The 1914-18 war stopped
production of BSA cars and it was not until 1921 that production of cars
resumed. This was no badge-engineered Daimler but a genuine attempt to move
into the light car market with the RWD V twin. This car used an engine based
on the Hotchkiss designed 900 V twin introduced in early 1921. The car was
certainly designed at Small Heath and may well have been produced in one of
BSA’s Birmingham factories, but this is by no means certain.
The car was eventually produced
with V twin, 4 cylinder one 6 cylinder engine with the latter being a Knight
sleeve valve engine.
The cars were produced between
1922 and 1926. BSA constructed a large new factory on the Coventry Road,
Birmingham which was known as the light car works to handle production of
these vehicles. Production of the RWD cars never really came to anything with
estimates of the numbers produced for all models quoted at around 1000 over
the 4 years.
The car was entered by BSA in
many rallies during the 1920’s, doing quite well in the hands of Captain
Brittain and Mr Danby.
Strong competition from the
cheaper Austin 7 helped to force an early end to this interesting light car
in which are to be found the basis for BSA ventures into FWD three and four
wheel cars from 1929.