CHIEF ADVANTAGE

uy Motors was registered as a company by Sidney S Guy in 1914 on the day he left his position as Works Manager at Sunbeam. Just as the design of its 30cwt lorry was finalised, Guy Motors was taken under the control of the Ministry of Munitions. Utilising an engine approved by the Ministry and shared with Karrier and AEC, the company also built such diverse products as light aircraft engines and depth-charge fuses and in 1919, it would build a four-litre V8 car engine; a first for a UK manufacturer. This rather unusual mix of innovation and shared components was to way mark Guy Motors’ history to a great extent. Despite developing its own engine for the luxury car, Guy bought-in a Coventry Climax unit for its smaller, cheaper model. Using the slogan ‘Feathers in our cap’ in 1924, saw the use of the Native American mascot, although the original reason behind its adoption isn’t clear. The company grew its bus business from then on achieving export sales in countries around the globe. However, having overreached with investments and takeovers, the 1920s recession nearly spelled the end for Guy Motors. Armoured vehicle production in World War Two was to bolster its fortunes once more and postwar it was established as one of Britain’s leading bus manufacturers at home and exporting to 26 countries. The lorry side of the business grew out of this and the larger export chassis used in some bus applications would lend themselves to goods vehicle development.