23 Facts About Guy Motors

Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses.

Guy Motors was founded by Sydney S Guy who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham.

Guy Motors operated out of its Fallings Park factory from 1914 to 1982, playing an important role in the development of the British motor industry.

In 1915 Guy Motors came under control of the Ministry of Munitions and production was focussed on the war effort.

In spite of the wartime situation, Guy Motors brought out a revised version of their 30cwt lorry in May 1915, with the engine and transmission mounted on a separate subframe from the main body.

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In 1917 Sydney Guy Motors applied for two patents relating to modified valve gear, one of these outlining how it could be used in a V8 engine, and in 1919 he launched a new version of his 2-ton truck with an engine using this valve gear, and he started production of his first car, a luxury 4 litre V8, the first British V8 engine.

Guy Motors were one of the first companies to get back to commercial vehicle production after the war, and in March 1920 they were expanding the buildings and plant on their 60 acre site, and had £2.

Main commercial interest of Guy Motors was production of the commercial chassis and engine ready for a variety of bodies to be fitted.

Guy Motors then convinced Guys to work with W A Stevens, who had developed the Tilling-Stevens petrol-electric bus, of which Wolverhampton had several, and Rees Roturbo Co Ltd, who were based in Wolverhampton, on the design of a trolleybus.

In 1928, Guy Motors took control of fellow Wolverhampton manufacturer the Star Motor Company, who had seen declining sales throughout the decade, in an attempt to expand their luxury car manufacturing.

Under Guy, Star Motors moved to a new factory in Bushbury and the range of vehicles was narrowed to prevent competition against itself.

Guy Motors was able to endure the Depression due to orders from the War Office and by taking advantage of the 1930 Road Traffic Act which encouraged the development of lighter vehicles.

In 1935, Guy Motors submitted their new four-wheel Ant armoured car to military trials, where it impressed so much that 150 were ordered by the government.

The original official contract specified that it had to be designed as a rivetted vehicle riveted construction, but Guy Motors had suggested welding as being more suitable and effective.

The Ministry of War Supply ordered Guy Motors to produce a chassis suitable for double-deck buses, the Blitz having resulted in a shortage of buses.

In 1942, Guy Motors launched the Arab I, then Arab II utility double deck bus, based on their original 1933 design, but with a frame of identical shape to the Leyland Titan TD8.

Guy Motors had by then built 496 trolleybus chassis, but in 1948, they acquired Sunbeam Commercial Vehicles Limited and from then on, all trolleybuses produced carried the Sunbeam name.

Sunbeam trolleybuses had been built at Sunbeam's Moorfields Works, enabling Guy Motors to concentrate on motorbuses and lorries at their Fallings Park Works, but in 1953 they completed the construction of new assembly shops next to their existing works, and Moorfields Works was closed, with trolleybus production moving to Fallings Park.

Guy Motors continued to update their old models, introducing a new version of the Otter chassis in 1950 for 30-seater vehicles and 84 were ordered by London Transport.

Guy Motors continued to develop new and very successful models of chassis, introducing updated versions of the Otter and Warrior models and the high performance Victory chassis.

Guy Motors continued to be successful throughout the 1960s, with the development of the Victory trambus and the Big J series of trucks.

Guy Motors was able to postpone closure, in part due to the success of its Big J range, because it was one of the few companies owned by British Leyland operating at a profit.

The closure of Guy Motors had a devastating effect on the factory's neighbouring areas, including Heath Town and Low Hill, where many of the company's workers lived, contributing to a rise in the already high unemployment in these areas.