Lloyd Cars Ltd

Lloyd Cars Ltd was a British motor manufacturer based on Patrick Street in Grimsby, Lincolnshire. Founded by Roland Lloyd, the son of a garage owner, the company operated as a highly independent small-scale producer rather than as part of a large automotive group. Its cars were notable for the extent to which the company designed and manufactured components internally, an unusual approach for a low-volume British maker. The company built two principal models, separated by the Second World War: the Lloyd 350 before the war and the Lloyd 650 after production resumed in 1946. The pre-war Lloyd 350 was a lightweight cyclecar powered by a rear-mounted, water-cooled, single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke engine of 347 cc. It used a three-speed gearbox and chain drive to the nearside rear wheel. Its four-wheel chassis had independent suspension using transverse leaf springs. The deliberately simple specification included no electric starter on the standard model, a gravity-fed fuel system, and hand-operated windscreen wipers. Buyers could choose between an open two-seater and an unusual closed three-seater body. A deluxe version added electric starting and lighting. A small number of front-engined, front-wheel-drive van derivatives were also introduced shortly before the war. Production of the Lloyd 350 ended with the outbreak of the Second World War. The company is reported to have made approximately 250 examples, with some cars exported to the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa. During the war, Lloyd Cars contributed to industrial production by manufacturing components for Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines. Post-war production resumed with the Lloyd 650, a substantially redesigned car powered by a Lloyd-built 654 cc two-cylinder two-stroke engine. The engine was mounted transversely at the front and drove the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox. The model incorporated a technically unusual fuel-charging arrangement using a third reciprocating and slightly rotating cylinder to transfer mixture from the carburettor to the two power cylinders. This arrangement allowed the engine to use a wet oil sump while retaining the two-stroke configuration. The car also featured an aluminium body, rack-and-pinion steering, cable-operated brakes, and independent suspension with coil springs housed in oil-tight cylinders that also served as dampers. Although more streamlined and more sophisticated than the 350, the Lloyd 650 was relatively large for its engine and had modest performance. Its high price, reportedly £480 in 1948 compared with approximately £300 for some family cars, limited its commercial prospects. Around 600 examples were produced, with exports reaching several overseas markets including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, India, and the United States. Car production ended in 1951. The business continued in general engineering afterward and remained active in that field until 1983. Approximately 15 Lloyd cars are thought to survive. Lloyd Cars Ltd should not be confused with the unrelated Lloyd marque associated with the North German Automobile and Engine company, which produced cars under that name during earlier and later periods. The Grimsby company is remembered primarily as an inventive British specialist manufacturer whose small production run combined unconventional two-stroke engineering, lightweight construction, and unusually high levels of in-house manufacture.

Lloyd Cars Ltd emerged in Grimsby in 1936 under the leadership of Roland Lloyd. The company was connected to the local garage trade through Lloyd's family background, but it developed into a manufacturer with a notably self-contained engineering operation. Rather than relying entirely on bought-in assemblies, it produced much of its own mechanical equipment and chassis-related hardware, a strategy that distinguished it from many other small British car makers. Its first production model was the Lloyd 350. Classified in spirit as a cyclecar, the vehicle used a 347 cc water-cooled Villiers single-cylinder two-stroke engine mounted at the rear. Power reached the rear wheel through a three-speed gearbox and chain drive. The simple chassis employed independent suspension at all four wheels with transverse leaf springs. The car was available as an open two-seater and as a closed three-seater, the latter being an unusual body style for such a small vehicle. A standard car omitted an electric starter, used gravity feed from a high-mounted fuel tank, and had hand-operated wipers. A deluxe version provided electric starting and lighting. The model was offered at a low price for the period, although a more highly equipped version cost more. A van derivative was developed near the end of the pre-war period. It differed mechanically from the passenger car by placing the engine at the front and driving the front wheels. Only a small number were made before the Second World War halted civilian car production. The company is generally credited with producing about 250 Lloyd 350 cars, and examples were exported to the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Africa. The war years redirected the business toward engineering work, including the manufacture of components for Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines. After the war, Lloyd resumed vehicle production with the Lloyd 650 in 1946. This was a larger and more ambitious design. Its 654 cc Lloyd-built two-cylinder two-stroke engine was installed transversely at the front and drove the front wheels through a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on all ratios, including reverse. A distinctive third cylinder and piston acted as a fuel-charging device for the two power cylinders. The mechanism used a combined reciprocating and slight rotating movement to draw mixture from the carburettor and pass it into the engine cylinders through ports in the cylinder and piston walls. The Lloyd 650 retained independent suspension but replaced the earlier leaf-spring arrangement with coil springs housed in oil-filled cylinders, with the oil also providing damping. It used an aluminium body, rack-and-pinion steering, cable-operated brakes, and a horizontally positioned gear lever below the steering wheel. The post-war body was more streamlined and was offered in two- and four-seat open forms. Despite its technical sophistication, the car was comparatively large for its engine, and its performance was limited to roughly 55 mph. Its price was also high relative to ordinary family cars, restricting its market appeal. Approximately 600 Lloyd 650 cars were built. The model found customers and distributors in a range of export markets, including Australia, Belgium, Denmark, India, and the United States, but production ended in 1951. After withdrawing from car manufacture, Lloyd Cars continued as a general engineering business. That activity reportedly lasted until 1983. The marque is now rare, with around 15 surviving cars thought to exist. The company has no connection with the separate Lloyd automobile marque used by the North German Automobile and Engine company. That unrelated manufacturer used the Lloyd name during periods before and after the Grimsby company's operations.

