1902 MMC 10hp Twin-Cylinder Rear-Entrance Tonneau
Registration no. DR 14
Chassis no. 614
Engine no. 2109

The Motor Manufacturing Company (MMC) was successor to The Great Horseless Carriage Company, which had been founded in 1897 by the infamous entrepreneur and latter fraudster, Harry J Lawson, and was part of his British Motor Syndicate. Lawson had sought to establish a monopoly of motor manufacturing in Britain by obtaining as many related patents as possible, starting with those of the German Daimler company. His efforts, like those of the Selden patent's owners in the USA, would be frustrated by the courts.

The Great Horseless Carriage Company shared the Motor Mills in Coventry with Daimler's British offshoot and commenced production in 1897 using Daimler engines and gearboxes, while the bodies and wheels were of its own manufacture. Reorganised as The Motor Manufacturing Company in 1898, it continued with Daimler based designs alongside rear-engined types designed by railway engineer George Iden. Motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles were added to the portfolio and MMC also supplied its engines to other manufacturers. Simplification of the range saw only three models offered for 1902: a single, twin and four, all with front-mounted engines.

In receivership in 1904, MMC relocated to Parkside in Coventry and the company staggered on for the next few years, producing a handful of cars, before being reorganised again in 1907. MMC moved to London but its new owner's ambitious plans came to nought and it effectively ceased to exist in 1908.

Representing the marque at the height of its success, this example is powered by MMC's own 2,092cc vertical twin-cylinder engine with atmospheric inlet valves and trembler coil ignition. The early history of this car is not known; the Devonport records are incomplete and details of the original owner have not been found. 'DR 14' was discovered in 1951 by Dick Barton of the Barton Motor Company (Morris distributors) of Plymouth, in a scrap yard known as Dobewalls Scrap Heap between Liskeard and Dobwalls, Cornwall. He offered the remains for sale through the VCC Gazette. 'As found' photographs of the car survive and show that it was a complete rolling chassis but with many parts missing. Nevertheless, there was enough to make it a viable restoration project: wooden chassis with inner and outer flitch plates, dumb-irons, springs, and ancillary parts; front and rear axles; engine with flywheel and clutch plus the exhaust manifold and complete exhaust system including the silencer: gearbox/transaxle/half-shafts/chain -wheels/brakes; wheels; and the steering gear. In January 1952 Barton sold the MMC to Basil Ripley of Gosport.

Basil completely dismantled the car but then realised that the restoration was beyond his resources so he contacted John Ford (owner of MMC 'F 89') who bought the parts as spares. When John Ford sold 'F 89' to Peter Black he offered the parts of 'DR 14' to Harry Baggs as spares for his 20hp four-cylinder car. In 1988 Harry sold the 20hp car, while 'DR 14', still in a completely dismantled state, passed to the late Malcolm Jeal: VCC stalwart, honorary member of the Society of Automotive Historians, and former editor of The Automobile magazine.

The original chassis had suffered from its long exposure in the scrapyard, and new seasoned ash, perfect in both size and grain direction, was obtained from coachbuilder Rod Jolley. Rebuilding the wheels was set in hand through Lambrook Tyres in Devon using the original hubs and chainwheels/brake spiders, and new rims. Importantly, the car's original colour scheme was successfully identified. Slowly the parts were primed and painted, and then reassembled to produce a rolling chassis with no mechanical elements fitted. Only one significant mechanical component was missing: one half of the differential carrier in the final drive unit. When it was eventually remanufactured in 1998, the cost for this single item was around £1,500.

In 1995, Bryan Goodman volunteered to make a body. After a visit to the Black Collection to examine 'F 89' in detail, he set to and in an amazingly short time had the main structure completed and panelled. All distinctive features of MMC bodywork of the period were faithfully reproduced.

Despite encouragement from Bryan and other friends, it was apparent to Malcolm and Eunice Jeal that if the restoration project was to proceed the car would have to be placed with a professional restorer. Sadly, the one selected did not come up to scratch and little progress had been made by the time the MMC was retrieved. Understandably, the Jeals' enthusiasm for the project was numbed by this experience, and when the current vendor approached Malcolm Jeal in 2000 about selling the car, a deal was struck and 'DR 14' went to a new custodian.
The MMC was then properly restored by N P Veteran Engineering Ltd (Nigel Parrott) and after 50 years since being rescued it was back on the road for the 2001 London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. Concluding his account of the car's history (copy on file) Malcolm Jeal declared: "It was a wonderful sight to see!"

Since the restoration 'DR 14' has been run successfully on almost every London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, including being driven on L plates by the owner's then 17 year old son, used to tour Lac Léman in Switzerland, and even seen service to deliver multiple brides to their weddings!

Restoration bills totaling £65,000 are on file together with others relating to the MMC's subsequent regular servicing by Nigel Parrott. In excellent condition and ready to enjoy, the car also comes with a dating certificate and copy application; a V5C Registration Certificate; and a quantity of MoTs and tax discs.