cars1922

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.