Vale Special

The Vale Special was a low-volume British sports car associated with the Vale Motor Company, a small enterprise established in 1931 in Maida Vale, London. It emerged from an enthusiast-led project rather than from a large industrial manufacturer. Pownoll Pellew, later the 9th Viscount Exmouth, initiated the venture as what has been described as a gentleman's hobby, working with Allan Gaspar and Robert Owen Wilcoxon in a rented workshop behind The Warrington pub. Early financing came from the founders' personal networks, including support from Pellew's mother, Gaspar's bank-manager father, and proceeds connected with the acting career of Henry Wilcoxon, Robert's brother. Henry Wilcoxon also designed the distinctive Vale Motor Company badge. The car's central engineering idea was a low-slung chassis intended to improve the road-holding of small sports cars. Rather than developing a completely independent mechanical package, the company combined a short chassis sourced from Rubery Owen with major components from the Triumph Super 7 and other Triumph-related hardware. The earliest cars used an 832 cc side-valve engine, Triumph axles, hydraulic brakes, and semi-elliptic leaf springs at both ends. Their compact proportions and light construction produced an appealing sporting character, although the approximately 65 mph top speed limited their competitiveness in serious sporting events. To broaden the car's performance range, the company introduced a 1,098 cc four-cylinder Coventry Climax engine in 1933. A 1,476 cc six-cylinder Coventry Climax option followed in 1934. Most Vale Specials were lightweight, open two-seaters with fold-flat windscreens, reflecting the period's club-sporting and recreational driving culture. Buyers seeking greater carrying capacity could specify the Tourette, a four-seat body mounted on a longer chassis and generally associated with the larger engines. The company also developed plans for a more ambitious derivative called the Vixen. The proposed model would have used a 102-inch wheelbase, a stronger chassis, revised steering, and a larger engine. Although a blueprint survived, the project did not progress to a complete production car. This unfinished development illustrates both the brand's engineering ambition and the financial and manufacturing constraints facing a very small British specialist. Production ended in 1935 after only a small number of cars had been completed. Published estimates generally place output at approximately 55 to 60 vehicles, although some accounts suggest a higher total of as many as 80. The surviving cars are consequently rare examples of the interwar British light-sports-car movement. Vale Special is best understood not as a mass-market automotive brand or a modern corporate marque, but as a short-lived specialist manufacturer whose identity rested on handmade construction, compact dimensions, Triumph-derived mechanicals, and an emphasis on low-slung sporting design.

The Vale Special originated in 1931 when Pownoll Pellew established the Vale Motor Company in a rented workshop behind The Warrington pub in Maida Vale, London. Pellew worked with Allan Gaspar and Robert Owen Wilcoxon, and the project was financed through personal and family resources rather than through a major industrial or investment organization. The venture reflected the interwar British specialist-car environment, in which small teams could assemble limited-production vehicles by combining bought-in components with locally made chassis and bodies. The first cars were handmade and drew heavily on Triumph components. The design used an 84-inch wheelbase chassis supplied by Rubery Owen, with Triumph-related axles and hydraulic brakes. Its most notable characteristic was the low-slung layout, intended to address the sometimes weak road-holding associated with small sports cars. Power initially came from the 832 cc side-valve engine used in the Triumph Super 7. The resulting car was light and distinctive, but its top speed of about 65 mph was not sufficient for serious competition-oriented driving. The company responded by expanding its engine range. A 1,098 cc overhead-inlet, side-exhaust, four-cylinder Coventry Climax engine became available from 1933, and a 1,476 cc six-cylinder version followed in 1934. Body styles remained focused on open-air sporting use. The standard configuration was a lightweight two-seater with a fold-flat windscreen. A longer-wheelbase four-seat body known as the Tourette was also offered, particularly with the larger engines. In 1933, Vale proposed the Vixen as a more developed model. The planned car was to have a 102-inch wheelbase, a stronger chassis, revised steering, and a larger engine. The design survived in blueprint form, but the company never completed a full Vixen. The abandoned project suggests that Vale sought to extend its range, but it lacked the production scale and resources needed to turn every engineering proposal into a marketable model. Vale Special production ceased in 1935. Estimates of total output vary, with commonly cited figures of roughly 55 to 60 cars and some accounts proposing a total as high as 80. The uncertainty is characteristic of a very small manufacturer whose records and production runs were not documented in the manner of a mass producer. The cars' rarity has given them continuing interest among historians and collectors of British pre-war sports cars. The marque's historical importance lies in its compact, handmade design and its place within Britain's network of short-lived specialist automobile makers, rather than in commercial scale or lasting corporate continuity.

