Another brochure from the 'archive'. This time for the 1935 Whitwood Monocar. From the early days of motorcycling the concept of a two-wheeled car was one that caught the imagination of the more maverick motorcycle designers. It is remarkable the persistance with which these design concepts appeared given that the buying public was almost without exception unresponsive to the idea.
The Neracar did reasonably well post Great War and then in the thirties the Francis Barnett Cruiser and several models in the Coventry Eagle range provided a watered down version of the concept. Postwar, although not the massive seller the company had gambled on, the mighty LE Velocette shifted reasonable numbers in a long production run.
The concept of a two-wheeled car however remained a lure even up until the eighties with the Qasar, Voyager, et al. It could even be said that they were all proved right in the end with the current vogue for super scooters...
The Whitwood was made in Portsmouth at the OEC factory and had the same mechanicals as the OEC Atlanta Duo. It seems it was offered for only two years and I have not heard of any survivors. Interestingly it was offered with 150, 250, 500 and 1000cc engine sizes, the 1000 presumably being a bit of a beast and the 150 Villiers version no doubt very woeful (particularly if ordered in the three seater option!)
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 1. |
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 2. |
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 3. |
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 4. |
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 5. |
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| 1935 Whitwood Monocar brochure page 6. |
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