Enfield cars - period recollections
You can read about the cars when they were new kids on the block. These are some of the period recollections people have sent the club. If you have any to add please contact us and tell us more.
Jim Cullen 1979
Jim Cullen sent an article from the Essex Chronicle and these 1979 memories.
Just a little story to share. I worked for Eastern Electricity. When I was a trainee engineer the company paid my travelling expenses. When I became an engineer in training they stopped. So, I had to pay for my travelling expenses from Boreham Essex to Wherstead Ipswich (HQ) so I asked my boss if I could use the car (MNG 69P) to commute the 36 miles each way and he agreed as long as I paid for recovery if it broke down. I used the car for several months. It only ran out of power once, at the bottom of Wherstead Hill. I got interviewed by Essex Chronicle which my mum was proud of. Mind you I did get a lot of abuse as I travelled along at 30mph along the A12 dual carriageway
The article says I was 24 so that that makes the article published in 1979.
The other thing I remember is that that we were offered some semi traction cells by a German company (Eastern Electricity, Measurements and Technical Developments department - Manager John Rye)
The mechanics in the garage were confident that we could alter the battery storage area so we could get 72 volts of these batteries rather than 48 volts. It would only do about 10 miles which was enough to go around Ipswich and back, but the performance was something special. I used to cruise around Ipswich to see if I could burn off anybody at the lights. I pulled out one day into traffic and ended up doing a 360 when the cross-ply tyres lost grip! You could see what the potential of electric vehicles if only batteries at the time were lighter / more powerful.
With thanks to Jim Cullen July 2021
Just a little story to share. I worked for Eastern Electricity. When I was a trainee engineer the company paid my travelling expenses. When I became an engineer in training they stopped. So, I had to pay for my travelling expenses from Boreham Essex to Wherstead Ipswich (HQ) so I asked my boss if I could use the car (MNG 69P) to commute the 36 miles each way and he agreed as long as I paid for recovery if it broke down. I used the car for several months. It only ran out of power once, at the bottom of Wherstead Hill. I got interviewed by Essex Chronicle which my mum was proud of. Mind you I did get a lot of abuse as I travelled along at 30mph along the A12 dual carriageway
The article says I was 24 so that that makes the article published in 1979.
The other thing I remember is that that we were offered some semi traction cells by a German company (Eastern Electricity, Measurements and Technical Developments department - Manager John Rye)
The mechanics in the garage were confident that we could alter the battery storage area so we could get 72 volts of these batteries rather than 48 volts. It would only do about 10 miles which was enough to go around Ipswich and back, but the performance was something special. I used to cruise around Ipswich to see if I could burn off anybody at the lights. I pulled out one day into traffic and ended up doing a 360 when the cross-ply tyres lost grip! You could see what the potential of electric vehicles if only batteries at the time were lighter / more powerful.
With thanks to Jim Cullen July 2021
Early Enfield 465 Memories
Ron P emailed these memories of an early car.
Back in the early 1970's I used to follow an Orange Enfield to work up here on Tyneside. It was an evaluation car owned by Smiths Electric Vehicles-manufacturers of Milk Floats.
Smiths Electric became SEVCON who now design and manufacture DC Control systems for electric motors and are involved with a number of large car producers.
Subsequently from the dates discussed this must have been an Enfield 465 with a GRP body shell – one of the immediate predecessors to the Enfield 8000 included in our register.
Back in the early 1970's I used to follow an Orange Enfield to work up here on Tyneside. It was an evaluation car owned by Smiths Electric Vehicles-manufacturers of Milk Floats.
Smiths Electric became SEVCON who now design and manufacture DC Control systems for electric motors and are involved with a number of large car producers.
Subsequently from the dates discussed this must have been an Enfield 465 with a GRP body shell – one of the immediate predecessors to the Enfield 8000 included in our register.
Enfield 465 restored for station trips
Danny contacted us (2024) with some history of an early car BLB 2H which was bought direct from the Isle of Wight by his father in the early 1970's. Father and son travelled to the island to buy it and it was delivered soon afterwards. It was restored for his Mother to drive to the station. He remembers the white car with sliding doors drove really well and had very fast acceleration. If he remembers correctly it depending on how far you pushed the accelerator it brought more batteries into use.
Curiously the advert used to sell it came to light as well thus confirming the identity of the car. It was thought that it was indeed sold to a Museum despite not seeming to survive today |
If you would like your Enfield memories featured here then do contact us.