Silver Hawk (car)
Silver Hawk Motors of Cobham, Surrey, England, was a motor manufacturer from 1920 until 1921. It was founded by Sir (Albert) Noel Campbell Macklin after he parted company with his Eric-Campbell project, and before he founded both the Invicta and Railton car marques. The cars were built in a garage at Macklin's private home.
The car was a stylish high performance sporting design but the company's lack of both industrial backing and a volume selling standard model meant that the project was short-lived.[1]
Silver Hawk car
The Silver Hawk was similar to Macklin's previous Eric-Campbell design. It had a stylish aluminium body, external exhaust and used a tuned and lightened 1,498cc side-valve engine made by Coventry-Simplex rated at 10/35 hp that drove the rear wheels through a cone clutch and three or four speed transmission. The suspension used semi elliptic leaf springs at the front and cantilever springs at the rear.
Around 12 cars were made.[2]
Competition
In 1920 Violette Cordery drove a Silver Hawk in the 1500 cc ‘light cars’ class at the South Harting hill climb. She won the ladies' race at the Junior Car Club May meeting in 1921 at a speed of 49.7 mph, probably in a Silver Hawk.[3]
A team of three cars was entered for the 1920 Coupe des Voiturettes at Le Mans. Two cars finished in 6th and 7th places.[1]
References
- Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
- Baldwin, N. (1994). A–Z of Cars of the 1920s. Devon, UK: Bay View Books. ISBN 1-870979-53-2.
- Williams, Jean; Williams, Simon. "Cordery, Violette". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/101214. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)