Howzat… again!
Last month Derek Manders reported on how his friend Dave acquired a machine that they had both loved for four decades. But, of course, what we need to know, is what happened next!
Following on from last month’s piece on the Howcette, I am pleased to report that it passed its MoT on April 25, 2012, and successfully completed the Wolds Classic
Bike Run a couple of weeks later – and Dave the owner found the paperwork that he had put in a safe place.
This paperwork consisted of an article from The Motor Cycle dated July 24,1968 by Bob Currie (which, incidentally, is the same as the cutting we had on the garage wall 53 years ago, and from which I have obtained most of the background information included here), a copy of a piece from Motorcycle News dated May 17, 1978 which shows a photo with a caption saying “Sixty-one-yearold Bob Howard at the controls of his Velocette Venom-engined three-wheeler which became the first tricycle to win MCN’s coveted Special of the Year award”, a clipping with a very brief mention from Thoroughbred & Classic
Cars magazine and a few photos.
Now pour yourself a glass of something, put your feet up and read on...
The Howcette was so named because it was built by motor engineer Bob Howard from West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire and is based around a 1939 Velocette 500cc MSS (the Venom engine it now has was fitted at some point before it won the MCN award in 1978 some 10 years after it was first road registered on June 1, 1968). Construction started in about 1963 with the main push coming around 1967. The chassis, which is based on the bottom part of a Velocette frame, is allied to a brazed space frame structure of 15/16” tubing. The rear wheel, brake, sprocket, etc, are all from the Velo, while the swinging arm unit which is adjustable for chain tension from the swinging arm pin is constructed from parts of a lorry radius arm. Rear damper units are Woodhead-Monroe.
The front wheels, axle, radius arms and brakes (cable/rod operated) are Ford Popular anchored to the chassis by
Morris Minor fittings. The hinged steering column is ex-Rover 2000 and a steering reduction box is situated between the driver’s legs which houses a slipper-tensioned chain. The front suspension dampers are again WoodheadMonroe.
A five-gallon fuel tank (incorporating a dip stick to give an indication of fuel content) sits low behind the seat, with an SU electric pump to lift the fuel up to the Amal Monobloc carburettor.
Access to the engine is via a lift-off panel in the top of the main body immediately behind the seat, while there is also a removable panel each side of the body. Electrics are 12-volt positive earth run off a car dynamo which has been converted to run in the opposite direction, the battery is located at the very front of the nose cone, front lights being again from the Morris Minor.
The clutch is standard Velocette but hydraulically operated from a left foot pedal, car style, and the front brakes again foot operated in car style by the right foot, as is the throttle accelerator. There is also a hand throttle utilising a motorcycle choke lever on the left side of the cockpit, just behind the lever which is pushed forward to operate the rear brakes; this also doubles up as a handbrake. On the right side of the cockpit is another hand operated lever linked by rod to the four-speed MSS gear box, no reverse though.
Engine starting is via a kick-start lever which protrudes from the right side of the hand formed and riveted aluminium body – all well and good until you stall it in traffic or at an awkward junction, then it’s a bit inconvenient having to get out and kick it off – I speak from experience here. Just in front of the kick-start is a small lever which, when pulled back, lifts the carburettor slide very slightly for ease of starting; there is also a round hole which enables access to the valve lifter.
That’s the mechanical side described, now for the luxury items. There’s not many of these, I am afraid. There’s a Perspex windshield which helps keep rain off the driver’s chest (you don’t look through this but over the top of it), a luggage rack on the back which is essential due to the total lack of luggage space, an adjustable seat which gives about three inches’ movement, flashing indicators which are operated by a switch to the left side of the steering wheel, and an electric clock! I suppose the only item that could really be described as luxury is the clock.
What is it like to drive? Well, ‘different’ would be one way of describing it, ‘strange’ would be another. As I said in the previous article, I did at the time have a Locost sports car so this style of motoring was not completely alien to me. The one thing that did really surprise me was that even though the steering is very positive – less than half a turn of the wheel from lock to lock – it is not at all twitchy, possibly due to its excellent selfcentring capabilities.
All in all, it is obvious that this vehicle has been designed and built by a very competent motor engineer.
To get into the Howcette, the front wheels have to be in the straight ahead position to enable the steering wheel to be tilted forward on the hinged steering column. Once the legs have been threaded, one each side of the bulky casing covering the steering reduction gear and chain into the front of the car, the steering wheel is then tilted back into its locating slots and the hand lock nuts tightened.
Once settled, or should I say squeezed, into the cockpit (at 13½ stone with a warm coat on I reckon I am almost on maximum size to comfortably get into it), it’s time to start the engine. This is just a case of flick back the lever to lift the carburettor slide slightly, ignition on, let the fuel pump fill up the float bowl, turn over on the kick-start, ease over compression and give it some wellie and it will be off, push forward the tick over lever for a nice
steady tick over. Then depress the clutch, pull back the gear lever to select first gear, give it some revs and go.
Now the driving bit. I was lucky in that I was able to drive it round Dave’s yard for a bit of practice before taking it for the MoT test. Initially it was a bit on the scary side and not quite as much fun as I had hoped for, but by the time I had been out for a couple of local drives and returned home from the Wolds Run, having covered some 106 miles in one day, I was starting to get the hang of it and the grin factor had kicked in.
The steering is positive, acceleration is somewhat lacking, the brakes are about the same and it felt happy at about 50mph, which is good enough for me. Bob Howard said in The Motor Cycle piece that he had 70mph out of it but it did get a bit exciting at that. I can well believe it, It got exciting enough for me at 60, thank you. It coped with the Wolds Run route admirably – even the ford, despite water coming into the cockpit. Mind you, it went out again just as quickly as there are plenty of gaps and holes for it do so. Bob Howard had even thought about that when he designed it.
I had to give it some stick on the hill starts though as it is quite highly geared and, yes, I did stall it. Twice! The hand throttle came in handy as at some junctions it felt as if the engine was going to die so I gave it a nudge to slightly increase the tickover and all was well. Fuel consumption over the 106 miles was as near as I can gauge it 50mpg, which I thought was quite reasonable.
All those years since the Howcette had first captured my imagination, my ambition to drive it had been achieved. It just goes to show that the old saying ‘good things come to those that wait’ is true! Thanks must go to Bob Howard for building it in the first place, to Bob Currie for writing the original article in 1968 which first brought the Howcette to our attention and, of course, to Dave Wells for letting me play with it.
I used the Howcette for two years before Dave sold it in November 2014. I did have the opportunity to buy it four years later but resisted the temptation, opting instead to buy a new Honda CB500X. It appeared for sale in Chesterfield at one point for about £10,000 and then I understand it went to France where I was told it was for sale at something like £20,000. I don’t know how true this is, but it would be interesting to know where this very special ‘special’ is now.