Lammas Limited

Lammas Limited was a British motor-car manufacturer based in Sunbury-on-Thames, England. The company operated from 1936 to 1938 and occupied a small, specialist position in the pre-war British automobile industry. Rather than developing a complete vehicle independently, Lammas built cars around chassis and engines sourced from Graham of the United States. The resulting vehicles were marketed as Lammas-Graham cars. The cars used Graham chassis fitted with supercharged 3,562 cc six-cylinder side-valve engines. These engines incorporated a special alloy cylinder head and an SU carburettor, combining American mechanical components with adaptations intended for the British market. One notable distinction from the American Graham versions was the use of a 12-volt electrical system. This reflected the company's effort to tailor the imported mechanical package to local expectations and specifications. Lammas did not rely on a single in-house body design. Coachwork was purchased from established British specialists, giving customers a choice of configurations. Available bodies included a sports saloon supplied by Carlton or Bertelli, a drophead coupé supplied by Abbott, and a sports tourer supplied by Bertelli. This arrangement allowed Lammas to offer several styles while avoiding the cost and infrastructure required to design and manufacture bodies itself. Prices were reported at approximately £620 to £695, placing the cars in an expensive and specialist segment of the British market. The combination of a large supercharged engine, imported Graham underpinnings, and individually styled British coachwork gave the Lammas-Graham a distinctive identity, but the business remained very small in scale. Approximately 30 cars were produced during the company's short operating period. Lammas Limited is therefore best understood as a niche coachbuilt automobile venture rather than a mass-market manufacturer. Its history illustrates a recurring pattern in the interwar British motor industry: small companies could create distinctive cars by combining imported engineering with locally sourced bodies and distribution, but limited production volumes and high prices made sustained commercial success difficult. The company ceased production after roughly two years, and no evidence in the cited material indicates that it continued as an active vehicle brand thereafter.

Lammas Limited entered the British motor industry in 1936 from Sunbury-on-Thames. Its business model was based on assembling and marketing cars that combined imported Graham components with British coachbuilt bodies. The cars were known as Lammas-Graham, reflecting the central role of Graham engineering in the finished vehicles. The mechanical specification was substantial for the period. Lammas cars used Graham chassis and supercharged 3,562 cc six-cylinder side-valve engines. The engines featured a special alloy cylinder head and an SU carburettor. Lammas also specified 12-volt electrical equipment, distinguishing its cars from the American originals and indicating an adaptation for the British market. Body construction was outsourced rather than undertaken entirely by Lammas. Customers could choose among several forms of coachwork: a sports saloon from Carlton or Bertelli, a drophead coupé from Abbott, or a sports tourer from Bertelli. This approach was consistent with the British specialist-car tradition, in which relatively small manufacturers combined purchased mechanical components with bodies made by independent coachbuilders. The cars sold for approximately £620 to £695. Their high price, large supercharged engine, and individually built bodywork placed them in a specialist and relatively luxurious segment rather than the mainstream family-car market. Production remained extremely limited, with approximately 30 cars made. Lammas Limited operated for only about two years. Its production period ended in 1938, leaving the Lammas-Graham as a brief and rare entry in the history of British automobile manufacture. The available reference material does not identify a founder, senior executives, later corporate ownership, or a successor marque. The company is principally remembered for its unusual use of Graham American mechanical components in small-volume British coachbuilt cars.

• 1938

  Production ends

  [1]Lammas Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  Lammas Limited's short production run ends after approximately two years, with around 30 cars reported to have been built.

• 1936

  Lammas Limited begins automobile production

  [1]Lammas Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  Lammas Limited begins manufacturing motor cars in Sunbury-on-Thames, England, using Graham-supplied chassis and engines.

• 1936

  Lammas-Graham cars introduced

  [1]Lammas Limiteden.wikipedia.org

  The company produces cars marketed as Lammas-Graham, combining Graham mechanical components with British coachbuilt bodies.

A low-volume, premium British coachbuilt automobile using imported Graham chassis and engines, with multiple British body styles.

• Specialist automobile · 1936

  Lammas-Graham

  The Lammas-Graham was the company's core automobile line. It used a Graham-supplied chassis and a supercharged 3,562 cc six-cylinder side-valve engine with a special alloy cylinder head and SU carburettor. Lammas specified 12-volt electrical equipment rather than simply reproducing the American configuration. Buyers could select among several outsourced British body styles, including sports saloons by Carlton or Bertelli, an Abbott drophead coupé, and a Bertelli sports tourer. Approximately 30 cars were produced between 1936 and 1938.

1. 1Lammas Limiteden.wikipedia.org