Palladium Autocars

Palladium Autocars Ltd was a British motor manufacturer associated with the Palladium marque. The company introduced its first light car in 1911 and was initially based at 378 Euston Road, London. Its early passenger cars were assembled from French components and used four-cylinder engines. The initial model was a four-seat 12/16 horsepower car, offered for £275 with a five-year guarantee, an unusually explicit assurance for a small manufacturer of the period. The range expanded by October 1912 to four rated models: the 10/14HP, 12/16HP, 15/18HP and 18/24HP. Buyers could specify open or closed body styles. In 1913 the company moved to larger premises on Normand Road in West Kensington and broadened its business beyond private cars into commercial vehicles. Its commercial range included vans, lorries and buses, reflecting the wider pre-war transition from specialist light-car production toward chassis suitable for business and public-service use. By 1914 the passenger-car range had been rationalised to three models: the 10/18HP, 12/22HP and 18/30HP. Listed prices ranged from £268 to £450. The First World War interrupted car production, and the factory was required to suspend passenger-car manufacture. During the war Palladium was involved in making aircraft components, while its commercial-vehicle activities continued after the conflict. After the war, Palladium attempted to develop new passenger-car products. In 1919 it presented a prototype cyclecar powered by an air-cooled flat-twin engine. The design used a fan incorporated into the flywheel to draw air over the cylinders and cylinder heads through ducting, an arrangement for which the company obtained a patent. The cyclecar did not enter production. Palladium returned to the passenger-car market in 1922 with the Palladium Light Twelve, powered by a Dorman engine. Its production appears to have been brief, and surviving references do not identify new Palladium vehicles after 1924. Commercial vehicles remained an important part of the post-war business for a time. At the 1920 Olympia commercial vehicle show, Palladium exhibited a four-ton lorry chassis and a 30-seat bus with a corridor body and folding roof. Palladium buses acquired a reputation for robustness in service; in 1928, Provincial Tramways of Grimsby modernised Palladium buses with new bodies and pneumatic tyres. Even so, manufacture of Palladium commercial vehicles also appears to have ended around 1924. The company operated from several London locations over its short life: Euston Road before the First World War, Normand Road from 1913, and Felsham Road in Putney after the war. Palladium Autocars was ultimately a small, now-defunct British vehicle maker whose product history covered light cars, experimental cyclecars, delivery vans, lorries and buses.

Palladium Autocars was a London-based British motor manufacturer that produced passenger cars and commercial vehicles during the formative years of the British motor industry. The Palladium light car appeared in 1911, when the business operated from 378 Euston Road. Early vehicles were assembled from French components and used four-cylinder engines. The first described model was a four-seat 12/16HP car priced at £275 and supported by a five-year guarantee. The company broadened its passenger-car catalogue during 1912. By October, customers could choose among 10/14HP, 12/16HP, 15/18HP and 18/24HP cars, with both open and closed bodies available. In 1913 Palladium moved to larger premises at Normand Road, West Kensington, as it expanded into commercial vehicles. Its commercial output included delivery vans, lorries and buses. Early commercial chassis were offered in 12-cwt, 15-cwt and 25-cwt forms, using four-cylinder side-valve engines, four-speed transmissions and shaft-driven rear axles. The 1914 passenger-car programme was reduced to three models: the 10/18HP, 12/22HP and 18/30HP. The First World War then halted car production. Palladium contributed to wartime manufacturing through aircraft-component work, while commercial-vehicle production resumed or continued after the war. In 1919 the company displayed a technically distinctive cyclecar prototype. Its air-cooled flat-twin engine used a fan built into the flywheel, with ducting directing cooling air over the cylinders and cylinder heads. Palladium patented the arrangement, but the prototype did not become a production model. The company returned to passenger cars in 1922 with the Palladium Light Twelve, which used a Dorman engine. This model seems to have had only a short production life, and references do not record new Palladium vehicles after 1924. Commercial vehicles remained visible in the early post-war period. Palladium exhibited a four-ton lorry chassis and a 30-seat bus at the 1920 Olympia commercial vehicle show. The bus used a corridor body and folding roof. Palladium buses were sufficiently durable to remain in service and were later modernised by Provincial Tramways of Grimsby in 1928 with replacement bodies and pneumatic tyres. Nevertheless, manufacture of Palladium commercial vehicles appears to have ceased around 1924. The company’s later history, ownership and precise dissolution details are not established by the supplied reference material.

