Author: GUY MOTORS LTD
Title: Trade Catalogue or Works Album.
Description: Wolverhampton: Guy Motors Ltd., c. 1925. Traveller's sample catalogue or works album, 230 x 280 mm. with folding descriptive advert, view of the factory and 43 illustrations, of which 21 are real photographs mounted into the album. 4 photographs with surface damage where they have adhered to the image opposite. Guy Motors was founded in 1914 by Sidney Guy, previously works manager at Sunbeam, and the company played a significant part in the British commercial motor industry introducing a number of innovations which were later more widely adopted. This catalogue is from their inter-war heyday when their chassis were extensively used on a wide variety of commercial vehicles including trucks, tipper lorries, travelling shops, refuse vehicles, water sprayers, ambulances and coaches, all of which are illustrated here. They adopted the slogan "Feathers in Our Cap" in 1924 which led to their use of a native American mascot to their vehicles. Here there is simply the use of 5 feathers, so presumably early in the use of the slogan. During and following WW2 they concentrated on military vehicles, and after the war they returned to bus and coach production, especially for the export market, setting up a manufacturing agreement with India. Following an ill-advised entry into the South African market and problems with their new bus model, they faced increasing financial pressure and entered receivership in 1961. The firm was bought by Jaguar, later merged into British Leyland and although Guy badged vehicles continued to be built, they finally ceased production in 1972> the factory closed down in 1981, another nail in the coffin of the British motor industry.

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