 1951, ABC Motors became part of Vickers, with its manufacturing plant ceasing operations during the 1970s. Subsequently, the premises were occupied by Ian Allan Publishing before being transformed into a Lidl supermarket topped with residential flats, which opened in February 2019.
Products
During World War I, ABC developed advanced radial aero engines, which unfortunately encountered reliability problems. While multiple RAF aircraft were engineered to incorporate ABC powerplants—most notably the troublesome Dragonfly engine—none succeeded in entering active squadron deployment.
In addition to aviation engines, ABC manufactured various smaller power units for applications such as electrical generators. These featured a unique flat twin-cylinder design with exhaust-over-inlet valve configuration. Among the earliest airborne APUs, these engines powered equipment like wireless sets on the 1916 Coastal class blimp (using a 1.5-horsepower model) and operated the searchlight on the 1917 Supermarine Nighthawk, known as the 'Zeppelin killer.'
Aero engines
- ABC 6 hp Midge (1951)
- ABC 8 hp (1923)
- ABC 30 hp (1912)
- ABC 60 hp (1912)
- ABC 100 hp (1912)
- ABC Dragonfly (1918)
- ABC Gadfly (1920)
- ABC Gnat (1916)
- ABC Mosquito (1916)
- ABC Hornet (1929)
- ABC Scorpion (1923)
- ABC Wasp (1918)
Aircraft
Automotive
Bibliography
- Lumsden, Alec (1994) 'British Piston Aero Engines and Their Aircraft' (Airlife, Shrewsbury)
- Articles with short description
- Defunct aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom
- Defunct aircraft engine manufacturers of the United Kingdom
- Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of England
- Defunct companies based in Surrey
- Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1912
- 1912 establishments in England
- Vehicle manufacturing companies disestablished in 1951
- 1951 disestablishments in England
- 1951 mergers and acquisitions
- British companies disestablished in 1951
- British companies established in 1912
- ABC aircraft engines