Where to guv’nor? Rare original London black cab which spelled beginning of the end for horse drawn carriages emerges for sale after being found languishing in a barn

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Where to guv’nor? Rare original London black cab which spelled beginning of the end for horse drawn carriages emerges for sale after being found languishing in a barn

June 2nd, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

The 102-year-old cab is up for sale and could fetch more than £20,000
It was kept in a Gloucestershire barn and has now been completely refurbished
This car was used in the 1955 flick ‘The Man Who Loved Red Heads’ and has not been seen in public since

By
Martin Robinson

PUBLISHED:

07:41 EST, 1 June 2012

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UPDATED:

10:57 EST, 1 June 2012

It is the machine that helped wipe horse-drawn carriages from the streets of London.

And now, 102 years on from its heyday, one of the capital’s original motorised black cabs is ready to hit the road again after years wasting away in a British barn.

The incredibly-rare French-made Panhard-Levassor motor, one of only hundreds made for Britain, was picking up London’s upper classes in 1910, and is now up for auction.

Toot toot! This incredibly rare original London black cab from 1910 has emerged from a barn in Gloucestershire where it has been languishing for 15 years

Piece of history: The black cab in action in its heyday 100 years ago still retains its taxi meter and includes switches in the back so the passengers could tell the driver which way to go

Piece of history: The black cab was in its heyday 100 years ago and still retains its taxi meter and includes switches in the back so the passengers could tell the driver which way to go

With its original taxi meter, and century-old intercom system, it has not been seen widely since 1955, when it appeared alongside star Moira Shearer in the 1955 flick ‘The Man Who Loved Red Heads’.

The car, which has a top speed of 40mph, has been kept in a barn near Wotton-Under-Edge in Gloucestershire for the last 15 years. Now, it could fetch more than £20,000.

Richard Edmonds, whose saleroom is selling the car, said: ‘Panhard-Levassor was a quality French manufacturer.

Off the road: The 102 year old cab in the barn at Gloucestershire, which has now been beautifully restored

Off the road: The 102-year-old cab in the barn at Gloucestershire, and it has now been beautifully restored and prepared for sale

History: A newspaper article about the car being bought 60 years ago. It has been in the same family ever since

‘They were the original black cabs and took over from horse drawn
carriages. I expect most of them have been destroyed and we don’t know
how many are left.

THE BLACK CAB: A POTTED HISTORY

The first London black cab – a horse and coach – appeared in the 17th Century, named after the French term hacquenée, which means literally ‘ambling nag’. In 1625 there were as few as 20, operating out of pub yards.

Until 1831 anyone, generally, could drive one until The London Hackney Carriage Act was passed, and the Met took over licensing the trade.

Then 60 years later fixed fares ended when the taximeter was invented and added, allowing drivers to charge for each trip individually. It also led to the name ‘taxi’.

The first motorised version came towards the end of the 19th century, and was electrically powered. Around a decade later petrol cars took over but they were from all over the world and different shapes and sizes.

It was only in the 1930s that the cabs had to be British and the last horse and coach taxi disappeared in 1947.

‘This is in great condition with the original leather interior and it
still has its meter. There is also a mechanism for the passengers to
tell the driver which way to go.

‘It has a 16 horsepower
engine with a three speed gearbox and would have gone about 30 or 40mph.

‘It has wooden wheels with early pneumatic tyres and has paraffin powered lights on the front and back.

‘It became a minor celebrity in its own right and made public appearances and appeared in films.

‘I’m sure there will be a lot of interest at the sale.’

The French firm made 1,400 of the cars, with 800 right-hand drive versions being exported to the UK. It is not known how many are left today.

Its history with the family that now owns it began when a Reverend Martin Atkinson saw it by chance in Liverpool, where it was due to be exported to America, and bought it in the 1950s.

It has remained in the family ever since.

The auction will be held at The Castle Combe race circuit, Chippenham, Wilts, on June 30.

Historic: In the past London was filled with carriages like this one, but motorised vehicles spelled the end for them