On December 30th 1899 the Albion Motor Company was established.
When we think of car manufacturers nowadays, even going back to the likes of Linwood and the Hillman Imp in the 60’s was made and designed by Rootes, an English company, Albion was all Scottish, from the people who formed the company, to the workers on the floor and those that bought the products.
The Albion Motor Company was founded, initially with seven employees, at Finnieston Street in Glasgow, the firm was started by Thomas Blackwood Murray and Norman Osbourne Fulton and initially produced both cars and commercial vehicles, switching to the production of military vehicles during World War One.
The firm was originally named the Albion Motor Car Company and re-named Albion Motors in 1930. In the 50’s, the firm amalgamated with Leyland Motors.
The firm’s first car, built in 1900, was a cart powered by an eight horse-power engine, with solid tyres. By 1915, the company had five different models in production. The motor trade must have ran in the blood of Fulton’s family, his cousin, George Johnston is credited with building Scotland’s first car in 1895, called the “mo-car” It was also the first to be built in the United Kingdom.
Albion Motors switched to mainly commercial vehicles production in the years before World War I, producing trucks and buses, including bus models Valiant, Victor and Viking.
In 1957, Lancashire-based Leyland Motors acquired Albion Motors as the first step in an expansionist policy, which saw famous names like Scammell, A.E.C. and Guy succumb. Albion Motor’s name was changed, rather ignominiously, to Leyland (Glasgow) and later, in 1987, to Leyland-DAF.
1993 saw a management buy-out that brought Albion Automotive, as it then became known, back into Scottish ownership. Since 1998, Albion Automotive has been a subsidiary of American Axle & Manufacturing, and manufactures axles, driveline systems, chassis systems, crankshafts and chassis components out of its premises on South Street, which it took over from the neighbouring Coventry Ordnance Works in 1969.
Today, you can visit the Biggar, & Upper Clydesdale Museum and see the biggest collection of Albions in the world, also check the website here https://www.biggarmuseumtrust.co.uk/albion-car-comes…/….
