Vehicle Description
The pages of automotive history are full of characters who dreamed
big but came up short in their pursuit of automotive greatness.
Since the late 1800s, hundreds of individuals and companies tried
and failed at the automobile business. It is no wonder then, that
the seminal reference work for automotive historians, The Beaulieu
Encyclopedia of the Automobile, spans three generous volumes, with
some entries struggling to reach past one paragraph. Studying the
unsuccessful attempts can be just as absorbing as the success
stories; with many factors contributing to failure, including poor
management, bad ideas, or technology that was either outdated or
too advanced for the time. Every so often, we get to experience the
product of a car company that couldn't quite get off the ground.
One such example is this fascinating one-off prototype built by the
Canadian-born engineer Albert O. Ford. At the time of this creation
in the early 1920s, Albert Ford lived in Kenilworth, Warwickshire,
England, and while he had no relation to the American Henry Ford,
he was savvy enough to capitalize on the familiar name to promote
his business which he called A.B.F. (All-British Ford). Albert Ford
built just two cars in his brief foray into the world of motorcars,
and incredibly, both survive today. This car is the first of the
two, powered by a compact, one-of-a-kind 1,216 cc two-stroke V4 of
Ford's design. It had some clever engineering going on, with
stepped pistons and combustion chambers fed by the power stroke of
the adjoining piston. The three-speed gearbox mounted in-unit with
the engine made for an extremely compact package. The unusual
engine sat in a reasonably conventional ladder frame with
worm-drive rear axle and solid beam front axle. Albert Ford did not
have coachbuilding facilities, although he planned to clothe the
light chassis with a 3-passenger body for production. Until that
was finalized, however, Ford needed off-the-shelf coachwork to put
on his running chassis for testing purposes. The story took an
interesting turn when Albert Ford went in search of a secondhand
body for the prototype. He found one advertised by Maj. C.M.
Harvey, which had just come off of his semi-works Alvis 10/30
racing car. The one-off streamlined body was built by Jacques T.
Taylor Sports & Racing Bodybuilders, Bangor Street, Coventry for
Maj. Harvey's race car. Harvey raced his Alvis on several occasions
at the legendary Brooklands circuit, running under the
permanently-assigned number 26. Harvey and his Alvis competed in
the 1921 Junior Car Club 200-mile race with the nickname Yodol
Dodol Doh painted on the bonnet. It is believed that Harvey
modified the body at least once with a more streamlined radiator
cowling, as pictured in the comprehensive history file and the book
History of the Brooklands Motor Course, 1906-1940 by the legendary
motoring journalist William Boddy (Plate 20). Albert Ford purchased
the body from Major Harvey and proceeded to modify it slightly to
fit his chassis. Little else is known of his testing efforts, and
he may have abandoned the project to concentrate on the second car
he built - which had a far more conventional four-stroke flat-twin
and a standard-looking runabout roadster body. Neither of the cars
made it to production, and Albert Ford quit the automobile business
to design and manufacture hospital furniture. It is quite
remarkable then, to know that both of Albert Ford's A.B.F.
automobiles survive today, thanks to the efforts of some young and
passionate car enthusiasts in England. An undated letter by Ivor
Lindsell published in the Light Car & Edwardian section of the VSCC
newsletter describes a quest by him and his mates to rescue some
old cars from a garage that was scheduled for demolition. Following
a trail of rumors, they found the site and were met by an older man
who showed them around, claiming that he designed and built two of
the cars himself. Met with skepticism from the lads, the man showed
them his machine shop and the molds he used for casting the engine
parts. It turned out they bought the cars directly from Albert
Ford! Once rescued from the garage, both A.B.F. cars went to
Lindsell's friend Charles, who got both cars running before selling
them off at a small profit. The flat-twin runabout went into hiding
for some time and was thought to be lost, while our featured car
was sold to Tom Potter in 1957. Original photographs show Potter
towing the A.B.F. home behind his family car, with the large number
26 visible on the scuttle. Mr. Potter restored the little A.B.F.,
repainting it white. He used it in a handful of VSCC events in the
late 1950s and early 1960s, including the 1961 Brighton Concours
d'Elegance where it won the vintage car class. After several
appearances, the car disappeared into storage again. In 1976 VSCC
member Peter Russell discovered the A.B.F in Potter's shed and soon
made a deal to bring it home to Scotland. There, he set about
restoring it to its original specification. After stripping off the
white paint, Russell found bits of blue as well as evidence of the
car's Brooklands number roundel and "Alvis" markings on the body.
He was able to confirm the body's racing history, and after the
restoration, the A.B.F. was invited to take part in the 1980
Brooklands Reunion. The history file includes several photos of
Russell's restoration process, pictures of it on the hallowed
Brooklands banking during the reunion, photos of it with A.O.
Ford's son and daughter, and of the car in action on the VSCC
Scottish Rally. The car appeared in a short feature in Motor Sport
magazine (November 1996) and would later come into the ownership of
the renowned sculptor, painter, and noted motoring enthusiast
Stanley Wanlass. Mr. Wanlass then sold the car to a friend and
fellow collector, who kept the A.B.F. in his extensive collection
for many years with the intent of restoring it. The project never
came to be, as the owner sadly passed away. Someone disassembled
the engine at some point for service. It is since been reassembled
and it turns freely, but additional sorting is required to return
it to running order. Today, this very special A.B.F. remains very
much as-restored by Peter Russell in the late 1970s. It wears a
light patina that suits the character of the car brilliantly. The
A.B.F. sports car is truly one of a kind, carrying exceptional
provenance. It will surely be welcome in groups like the VSCC and
is welcomed already by the Brooklands Society. Albert Ford's unique
prototype is a genuinely fascinating footnote in the annals of
motoring history. Offers welcome and trades considered For
additional details please view this listing directly on our website
https://hymanltd.com/vehicles/6119-1923-a-b-f-alvis-racecar/
