Engineering:Lomax (auto)
The Lomax is a British kit car based on mechanical components of the Citroën 2CV. It has been in production since 1982 when it was introduced by the Lomax Motor Co of Willoughton, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire. In the late 1980s the production was transferred to the Mumford Motor Co. of Gigg Mill, Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, where it was produced until the early 1990s. From then it was built at Cradley Motor Works in Cradley Heath, West Midlands. By 2009 the car was being made by Cradley Motor Works of St Leonard's-on-Sea, East Sussex. It was designed by Nigel Whall.[1] From the early 1990s the Lomax has also been sold in the Netherlands and Germany .
Design
The design is slightly reminiscent of the legendary Morgan Three Wheeler of the 1930s. The car consists of a fibreglass body mounted on an un-modified Citroën 2CV or Dyane floorpan. Later a steel tube chassis was introduced.
A Lomax is usually an open roadster, which is driven completely without a roof.
The original 1982 prototype had a bespoke four-wheel chassis which was specially constructed, and of shorter wheelbase than the donor car, a Citroën Ami8. Early "3-wheel" variants were actually four wheeled, with two rear wheels closely paired as in some Heinkel bubble cars of the 1960s, but this arrangement was soon dropped to allow the 3-wheel road-tax rates which in the UK are lower than for 4-wheel vehicles. Later versions were genuine trikes, three wheels with two wheels in front and one at the back. This was later followed by a four-wheel variant using an unmodified 2CV chassis. The model designations are 223 (2 cylinders - 2 seats - 3 wheels) or 224 (2 cylinders - 2 seats - 4 wheels). A few examples used the engine from the contemporary Citroën GS or GSA. These were designated 424 (4 cylinders, 2 seats, 4 wheels).
The Lomax has usually 29-35 bhp, weighs approximately 430 kilograms (950 lb), has 2 seats and a top speed of 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph).
Petrol consumption is 4 L/100 km (71 mpg‑imp; 59 mpg‑US)-6 L/100 km (47 mpg‑imp; 39 mpg‑US).
Lomax 223
A 4 wheeled version of the Lomax was also available, caled 224. The naming convention was the number of seats, the number of cylinders and the number of wheels.
In media
- A Lomax sold for $7,100 on a 2011 episode of the U.S. television series Auction Kings.
References
- ↑ Georgano, N. (2000). Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. London: HMSO. ISBN 1-57958-293-1.
External links
Flymall Wheels & Wings Tech Tip Page http://flymall.org/magento/index.php/tech-tips/lomax.html
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