Sheffield Simplex

[owdlad]

The cars lasted longer than the scissors ........they were cheap and not at all good, but like a lot of other things that dragged the name of Sheffield's cutlery industry down, they sold in their thousands. Mass produced rubbish at it's worst.

[derek]

Simplex Cars were built at the factory at Tinsley. All that remains of it now is a small section of wall opposite the end of Lawrence Road.(Head towards templeborough from Tinsley roundabout and look on your left) In their day they were a serious rival to Rolls Royce in terms of quality. The oldest one around to the best of my knowledge is the ex Lord Riverdale car. This was restored in Sheffield at Caldwell Engineering in the eighties. The Homeric factory on Chambers Lane was the home of the Hallamshire motor car built by Durham Churchill. If you want to read a good history of the motor industry of Sheffield, try and get hold of a copy of "Cars From Sheffield" by Stephen Myers. This was published by Sheffield City Libraries around 86 and has extensive information on the Simplex and all the other cars we turned out. As to the surviving Simplexes, Kelham Island has one. One is in a museum in Australia, try this http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/opac/B2533.asp . The one in Kelham used to be Known as the Adsetts car after Norman Adsetts, who bought it and donated it to them. As i recall there was a bit of doubt wether or not it was a Sheffield built car or one produced in the last days of production at Kingston. Certainly the Riverdale car was a genuine Sheffield build, I suppose that car is now privately owned since Lord Riverdale died a few years ago. Hope this is some help, like I said earlier, get hold of a copy of Myers' book, it will educate you.

 

cheers Derek

[mikey]

How much would one of these fetch it went on the open market?

 

Any ideas?

[derek]

With something like the Simplex,it is worth what anyone is prepared to pay for it. To one man it is an irreplacable part of history and is priceless, but to someone else it is just an old car.

I wouldn't like to say what it would be insured at.

Why do you ask, have you found another one?

 

Derek

[PopT]

I was told that after the museum Simplex car had been restored by Caudwell Engineering Lord Riverdale insisted in driving it out onto the road.

 

He never reached the road as he drove it into a wall causing damage to the front of the Simplex car.

 

It was immediately taken back into the garage to be restored for a second time.

 

Happy Days!!

[derek]

Quite right about Lord R damging the car, though it wasn't on leaving the workshop. It had been hande over to him and had been featured on local TV and press at his home, if my memory is right . He bent it driving on his own drive, I think. The Simplex had a very unusual pedal arrangment. The accelerator pivoted sideways under the right foot and the brake also, I think, operated the clutch. Not surprising really that a driver used to conventional cars occasionally got it wrong and didn't quite stop in time.

[dragonsoup]

In the offices of the Laycock overdrive company which was situated on the site of Sainsburys on Archer Road was a car which I beleived was made in Sheffield not sure about Simplex bit though. It was in the reception area.

 

Dragon

[derek]

I remember the car in Laycocks, I used to fill up the works van at the petrol station opposite every day and saw it every time I called. It wasn't a Simplex unfortunately,but it was a Charron Laycock. This was a French designed car built by Laycocks after the first war. I'm not sure what happenned to it when the factory closed down but I've a feeling it went to Kelham Island. Can anyone confirm that?

[hazel]

the oz carwas restored by john sutcliffe, of the cricketing family.

he is also expert in restorimg rolls royces. his uncle was the famous herbert of yorkshire and england fame.

[derek]

Almost right Hazel, John Sutcliffe worked for Caldwell Engineering and was indeed the man who restored Lord Riverdales car. He was in fact Herbert Sutcliffe's son, not nephew. I know this because he was a neighbour of mine and I worked for him for five years when he set up his own restoration shop in the eighties. It was a pleasure to watch him at work setting and tuning vintage cars, especially Rolls Royces. The touch of a master.