Working for a materials handling platform you can't help but get a little obsessed with forklift history. So when I came across some of the great archival LinkedIn posts that Michael Edmonds of Eastern Lift Truck has been putting together, I just had to share. Here he delves into the history of Coventry Climax and its connection to the Grand Prix.
Michael: This fun old Coventry Climax advertisement recently caught my eye. I grabbed it from a Hagerty article.
Coventry Climax was a British company, founded in 1903. During its interesting run, it manufactured engines for cars, such as iconic British Morgans and Triumphs.
By the 1940s the company switched to making fire pumps, and then in 1949, it produced what some deem to be Britain's first forklift, the model ET199.
Later the company supplied engines for use in Grand Prix winning race cars, and in 1963, the business was purchased by Jaguar.
At some point in the 1980s the business went into receivership and Kalmar purchased the forklift interests.
...and here is a photo of a Coventry Climax ET199 forklift for anyone who is interested.
Coventry Climax ET 199 forklift, built in 1949. Photographed in Coventry Transport Museum.
Rosie: I did a little extra digging, and apparently it was 1985 when Kalmar Industries acquired the forklift truck interests of Coventry Climax. The company traded under the name of Kalmar Climax for a few years before changing its name to Kalmar Industries Ltd.
You can learn more about Coventry Climax's history with Jaguar via the Jaguar Heritage Trust. It's a great read and features some great black and white archival photos of a number of Coventry Climax models getting about their business.
And keep up the good work Michael, I love all the #ThursdayThrowback stories you feature on LinkedIn keep them coming!
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