Page 69 - Mar2023
P. 69
1925 Th e Th o mo n d 1954 t h e DAW B 6
As we know, motorcar enthusiasts are not The partnership of Davy Woods and
easily deterred. motorcycle racer Artie Bell, to their
credit, did manage to produce the
Between 1925 and 1933, another dreamer
DAWB6 in County Antrim; it also took
James A. Jones set up a garage in Dublin.
them eight years to do it.
There, assisted by his chief mechanic Ben
Parsons and other helpers, four cars known The pair began in 1954 and in 1962 they
as Thomonds, were built. finished. Their six cylinder motorcar, with
innovative flush door handles, was
Thomond 1 was produced in 1925. In 1929
immediately named Davy?s Folly.
Thomond 2 was commissioned by a Mr.
Dick Humphreys. If you?d like to visit this only one of its
kind touring car, you?l have to make a
l
James next built a Thomond saloon car in
visit to the Ulster Transport Museum.
1930 and in 1933, Thomond 2 was rebuilt
and recommissioned as Thurmond # 4. 1959 Th e Sh a mr o c k
While Davy and Bell were mid-way in their
unrequited love affair with car building, an
American, with an Irish born wife, came visiting
to see the family relations. He was struck by
the poverty he saw all around him in Ireland,
and, as Americans tend to do, Mr. Fix-it
decided he knew a way to help both the
people and the economy.
His idea was that he would build a luxury
automobile in Ireland and then export it and
sell it in America, as the locals could build it but
t
couldn? afford to own it. He hit upon what he
thought was the perfect name. William Curtis
called his dream The Shamrock Car.
Mr. Humphreys was proud of his car. He
Originally the plan was to construct the
reported that it had cost him £349 to Shamrock in County Kerry but difficulties arose
purchase, that he achieved a high mileage and instead Curtis built a 40,000 square foot
of 30 mpg, and that the tires lasted for plant in County Monaghan in the romantic
25,000 miles. A total production of four sounding town of Castleblayne.
cars, especially when one was a rebuild of In 1959 our young entrepreneaur took his idea
car number 3, does not a business model to the American media, telling no less a trade
publication than Motor Trend that he intended
make. Mr. Jones folded his manufacturing
to produce this sporty, sort of T-birdy looking
dream. The handsome Thomond eventually
car for $2,495. His production goal in the first
did get its own postage stamp. year was 3,000 cars.
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