CFB

CFB was a British four-wheeled cyclecar produced for a brief period from 1920 to 1921 by CFB Car Syndicate Ltd in Upper Norwood, London. The name referred to Charles Frederick Beauvais, the engineer associated with the project. CFB belonged to the cyclecar sector, a category of small, lightweight cars that became prominent in Britain around and after the First World War. These vehicles generally emphasized mechanical simplicity, low weight, and relatively modest operating costs rather than the size, refinement, or performance of conventional passenger cars. The CFB used a 1,078 cc air-cooled Precision V-twin engine. The engine carried an RAC rating of 9 hp and was connected to an unusual friction-drive transmission. Instead of using a conventional gearbox with fixed ratios, the system altered the effective drive ratio by moving the driven wheel along a cone. Bevel gearing then transferred power to a countershaft, while a belt transmitted drive to the rear wheels. This arrangement reflected the experimental engineering common among cyclecar manufacturers, which often sought to reduce mechanical complexity and production cost through unconventional transmission layouts. The company’s production run was extremely limited, and very few CFB cars are known to have been made. The brand therefore remained a minor and short-lived participant in the British motor industry and did not develop into a sustained automobile manufacturer. Its historical significance is primarily connected with the early postwar cyclecar market and with Beauvais’s subsequent career. After the CFB project, Charles Frederick Beauvais went on to build the Bow-V-Car and later joined the New Avon Body Company, where he designed bodies for manufacturers including Standard and Crossley Motors. CFB should be understood as a defunct historical automobile marque rather than a continuing company or modern automotive brand. No evidence in the supplied reference material establishes a surviving corporate successor, current owner, modern product range, active website, public listing, or continuing commercial operations.

CFB emerged in the British cyclecar market in the immediate post-First World War period. The vehicle was made by CFB Car Syndicate Ltd, a company based in Upper Norwood, London, and was associated with Charles Frederick Beauvais, whose initials supplied the company and vehicle name. Cyclecars occupied a distinctive position in the early automobile market. They were generally smaller and lighter than ordinary cars and were developed with the aim of making motoring more accessible through reduced material use, simpler mechanical arrangements, and lower running costs. The CFB was produced between 1920 and 1921. Its mechanical specification was compact but distinctive. Power came from a 1,078 cc air-cooled Precision V-twin engine with an RAC rating of 9 hp. Rather than using a conventional multi-speed gearbox, the car employed a friction drive. The transmission varied the drive ratio by shifting the driven wheel along a cone. Bevel gears connected this mechanism to a countershaft, and a belt carried power onward to the rear wheels. The layout illustrates the experimental character of many cyclecars, whose manufacturers pursued alternative solutions to the cost and complexity of standard automotive drivetrains. CFB’s commercial life was brief, and production was very small. The available historical account states that very few examples were built, leaving the marque as a limited-production entry in the British automobile industry rather than an established mass manufacturer. There is no supplied evidence of a later CFB model range, a significant production expansion, a merger, or a continuing corporate organization under the CFB name. The brand is also notable as an early stage in Beauvais’s broader design career. After the CFB project, he went on to build the Bow-V-Car. He later joined the New Avon Body Company, where he designed bodies for Standard, Crossley Motors, and other manufacturers. In this context, CFB forms part of the history of a designer who moved from small-scale experimental vehicle manufacture into coachbuilding and automotive body design. CFB’s production ended after 1921, and the marque is now defunct. Its surviving historical importance lies in its representative place among British cyclecars of the period, its unusual friction-drive engineering, and its connection to Beauvais’s later work in the British motor-body industry.

• 1921

  Short production run ends

  [1]CFB (car)en.wikipedia.org

  Production of the CFB ended after a brief run during which very few cars were made.

• 1920

  CFB production begins

  [1]CFB (car)en.wikipedia.org

  CFB Car Syndicate Ltd of Upper Norwood, London, began producing the CFB four-wheeled cyclecar.

• Beauvais moves into later automotive work

  [1]CFB (car)en.wikipedia.org

  After the CFB project, Charles Frederick Beauvais built the Bow-V-Car and later worked for the New Avon Body Company on bodies for Standard, Crossley Motors, and other manufacturers.

A small, lightweight British cyclecar using compact air-cooled power and an unconventional friction-drive system.

• Four-wheeled cyclecar · 1920

  CFB cyclecar

  The CFB was a small British four-wheeled cyclecar produced from 1920 to 1921. It used a 1,078 cc air-cooled Precision V-twin engine with an RAC rating of 9 hp. Its transmission was a friction-drive system that changed the effective ratio by moving the driven wheel along a cone. Bevel gears led to a countershaft, and a belt transmitted power to the rear wheels. The model was produced in very small numbers and was the principal, apparently sole, product associated with the CFB marque.

• 2021-12-13

  China conditionally approves Fangyuan Capital’s CFB acquisition[2]方源资本收购CFB获中国反垄断审查批准food.china.com.cn

  Reported: 2021-12-13

  China’s antitrust authority unconditionally approved Fangyuan Capital GP3’s acquisition of CFB, which operates Papa John’s and DQ in southern China.

1. 1CFB (car)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2方源资本收购CFB获中国反垄断审查批准food.china.com.cn