Royal Enfield ventured into four-wheelers in 1903 with two 10hp and one 6hp models unveiled at London’s Stanley Show. Over the following years, a range of high quality vehicles was developed but success in this enterprise proved to be elusive. Fun fact - the radical Bullet car preceded the legendary motorcycle by a full decade!
With their first motorcycle launched in November 1901, Royal Enfield designers, Bob Walker Smith and Jules Gobiet, turned their attention to building cars.
Two 10hp models with 1930cc twin cylinder engines and one 6hp model with a 633cc single cylinder engine were unveiled at London’s Stanley Show in November 1903.
Motor magazine reported, ‘In placing cars upon the market the Enfield Cycle Co. is bringing to its aid the experience gained during the last few years in the building of quadricycles, tricycles and bicycles.’
Royal Enfield 20hp car, side entrance, double phaeton.
1903 De Dion Enfield 6hp car.
Early Enfield 6hp car.
By 1906 there was a 30hp touring car. Called the Royal Enfield Model Y, it boasted a massive 6107cc 4 cylinder engine. However, all was not well at Royal Enfield; car-making was not proving profitable.
In 1906 it was decided to separate the car business. The bicycle and motorcycle business moved to a new Redditch factory in Hewell Road, where it was to remain until 1967. Meanwhile a new car company, called Enfield Autocar Ltd, was floated and wholly took over the original Royal Enfield Hunt End works.
This did nothing but highlight the losses of the car division and, despite new models such as the 15hp Enfield Pleasure Car, the company went into voluntary liquidation in December 1907.
Enfield Allday Bullet car advert.
Enfield Allday Bullet.
1907 The Enfield Way car clutch advert.
1906 Model 20-30 Model Y All Pleasure and No Trouble car advert.
1906 Enfield car advert.
1906 Model Y 30hp car specification sheet.
The business was sold to Alldays & Onions the following April. It continued to manufacture cars under the Enfield Autocar name and even retained the Royal Enfield cannon logo and the Made Like A Gun tagline.
Enfield Allday Bullet Radial report.
Models with wonderful names, such as the Enfield Autolette and the Nimble Nine, followed. Then, at the end of World War One, work commenced developing a new car. It was called the Enfield-Allday Bullet.
Centred around a revolutionary five cylinder radial engine, the Bullet had an equally novel chassis constructed from two pressed steel side members with four tubular cross members and transverse cantilever spring suspension.
1905 18hp car with canopy and curtains.
1905 10hp Royal Enfield car.
Allday Bullet chassis.
Enfield Allday 10hp light car chassis.
1904 Model B 10hp motorcar factory illustration.
1904 8hp 2-seater car.
Again, things did not go to plan. Its forecast sale price rose from £275 to £350 then, a year later, to £500. The project was eventually abandoned due to prohibitive production costs.
The manufacture of Enfield cars finally ended in 1925 but the Bullet name was not forgotten. A decade later it would be put to much better use by Royal Enfield!
