Forward Gas Engine Co

of Birmingham, engine makers

• 1889 Name of T. B. Barker and Co changed to Forward Gas Engine Co

• 1889 Frederick Lanchester joined the Forward Gas Engine Co of Birmingham. The company was employing 300 men at this time.

• 1889 George Lanchester started an apprenticeship with the Forward Gas Engine Co in Birmingham. His elder brother, Frederick, was already Works Manager with the same company.

• 1893 Frederick Lanchester left the company in order to pursue a full-time career as a research scientist, concentrating on the field that would later come to be known as aerodynamics. George, though still only 19, took over his brother’s position as Works Manager.

• 1894 Forward Gas Engine. Article and illustrations in 'The Engineer'

• Between 1894 and 1898 the brothers worked together on the development of a petrol (gasoline) powered passenger car. There being no established auto-component industry, a large number of components had to be designed and constructed from scratch, and much of this detailed work was undertaken by George, both for the first Lanchester car and for two subsequent mechanically identical prototypes.

• Late 1890s Frederick and George amd their middle brother Frank set up the Lanchester Engine Co to sell Frederick's designs.

• 1902 Forward gas engine. 2 hp. Exhibit at Anson Engine Museum

• 1904 The company was bought by Kynoch

See Also

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