Nailsworth Ladder
The claim to fame of the sturdily built Hampton was its remarkable series of ascents of the then-notorious Nailsworth Ladder, near Stroud, in 1914. The Hampton, then a twin-cylinder car, driven by its designer, W. Paddon, made numerous successful climbs with two, three and four passengers, often stopping and restarting on the steepest part of the gradient (1 in 2|). One or two sporting models were turned out by the concern after the war, but, in the main, production was concentrated on touring types. The 1,496-c.c. (63 x 120-mm.) four-cylinder o.h.v. engine was noteworthy in that the block was constructed entirely of aluminium, cast-iron liners being used for the cylinders.
A detachable cylinder head was fitted, and the power unit produced some 18 b.h.p. at the low engine speed of 1,800 r.p.m. Experiences in hill-climbing events caused the Hampton to be supplied with a rear axle the gear ratios of which could be changed with very little dismantling. A cone clutch was used, and suspension was by semi-elliptics at the front and three-quarter- elliptics at the rear. The Stroud concern did not have a large output of cars, being content to market extremely well-built, hand-made cars, which had a great reputation for all-round reliability and hard-wearing properties. |
