Ner a Car
The Ner-A-Car was designed in America by Carl Neracher but was produced under licence in Britain by Sheffield Simplex, with slight variation between the two.
About 10,000 were produced in the USA and 6,500 in Britain. It was an attempt at providing a cheaper car like driving experience with better weather protection than normal motorcycles.
Unlike a typical motorbike it has a perimeter frame running around the outside and uses a friction drive transmission where a rubber covered wheel takes drive from a perpendicular flywheel, with gearing provided by moving the rubber covered wheel between the outer edge of the flywheel and the centre. Due to the design's low-slung frame, normal pivoted front forks couldn't be used so the Ner-A-Car was the first vehicle to feature hub centre steering.
This example is an English Model B, featuring a 285cc single cylinder engine, bore 70mm, stroke 74mm. The wheelbase is 59", seat height 27", 26"x2.5" tyres were used and it had an overall weight of 190lbs or 86kg.
| Key Facts | |
|---|---|
| Date of manufacture | 1924 |
| Registration | None |
| Engine | 285cc single cylinder engine |
| Built by | Sheffield-Simplex |
| Location in Museum | 1930s Garage |
Interesting Fact
Later English Ner-A-Cars featured a 350cc Blackburne engine and a more typical clutch and 3 speed gearbox arrangement.
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