Crowdy

Crowdy was a British car manufacturer that operated in London between 1909 and 1911, before relocating to Northfield, near Birmingham, where it continued production until 1912.

The company was founded by A. E. Crowdy, who had previously served as Wolseley's sales manager for Lancashire. In October 1909, he acquired the assets of the Weigel Motor Co., taking over its premises in North Kensington. A month later, he presented three cars at the Olympia Show: two conventional models based on Weigel designs, fitted with four-cylinder engines rated at 20/30 and 30/40 hp, and a third model powered by a 12/14 hp Hewitt piston-valve engine with a dashboard-mounted radiator, the same engine also used by the Davy marque, which shared a stand with Crowdy at the show. A 29.4 hp six-cylinder model with a Hewitt engine was also listed. The Weigel-type cars, which featured front-mounted radiators, may in fact have been rebadged Weigels. Crowdy offered customers a three-year guarantee along with a promise of parts availability for five years.

The same model range continued to be listed for 1912, though by the autumn of 1911 the company had moved its operations to Northfield, near Birmingham, where it rented a former roller-skating rink. This unusual factory floor, made of maple wood laid over felt on a seasoned pine base, was noted as a distinctive feature of the site.

Despite these premises, Crowdy Ltd went into receivership in February 1912, and the exact number of cars produced at the Northfield site remains uncertain. Following the receivership, the company name was used by new owners to take over a private venture operating under the name Hampton Engineering Co. This led, in February 1913, to the launch of the first Hampton cars.