Chelsea Motor Building Co., Ltd.
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THE Chelsea Motor Building Co., 164, Kings Road, Chelsea, London, S.W., have had considerable experience in the manufacture of motor coach bodies of the ordinary open type, the semienclosed type, and the all-weather vehicle, and three examples of their distinct designs are to be exhibited on Stand No. 35, these including an all-the-yearround 25-seater coach, an 18-seater Pull. man saloon coach, and a 23-seater touring char-is-banes.
The 25-seater body, to which we have referred on several occasions, is a particularly useful body, for it enables a machine to be used in four distinct ways: (1) completely open with no covering ; (2) with a Cape-cart hood and side curtains ; (3) with the open-sided detachable rigid top ; or (4) as a totally enclosed saloon. The body is provided with a clean waist line for the reception of a detachable rigid top, together with its accompanying window sashes, the framing being brought over in such a manner as to ensure a perfect bed and at the sa.me time to provide a water-tight jeint. Like the met of the body, the window sashes are made of ash, and into these are fitted the lights enclosed in mahogany surroundings. The Upper halves of the windows are made to open inwards, and these are held in position, when down, by special spring clips against rubber silencers in order to prevent rattle. 'the body to be shown is upholstered throughout in real leather upon spring. frames, whilst it is also noteworthy that, the doors are all fitted with patent, railway doubletumbler safety locks. The sides and rear of the body, which, by the way, is fitted to a 25 h.p. Guy chassis, are fitted with en titators of the hinged type, and the roof with those ofthe torpedo type.
The Chelsea Pullman saloon is of similar construction to the above body, but in this case it has accommodation for 18 persons, the seats including 10 individual bucket seats approached by a central gangway. For the summer months the semi-perrnanent top and side windows can be removed, by which means the vehicle is transformed into an open touring car. This body is mounted on a 30-40 cwt. De Dion chassis fitted with Michelin pneumatics all round. Spare wheels are carried by means of an ingenious contrivance on the off side running beard, leaving the rear compartment free for the conveyance of luggage. The final exhibit on the Chelsea Motor Building Co.'s stand is mounted on an F.W.D. chassis, and the body is so constructed that a Chelsea rigid top can be fitted at any time without involving any structural alterations. A 'feature of fiihelsea bodies is that they are ail reinforced steel pressings, combining lightness with rigidity, and a point worthy of more than passing mention is that they embody many of the features successfully employed in railway coach construction ; as a matter of fact, the safety door-locks are identical with those in use on the Great Eastern Railway, whilst in the matter of ventilation the company have worked on the experience gamed by railway coach engineers