• 1935

  Production discontinued

  [1]Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org

  Production ended after an estimated 55 to 60 cars, with some sources suggesting that total output may have been higher.

• 1934

  Six-cylinder option added

  [1]Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org

  A 1,476 cc six-cylinder Coventry Climax engine was added to the range, expanding the performance options for the Vale Special and Tourette.

• 1933

  Larger engine introduced and Vixen proposed

  [1]Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org

  A 1,098 cc Coventry Climax engine became available, while the company proposed the longer-wheelbase Vixen derivative.

• 1932

  Vale Special enters production

  [1]Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org

  The handmade Vale Special began appearing as a compact British sports car using Triumph-derived mechanical components and an 832 cc engine.

• 1931

  Vale Motor Company established

  [1]Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org

  Pownoll Pellew established the Vale Motor Company in Maida Vale, London, with Allan Gaspar and Robert Owen Wilcoxon as business partners.

A small, enthusiast-built British sports-car marque positioned around lightweight construction, compact dimensions, low-slung handling, and accessible sporting performance.

• Sports car · 1932

  Vale Special

  The principal Vale model was a handmade, low-slung British sports car built on an 84-inch wheelbase chassis. Early examples used an 832 cc Triumph Super 7 side-valve engine, together with Triumph-derived axles and hydraulic brakes. Most cars were open two-seaters with lightweight bodies and fold-flat windscreens. The design emphasized compact dimensions and improved road-holding rather than outright speed or luxury, making it representative of the small specialist sports cars produced in Britain during the 1930s.

• Sports car · 1933

  Vale Special 1.1-litre

  From 1933, the Vale Special could be equipped with a 1,098 cc four-cylinder Coventry Climax engine. This larger power unit addressed the limited performance of the original 832 cc configuration and made the car more suitable for sporting road use. It remained part of the same compact, lightweight vehicle concept rather than representing a complete model change.

• Sports car · 1934

  Vale Special 1.5-litre

  Introduced in 1934, the 1,476 cc six-cylinder Coventry Climax option represented the most powerful documented engine offered for the Vale Special. It was available during the marque's final production period and was also associated with the larger-bodied Tourette variant. The option broadened the car's appeal but did not change Vale's limited-production specialist positioning.

• Four-seat sports-car variant

  Tourette

  The Tourette was a four-seat version of the Vale built on a longer-wheelbase chassis. It was offered with the larger engine options and provided more passenger capacity than the usual two-seat open body. Although still a small sports car rather than a family automobile, the Tourette gave the Vale range a more practical body-style alternative.

• Proposed sports-car model · 1933

  Vixen

  The Vixen was a planned Vale model with a 102-inch wheelbase, a stronger chassis, revised steering, and a larger engine. A blueprint was prepared in 1933, but no complete production car was built. It therefore remained a design proposal rather than a commercial product.

• 1934

  Add the 1,476 cc six-cylinder optionProduct launch

  Background

  Vale sought to offer stronger performance while retaining its lightweight specialist-sports-car format.

  Action taken

  The company made a 1,476 cc six-cylinder Coventry Climax engine available.

  Aftermath

  The option became part of the marque's final production phase, including the larger-bodied Tourette variants.

  Source

• 1933

  Introduce the 1,098 cc Coventry Climax engineProduct launch

  Background

  The original 832 cc engine gave the small car a top speed of about 65 mph, limiting its sporting performance.

  Action taken

  Vale added a 1,098 cc overhead-inlet, side-exhaust, four-cylinder Coventry Climax engine to the offering.

  Aftermath

  The larger engine broadened the model's performance range and was followed by an even larger six-cylinder option in 1934.

  Source

1. 1Vale Specialen.wikipedia.org