1896 Motor Car Club: Inaugural Dinner
Note: This is a sub-section of the Motor Car Club
Article from Autocar (first part).[1]
On Friday week the inaugural dinner of the Motor Car Club, which, we may note, now numbers some three hundred members, was held at the Imperial Institute, being attended by a large company. During the afternoon a private view and display of motor carriages took place, arranged with a view to enabling members of the House of Lords, who are now discussing the proposed amendment in the law relating to motor carriages, to judge of the merits and capabilities of the different types of motor carriages and motor cycles which will be on view at the Imperial Institute during the exhibition which formally opens to-morrow, May 9th.
The examples displayed, without constituting a full list of all those which have been promised for exhibition, but which are not yet in such a state of preparedness as to justify their being shown publicly, were sufficiently representative to show the advances which have been made in the different types of carriages at present invented, and that they are already perfected.
Amongst the principal of those which are being practically displayed by Mr. Harry J. Lawson and the Motor Car Club are an oil motor cycle by the firm of De Dion & Bouton, of Paris, demonstrated by the Comte De Dion in person; an oil motor bicycle by Messrs. Duncan and Suberbie, of Paris, demonstrated by Mr. Duncan in person; two oil motor carriages by the Daimler Co., Ltd., 40, Holborn Viaduct, demonstrated by Mr. F. R. Simms, the engineer of the company, and his assistants; two electrical motor carriages by the Victoria Electric Co., of 39, Victoria Street, Westminster, demonstrated by Mr. C. Bersey and Mr. Stewart; an oil motor quadricycle by M. Bollee, of Paris, demonstrated by M. Bollee; an oil motor bicycle, demonstrated by Mr. New, of the firm New and Mayne, electrical engineers, Palace Chambers, Westminster, who also show several electrical and other motors manufactured by them; two Arnold oil motor carriages, demonstrated by Mr. Arnold and Mr. Hewetson, of 59, Mark Lane; several oil motor cycles and motor carriages, the joint inventions of Mr. Pennington and Mr. Kane, of Chicago, U.S.A., demonstrated by Mr. Pennington in person, assisted by Mr. Carse; an oil motor carriage by Messrs. Lutzmann, of Dessau, Germany, demonstrated by and the property of Mr. J. A. Koosen, of Southsea.
In addition to the above several motor carriages and cycles have arrived, and are already installed in the North Gallery, including an oil motor omnibus of Messrs. Panhard and Levassor; an oil motor omnibus of the Daimler Company; an electric carriage, constructed by Messrs. Krupp and Maberley, with a motor of a Spanish inventor; two steam carriages by Messrs. Serpollet, of Paris; a motor cycle of Herr Wegelin, of Germany; and an oil motor carriage of Messrs. L'Hollier and Gascoyne, of Birmingham.
The banquet was given by the chairman and vice-presidents of the Motor Car Club i.e., Mr. Harry J. Lawson (chairman), Lord Henry Fitzgerald, Lord Cardross, Hon. Evelyn Ellis, Mr. F. R. Simms, Mr. Bertram B. Van Praagh, and Mr. H. J. Mace.
Dinner was served in the newly-constructed dining pavilion in the East Gardens of the Imperial Institute, which was splendidly decorated for the occasion.
The Hon. Evelyn Ellis was in the chair, and amongst those present were the following: Lord Loch, Lord Powerscourt, Lord Henry Fitzgerald, Comte de Dion, Sir Frederick Abel, Bart., Sir G. Newnes, Bart., Sir Lepel Griffin, Sir A. Wilson, Sir John Puleston, Sir Somers Vine, the Hon. Duncan Gillies, Colonel C. Washington Ives, Mr. T. P. O'Connor, M.P., Messrs. W. Arnold, T. Adams, R. W. Anderson, A. Allison, A. H. Deaville Altree, E. Armstrong, C. Baker, C. Bersey, J. A. Bradshaw, W. W. Beaumont, W. H. Bailey, H. P. Becher, W. S. Brookman, G. Bartholomew, T. J. Bennett, Major Bolton, M. N. Bell, J. Beaufoy, A. J. Boult, W. Brampton, L. Bollee, E. Boothroyd, J. Briston, Campion, Sir H. Cartwright, J. Crowle, W. E. Chapman, W. H. Cousins, F. Coward, A. Collings, E. Crofton, Lieut.-Colonel C. F. Colville, L. D'Egvi1le, T. R. Dewar, Professor Dunstan, Dr. Duka, T. R. B. Elliott, P. J. Edwards, T. H. Elliott, C. P. Eleison, Major-General England, Jesse Ellis, W. C. Forster, O. Fry, H. Fyffe, A. B. Garside, F. W. W. Goodsnell, S. Gorton, A. B. Goodwin, W. G. D. Goff, Robert Gray, H. E. S. Holt, J. Harmsworth, Colonel C. J. Hill, H. Hewetson, Roland Hill, R. F. Holme, D. Hall, Major-General Hutchinson, W. Haberden, J. Hart, J. Harvey, N. Jones, A. Iliffe, Dr. Jeaffreson, B. Kingston, A. E. King, J. Koosen, Rev. T. Lawson, Colonel Lee, J. B. Loudon, Reg. Levsy, J. Latey, W. Latta, Lane, H. Mulliner, H. D. Maxim, Rev. E. McClure, W. Marshall, H. J. Mayne, L. Monckton, D. S. Meldrum, A. Macfarlane, A. F. Mulliner, H. Middleton, A. New, Supt. Neylan, L. J. N. Norman, W. Oliver, C. Osborn, Carl Oppermann, O. S. Filcher, E. E. Peacock, A. Pennington, J. Petter, H. Pollak, T. D. Roots, A. Randegger, G. W. Robinson, F. L. Robinson, L. S. Robinson, R. J. Ryle, J. K. Starley, S. H. Simmons, C. N. Stewart, Henry Sturmey, W. Shepherd, Steadman, Ct. L. de B. Sanvigny, B. Schofield, C. A. P. Truman, A. Thrupp, G. R. Thompson, T. Vosmer, G. T. White, W. F. Wyley, Wedlake, H. Wade, C. D. Yates, and Edmund Yates.
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