John Horsley of the UK is looking for information on the 'Horsley Motor Car', built by Thomas Horsley & sons (gunsmiths from York) based at Central Garage, Black Swan Yard,10 Coney street in York around 1908 and was fitted with a Horsley patented disc valve engine (patent number 25662, later modified to patent number 29896). John found a copy of the vehicle registration document for chassis number 3 which was registration number DN9389 last noted registered in 1974 to a person in Buckinghamshire.
On January 1st 1904, two Horsley Motorcycles were registered, one in the name of Thomas Horsley and the other in the name of Harold Horsley, they were both described as 'Horsley Motor cycles ' and marketed under the banner 'T H Motorcycles' although very little information is available other than they both had black frames and aluminium tanks and both weighed 130lbs. This was the start of the company's diversification from shot gun manufacturing which had started around 1830 in Yorkshire.
In 1909, Thomas Horsley and Son not only made sporting guns and rifles but we're also agents for Rothwell, Star and Belsize motor cars based at Black swan Yard,10 Coney Street, York. It was at this time they set about developing an experimental engine, in the shape of a disc valve engine for which they hold two patents for, it was a simple idea based on a spinning valve driven from the crankshaft. It is believed that four engines were made of which one is known to survive. The engine was a four cylinder arrangement made up of four separate cylinder castings of about 3.5 litres.
The chassis is believed to be made by Rothwell and there appears to be only one motor car completed, registration number DN 9389 and was last known in the Milton Keynes area in the late 1980's, owned by a Mr Johnson. From there the trail goes cold. So the search is on...
Jon Horsley Marlborough Wiltshire