Erling Poppe

1951 Sunbeam S8

Erling Poppe (1898–1970)[1] was an Austrian-born English-raised motor vehicle designer who studied engineering in Birmingham, England, and designed Packman & Poppe Motorcycles, Sunbeam motorcycles and Gordon three wheeler cars.

Early life

Erling Poppe was born in Steyr, Austria, 12 November 1898, the son of Norwegian Peter August Poppe (1871-1933) and Frederikke Emilie his Norwegian wife[2] while his father had been on loan to Steyr Mannlicher. The whole family were settled in Coventry by February 1901 when their next child was born.[3] Peter was to become co-founder and managing director of White and Poppe in Coventry, England, and later chief engineer of Rover.

Motor cycles

At Packman & Poppe Motorcycles in 1922 Erling Poppe was responsible for their first motorcycle which featured a 250 cc two-stroke engine, a 976 cc side-valve machine with a JAP V-twin engine in 1923 and the Silent Three using a 350 cc Barr and Stroud sleeve-valve engine.[4]

Poppe designed the Sunbeam S7 and S8 motorcycles based on the BMW R75 designs that were acquired by BSA (together with the full rights to the Sunbeam brand) at the end of World War II.[5] Built in Redditch, the engine layout was an unusual in-line 500 cc twin with a shaft drive to the rear wheel.

Motorcars

At Gordon, Poppe designed a three-wheeled two-seater with a single front wheel. The single-cylinder, 197 cc, Villiers engine was mounted next to the driver (RHD), outside of the body with an external chain-drive to one rear wheel. Access to the interior was via a single door. The steel body had a folding fabric roof, and at £300 it was the cheapest car on the UK market.[6][7][8]

References

  1. ↑ England and Wales marriages and deaths Retrieved 2014-12-19
  2. ↑ 1911 census Findmypast
  3. ↑ 1901 census Findmypast
  4. ↑ "TT 1925 Lightweight TT Results". Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  5. ↑ Kemp, Andrew (2001). Classic British Bikes. Bookmart Ltd. pp. 124–125. ISBN 1-86147-058-4.
  6. ↑ The Complete Encyclopedia of Motorcars, 1885 to the Present. Edited by G.N. Georgano. Published by George Rainbird Ltd, 1973.
  7. ↑ Linz, Schrader: Die Internationale Automobil-Enzyklopädie.
  8. ↑ Georgano: The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile.
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