The car in the picture below featuring a rather charming family group is a 30hp opendrive, glass division, Laundaulette. This style of coach work was very much in vogue before the First World War having the same layout as the taxicabs and hire cars of the time. However this body style remained an option into the mid 1920s, losing favour as fully enclosed cars became the fashion.
The date of this picture appears to be 1924 and the location is at the head of the Bwlch y Groes mountain pass (Pass of the Cross) in Wales. This at 1788ft above sea level, is the second highest public road in the country and was much used by Austin, Standard and Triumph to test the hill climbing ability of their prototype cars. Considered to be one of the most dangerous roads in Britain the approach of two and a quarter miles having an average incline of 11%, with parts at 25%, this is not a road for beginners and it is said that competence in reversing is considered essential.
Note - With these pictures from postcard and print collections, the picture quality despite considerable electronic cleaning is still not as we would wish, but sometimes interesting content overrules.
Our second picture this week is of a 15hp, fabric covered, six-light saloon dating from 1929. Waymann is the name commonly associated with this type of body but it was Hoyal Body Corporation as a subcontractor who manufactured just short of 500 of these cars which sold for £360 each. This car was marketed with the owner driver in mind, especially the ladies. Perhaps then, it is not surprising that the technical advantages of this body type are secondary to the ease of cleaning in the advertising.
From the turn of the 20th Century, Trust Houses Ltd., set about restoring the comfort and value of the old coaching inns. In 1970 they became a name with which we are probably more familiar, Trust House Forte.