Crossley Bros. was launched in 1867 by brothers Francis and William J. Crossley. Both brothers had served separate engineering apprentices and were looking to build their own businesses. With the help of his uncle, Francis bought an engineering business in Manchester city center, and William soon joined him.
The Crossleys manufactured pumps, presses and small steam engines. Said to be devoted Christians totally opposed to the consumption of alcohol, the Crossleys refused to sell equipment to breweries, as they did not approve of their machinery being used for the production of alcohol. In 1869, the brothers obtained the rights to the patents to a gas-powered atmospheric internal combustion engine designed by German engineers and inventors Nikolaus August Otto and Carl Eugen Langen. These engineering icons were responsible for the development of the modern internal combustion engine, so acquiring the rights to these designs was an extremely smart move by Crossley.
Atmospheric engines weren’t around for long, and 4-stroke was to be the next step. In 1876, Crossley’s rights were extended to the famous Otto 4-stroke engine, and business boomed. The company moved to larger premises, became a limited company, and made several significant technical improvements, such as the poppet valve, the hot tube ignitor and the carburetor. Their “heavy fuel”
