1904 Royal Enfield Tricycle Forecar

As you can see from the photos, a lot of care has gone into the factory construction of this passenger-carrying forecar. Although the rolling chassis of the Royal Enfield ‘Large Carrier Tricycle No 1’ was usually fitted to commercial carriers, it was also advertised as being available for any application. The Royal Enfield catalogue announced:

‘We are prepared to undertake the construction of any type of carrier other than standard, and to gratuitously prepare drawings and estimates to customers’ specifications.’

The elaborate, elegant curved springs and shaped wicker seat support suggest that the front end of this forecar was designed for this specific purpose, and that this was not a one-off bespoke build. Nevertheless, I have not come across another example, so presumably they were not manufactured in great quantity, most likely only to a customer’s order.