Description
1. It was first registered in August 1931 and that is shown on the V5C --- and the trike is on the BSA Front Wheel Drive Club list of known vehicles.
2. It started life as a TW-31-6 Special Sports model which has a larger Solex carb, a tuned engine, shock absorbers on all 3 wheels and a V two piece windscreen compared to standard models. It also ought to have chrome headlamps but mine are black painted ones.
3. The engine is a Hotchkiss-designed air cooled 1021cc OHV V-Twin made by BSA.
4. It has a 3 speed gearbox plus a reverse gear
The previous owner had bought the trike as a wreck in 1979 (the b&w photo dates from 1976) and had completed the engine, gearbox, steering, chassis 12v dynamo conversion and wheel restoration, and also had a new body made for it before he sadly died in late 2023. I bought the trike in March 2024 and, to finish the project, I've done the following:
1. Fitted a complete new exhaust system including new "W" manifold obtained from the Club
2. Restored the Solex 30FV carb and fitted coke and throttle cables
3. Restored headlamps with 12v LED and fitted 12v LED turn indicators at the front (in Lucas wing lamps) and back (on number plate)
4. Fabricated and fitted a new battery platform for its new 12v battery
5. Carried out all electrical wiring after obtaining all parts : Lucas horn, switches, lamps, push buttons, wiper motor etc and fitted all instruments to the wooden dash panel
6. Fabricated a new V windscreen frame (& side supports) and had it chrome plated. Had a new laminated windscreen made with cut-out for wiper motor
7. Obtained suitable bonnet & fluted side panels from a later BSA and made to fit. Also repaired hexagon air grill at front (difficult to find this material)
8. Carpeted cabin floor area and installed a fire extinguisher in the boot
9. And last, but certainly not least, new vinyl Everflex from Martrim to cover (with 3mm scrim foam for padding) all areas of the new wooden body : bulkhead (top and sides), outside of doors, body side panels, boot lid and inside cabin / door cards (6 of them).
..
... The BSA three wheelers were very advanced for the time. They were arguably the first commercially successful, mass-produced consumer FWD (front wheel drive) vehicles in the world --- the more well-known Morgan three wheeler had rear wheel drive on its one rear wheel.
This trike comes with a mountain of documentation and receipts, some of which is shown in the photos. The Mike Scott-Coomber manual is a massive A4 folder, sold by the BSA Front Wheel Drive Club, and covers every aspect of these cars., and covers every aspect of these cars.
When BSA closed down in the late 1970s, they passed all the technical drawings of nearly every part used on these trikes to the BSA Front Wheel Drive Club, and over the years, the Club has digitised each to a TIFF file. It's an amazing resource for this car.