• 1924

  Vehicle production apparently ends

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  Available references contain no mention of new Palladium vehicles after approximately this period.

• 1922

  Palladium Light Twelve launched

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  Palladium returned to passenger cars with a Dorman-engined Light Twelve.

• 1920

  Commercial vehicles shown at Olympia

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  The company exhibited a four-ton lorry chassis and a 30-seat bus at the Olympia commercial vehicle show.

• 1919

  Air-cooled cyclecar prototype developed

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  Palladium revealed a patented flat-twin cyclecar prototype that did not reach series production.

• 1914

  Passenger-car production interrupted by war

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  The company suspended car production during the First World War and undertook aircraft-component work.

• 1913

  Commercial-vehicle operations begin

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  Palladium entered the commercial-vehicle market and moved to Normand Road, West Kensington.

• 1912

  Passenger-car range expanded

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  The range grew to four horsepower ratings, with open and closed body styles offered.

• 1911

  First Palladium light car introduced

  [1]Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org

  Palladium introduced a four-seat 12/16HP light car assembled from French components and based at Euston Road in London.

A British independent vehicle maker offering compact passenger cars and practical commercial vehicles, with a later emphasis on vans, lorries and buses.

• Light car · 1911

  Palladium 12/16HP

  The original described Palladium passenger car, introduced in 1911 as a four-seat model with a four-cylinder engine. It was assembled from French components, priced at £275 and marketed with a five-year guarantee. Open and closed body configurations were available as the range developed.

• Light cars · 1912

  Palladium pre-war range

  Palladium's early range comprised the 10/14HP, 12/16HP, 15/18HP and 18/24HP models by 1912. In 1914 it was consolidated into 10/18HP, 12/22HP and 18/30HP models, with bodywork available in open or closed forms.

• Prototype cyclecar · 1919

  Palladium cyclecar prototype

  A 1919 experimental cyclecar using an air-cooled flat-twin engine. Its patented cooling system placed a fan in the flywheel and directed air through ducting over the cylinders and cylinder heads. The prototype was not produced commercially.

• Light car · 1922

  Palladium Light Twelve

  A post-war passenger car introduced in 1922 and powered by a Dorman engine. Production appears to have been brief, with no later Palladium passenger-car models identified in the supplied references.

• Commercial vehicles · 1913

  Palladium commercial vehicles

  The commercial range included delivery vans, lorries and buses. Chassis offerings included 12-cwt, 15-cwt and 25-cwt forms before the war, while later exhibits included a four-ton lorry chassis and a 30-seat bus with a corridor body and folding roof.

• 1922

  Return to passenger-car productionProduct launch

  Background

  Following the wartime interruption, Palladium sought to re-enter the private-car market.

  Action taken

  The company launched the Dorman-engined Palladium Light Twelve.

  Aftermath

  The model appears to have been short-lived, and no new Palladium vehicles are recorded after about 1924.

  Source

• 1919

  Development of a patented cyclecar designProduct launch

  Background

  After the war, Palladium explored a compact car concept using an air-cooled flat-twin engine.

  Action taken

  It developed and displayed a prototype with a flywheel-integrated cooling fan and patented ducting arrangement.

  Aftermath

  The cyclecar remained a prototype and did not enter production.

  Source

• 1914

  Suspension of passenger-car manufacture during wartimeStrategy

  Background

  The First World War disrupted civilian motor manufacturing and changed the company's production priorities.

  Action taken

  Palladium stopped producing passenger cars and became involved in making aircraft components.

  Aftermath

  The company later resumed commercial-vehicle work and returned to passenger cars in 1922.

  Source

• 1913

  Diversification into commercial vehiclesStrategy

  Background

  Palladium was a small passenger-car maker operating during a period when commercial motor vehicles were becoming an important market.

  Action taken

  The company moved to larger premises and began producing vans, lorries and buses in addition to light cars.

  Aftermath

  Commercial vehicles continued to feature in the business after the First World War and became a significant part of Palladium's remaining product activity.

  Source

1. 1Palladium Autocarsen.wikipedia.org