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Valveless

English automobile (1908–1915)

The Valveless was an English automobile manufactured, after lengthy development, from 1908 until 1915 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. The successor to the Ralph Lucas Valveless, the car marked the entry of the David Brown & Sons group into the manufacture of motors. Its engine was a 20 or 25 hp duplex two-stroke model which was advertised as having "only six working parts"; these included two pistons, two connecting rods, and two crankshafts, which were geared together and counter-rotated.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

1908Founded1
  • Industryautomotive industry1

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Valveless Car
Photo: Charlesdrakew, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons4

The Valveless was an English automobile manufactured, after lengthy development, from 1908 until 1915 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire. The successor to the Ralph Lucas Valveless, the car marked the entry of the David Brown & Sons group into the manufacture of motors. Its engine was a 20 or 25 hp duplex two-stroke model which was advertised as having "only six working parts"; these included two pistons, two connecting rods, and two crankshafts, which were geared together and counter-rotated. This is a type of engine configuration known as a split single since it is effectively a single cylinder split into two.2

Products and brands

1908

20 hp 2-cylinder 133 × 140 = 3.891 litres

1909–1911

25 hp 2-cylinder 133 × 140 = 3.891 litres

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1911-1915

15 hp 2-cylinder 112 × 127 = 2.503 litres

1913

15 hp 2-cylinder 118 × 127 = 2.503 litres

1913–1914

19.9 hp 2-cylinder 127 × 127 = 3.217 litres

1915

19.9 hp 2-cylinder 127 × 133 = 3.546 litres

The cars with smaller engines had slightly shorter wheelbases and so were lighter.

From Wikipedia’s article on Valveless, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3

Timeline

  1. 1908Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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