1914 Warrick 6hp TRI-CAR MOTOR CARRIER

1914 Warrick 6hp TRI-CAR MOTOR CARRIER

In 1877 John Warrick & Co. Ltd. of Reading transitioned from gunsmithing to selling Pitt tricycle box carriers, eventually in 1910 taking over the Pitt works and establishing the Warrick Cycle Carriers at Pitt's "Monarch Works" on Caversham Road. Warrick's ingenuity quickly improved the product's quality. His business acumen was likewise evident in the company's practice of renting out its carriers and bicycles to tradesmen, sometimes even providing riders, to encourage adoption of its products.

The year following John Warrick's acquisition of the Monarch Works the company introduced its first powered Motor Carriers. A vigorous competition with Autocarrier ensued with AC eventually largely ceding the box carrier market to Warrick.

Produced from 1910 through 1925, Warrick's powered box carriers were notably successful in meeting the need for businesses and tradesmen to serve their largely local clientele. Numbered among major clients, however, were Selfridge's, Dunlop tire and the Royal Mail. In fifteen years' production Warrick built some 2,000 Motor Carriers and their hire business continued with bicycles and commercial tri-cars well into the second half of the 20th century, a strong indication of its success.

Descriptions and pictures by bonhams