An electrical and engineering giant
Enthusiasts of British classic motorcycles are familiar with BTH magnetos and many hold them in high regard. Yet magnetos were just a sideline for this huge manufacturer.
In 1883, the American Electric Company became ThomsonHouston. Three years later, Laing, Wharton and Down was set up in the UK to sell the American maker’s products.
Early sales included contracts for installing electric lighting in parts of London. In America, the Edison General Electric Company merged with Thomson-Houston, becoming General Electric in 1892.
During the next years, Laing, Wharton and Down bought/gained UK production rights and patents from General Electric. At this time Laing, Wharton and Down was rebranded as British Thomson-Houston (BTH), the American conglomerate its majority shareholder. UK factories were established, then in 1900 BTH bought land on Mill Road, Rugby, chosen for its rail links, to become its ‘hub.’
The first equipped factory buildings were completed in 1902 and the initial products manufactured by what became a huge heavy industrial and engineering company were electric generators and motors. Expanding during the Edwardian period, they manufactured steam turbines under licence from their American parent company, then turbo-alternators by 1905. But not everything BTH produced was big – in 1911, they introduced electric light bulbs marketed under the Mazda brand.
In the late 1890s, BTH had started transport involvement including electric tramways and light railways and by 1907 were manufacturing petrol-electric buses in cooperation with Wolseley Motors, then later began supplying steam powered electric generators for the London trolley bus network.
During the First World War, BTH manufactured marine electrical equipment for the Royal Navy and, to meet growing demand, began setting up many satellite factories including in London and Northern Ireland – and of more significance to us motorcyclists, in Coventry.
Behind the scenes, more business shenanigans took place including the buyout of BTH and Metropolitan-Vickers (Metrovick) in 1928 by a newly established holdings company, Associated Electrical
Industries (AEI). While some links with the past including some light railway companies were sold, BTH branched out into more fields including marine generators and motors for huge turbo-electric ships, assisted Sir Frank Whittle with his development of jet engines, and, after the Second World
War, built electric power stations and railway engines, including the BTH designed British Rail Class 15 diesel electric.
Unfortunately, big business internal rivalry (especially the infighting between the BTH and Metrovick) led their holding company to drop both brand names in 1960, rebranding all as AEI. Seemingly sensible, but few had heard of AEI and trust lost led to a massive business decline and GEC buyout in 1967.
You may ask what this has to do with motorcycles… Advertisements and press leaders published during the final build up to the First World War informed of an all-new British magneto, stating the British Thomson-Houston Company was making ignition magnetos in volume for single and multi-cylinder petrol engines. Later, the Coventry site became a magneto manufacturing plant.
Until the summer of 1914, many British engine makers – including motorcycle factories – opted for Bosch magnetos. Fortunately, this wasn’t exclusive, so a few engine makers were in the ‘I’m alright Jack’ category when it became apparent British companies could no longer buy German made Bosch magnetos. Observers claimed BTH had been involved in ‘secret’ magneto development for a year or more, though the reality was more likely they designed and put into production magnetos in double quick time.
BTH hit the ground running with a good product and over the next few years their magnetos were used for aircraft, cars, lorries, airships, tractors, stationary engines, and, of course, motorcycles. Earning a good reputation and strong sales encouraged
BTH to expand their range and explore new avenues with more robust products, but just occasionally, they got it wrong, exampled by their c1921 launched ‘Sparklight Ignition and Lighting Set,’ which proved dismal.
What with the feature on trials Ariel two-strokes in this issue, plus that on Peter Williams and his association with the monocoque motorcycle chassis, it seemed fitting to share this photograph of an Ariel Sports Arrow, two up, in the early 1960s.
The Leader was launched in July 1958, apparently ticking the boxes of what all motorcyclists ‘wanted’ – but like all the everyman/idealised motorcycles before them from the Neracar to the Velocette
LE, the Ascot-Pullin to the Vincent Black
Prince/Knight, and though the Ariel was a comparative success, the buying public weren’t all convinced. And so – like Vincent before – an unclothed version was put into production.
That was the 1960 Arrow, which was followed in 1961 by the Super Sports
Arrow – finished in gold and cream, with red handlebar grips, a flyscreen, a larger carburettor, and dropped bars with ball end levers. Wow – and it was no surprise, that it was soon tagged ‘the Golden Arrow.’
Until August 1965, when parent company
BSA pulled the plug on all Ariels, the Golden Arrow was offered, outlasting the standard Arrow by a season; most customers went straight for the sporty job. The reason was that it was a model actually nearer to what the young customers wanted; perhaps avenues like the Street Scrambler mentioned in our trials feature could’ve been explored too, while a Sports Arrow with a six-speed gearbox and an oiling system which negated the need for pre-mix, might have represented a truly golden opportunity.
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