• 1983

  General engineering activity ends

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  The business continued in general engineering after leaving the car market and is reported to have remained active until 1983.

• 1951

  Car production ends

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Production of Lloyd passenger cars ceased after approximately 250 Lloyd 350s and 600 Lloyd 650s had been made.

• 1946

  Lloyd 650 production begins

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Lloyd returned to vehicle production with the larger, front-wheel-drive Lloyd 650 and its unusual Lloyd-built two-stroke engine.

• 1939

  Civilian production interrupted by the Second World War

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Car production stopped when the war began. The company subsequently manufactured components for Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines.

• 1936

  Company founded in Grimsby

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  Roland Lloyd founded Lloyd Cars Ltd in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, establishing a small independent British motor manufacturer.

• 1936

  Lloyd 350 enters production

  [1]Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org

  The company began producing the lightweight Lloyd 350 cyclecar with a 347 cc single-cylinder Villiers two-stroke engine.

A small, technically independent British manufacturer focused on lightweight, economical vehicles and unusual in-house engineering solutions.

• Cyclecar · 1936

  Lloyd 350

  The Lloyd 350 was the company's pre-war lightweight car, powered by a rear-mounted, water-cooled 347 cc Villiers single-cylinder two-stroke engine. It used a three-speed gearbox and chain drive to one rear wheel, with independent suspension on all four wheels. Body styles included an open two-seater and a closed three-seater. The car emphasized simplicity, using gravity-fed fuel, hand-operated wipers, and, on the standard version, no electric starter. A small front-engined, front-wheel-drive van derivative was also developed.

• Light passenger car · 1946

  Lloyd 650

  Introduced after the war, the Lloyd 650 was a larger front-wheel-drive car with a transverse 654 cc two-cylinder Lloyd-built two-stroke engine and a four-speed synchromesh gearbox. Its engineering included an unusual third fuel-charging cylinder, aluminium bodywork, rack-and-pinion steering, cable-operated brakes, and independent coil-spring suspension with oil-filled damping cylinders. Although more streamlined and technically advanced than the 350, its relatively high price and modest performance limited its commercial success.

• 1946

  Development of the Lloyd 650Generation change

  Background

  After the war, the company needed a successor to the pre-war Lloyd 350 and developed a larger, more sophisticated design.

  Action taken

  Lloyd introduced the front-wheel-drive 650 with a larger Lloyd-built two-stroke engine, aluminium bodywork, and an unusual fuel-charging mechanism.

  Aftermath

  The model achieved limited production and exports but was discontinued in 1951, in part because its price was high relative to mainstream family cars.

  Listed price. £480 (1948)

  Source

• 1939

  Shift from civilian cars to wartime engineeringStrategy

  Background

  The outbreak of the Second World War halted civilian vehicle production and created demand for aircraft-engine manufacturing capacity.

  Action taken

  Lloyd Cars manufactured components for Rolls-Royce Merlin aircraft engines during the war.

  Aftermath

  The company later returned to car production with the Lloyd 650 in 1946.

  Source

1. 1Lloyd Cars Ltden.wikipedia.org