1899 Phebus 2 1/4hp Forecar
No Reserve

Registration No: BS 8509
Chassis No: 10062
MOT: Exempt

• Formerly part of the Ward Brothers Collection
• Powered by a De Dion Bouton 2 1/4hp engine with aftermarket water-cooled cylinder head allied to two-speed transmission
• History file includes V5C Registration Document, VCC Vehicle Identification and Certificate of Eligibility, John Foy invoice for £7,372.06 and sundry other paperwork
• Has completed London to Brighton and Creepy Crawly Runs

Comparatively short-lived with mentions in contemporary literature ranging from 1898 to 1902, Phebus tricycles, quadricycles and automobilettes were manufactured by Noe Boyer et Cie of Suresnes, Paris who were also agents for Societe Gladiator. Named after Phoebus, the Greek god responsible for driving the sun across the heavens each day, the French concern utilised proprietary De Dion Bouton and Aster engines. In 1899, a De Dion Bouton-powered Phebus tricycle completed a 1,600km Paris-Amsterdam-Paris route in thirty-nine hours, while that same year saw an Aster-propelled Phebus Quadricycle cover 2,000 miles in fifteen days. F.F. Wellington of London and F.A. Bennett & Co of Manchester were appointed as UK concessionaires (though, the former seems to have done the bulk of the advertising).

The only known survivor of its kind, this charming Veteran was formerly part of the renowned Ward Brothers Collection. The accompanying Vehicle Identification and Certificate of Eligibility report complied by the Dating Advisory Committee of the Veteran Car Company Ltd runs to sixty-eight pages and makes for interesting reading. It confirms that the Forecar’s tubular steel chassis is of typical Phebus design as is the use of fully elliptical front suspension and rear C-springs. Less certainty surrounds the front subframe which may or may not be of Phebus manufacture but the majority of the wooden body is thought to be original. The single-cylinder De Dion Bouton 2¼ hp engine has been dated to July 1899 and sports a later (but still period) aftermarket, water-cooled cylinder head. A two-speed gearbox is fitted with external band clutches. Concessions to modernity and reliability include an electric starter motor and Amal-type carburettor.

Entrusted to John Foy Veteran & Vintage Motorcar Restoration for a re-trim and sundry fettling by its previous keeper in June 2010 at a cost of £7,372.06, the Phebus entered the current family ownership via our December 2016 Chateau Impney auction. Entered for the 2011, 2012 and 2016 London to Brighton Veteran Car Runs, the Forecar has been inactive of late and thus requires recommissioning. The front and rear seat squabs have been mislaid but may have been located by the time of sale. Currently UK registered as ‘BS 8509’, the two-seater is offered for sale with history file, framed Phebus advertising poster and a retention certificate for the more appropriate number plate ‘RIG 1899’ which is valid until 2027.