Gilchrist Car Company Orchard Drive Giffnock Glasgow Lanarkshire
1920-1922
Sam Gilchrist was born on the 4th October 1887. His father's baking company Messrs Samuel Gilchrist were among the first to use commercial motor vehicles in Scotland, operating a fleet of Milnes-Daimlers. Sam learned to drive at the age of 13 on one of these vehicles. He had an early brush with the law when he took his fathers Clément-Talbot 12/16 out without permission and was caught doing 27.4 mph in a 10 mph limit, resulting in a £3 fine.
Following an apprenticeship, and three years studying metallurgy, Sam Gilchrist left for Australia in 1908, eventually settling in Christchurch, New Zealand where he set up a motor repair shop and built motorboats.
As the business prospered it allowed Gilchrist to indulge his other interest, flying. On one of his trips back to England he ordered a Blériot aircraft to be sent out to New Zealand. His father heard of the order and cancelled it fearing for his son's safety.
Gilchrist's experience with repairing cars convinced him that the vehicles exported to New Zealand where not suitable for the conditions and led him to design a car that would solve these problems. He returned to Britain to arrange for the supply of components but was unable to persuade suppliers to change their products to his specifications. The New Zealand business was sold at a profit and Gilchrist returned home to Glasgow, via short spells in Rio de Janeiro and Montevideo.
Gilchrist joined Scottish Commercial Cars Ltd in Duke Street, who were distributors for Commer Cars, as an engineer-designer and salesman where he stayed until the War Department commandeered Commer's Luton factory at the outbreak of war in 1914. During the war Commer supplied over 3000 vehicles under the War Office Subsidy Scheme but this left Scottish Commercial with nothing to sell, leading them to decide to make their own vehicles.
Harry and Edmund Tainsh of Scottish Commercial Cars, with some involvement from Gilchrist, designed a four-ton commercial vehicle that was to be sold as the Caledon. Around 400 were built during the war, the majority being supplied to civilian customers.
After the war Gilchrist left Scottish Commercial Cars (Named Caledon Motors Ltd in 1919) and became Managing Director of General Motors (Glasgow) Ltd at 225 Duke Street. (There is no connection to the American company of the same name). He stayed until September 1920 when he left to realise his ambition to design and build his own car.
The Gilchrist Car Company operated from a 20ft square garage to the rear of Sam Gilchrist's bungalow in Orchard Drive, Giffnock, later opening a sales office at 65 West Regent Street, Glasgow.
An expensive colour brochure was produced promoting the 12hp Gilchrist, boasting that "There are no finer materials grown, forged, rolled, moulded or drawn than those used to build the Gilchrist car."
Sam's brother-in-law, AM Morton, a colliery owner provided the finance and Gilchrist Cars Ltd was registered on the 10th December 1921 with capital of £10,000 with both Morton and Gilchrist shown as directors.
The cars were built at a factory at 11 Robert Street, Govan and an agent (A Macdougall of Devon Place, Edinburgh) appointed for Edinburgh and district.
Gilchrist wanted to use the Continental Red Seal engine imported from the USA and used by Morris. After Continental announced that they would no longer continue making the unit after the war, production had been taken over by Hotchkiss. Sam approached the works manager, Ainsworth, but Hotchkiss did not want to annoy such a big customer as Morris by supplying a rival. Ainsworth, instead offered an overhead-valve version of the 11.9hp engine similar to the one they supplied to Autocrat, which was accepted by Gilchrist.
The Gilchrist range for August 1921 consisted of a bare chassis for £475 or a four-seater De Luxe tourer at £625. October saw an all-weather tourer, a coupé and a saloon. Sim and Wilson of Cathcart, Glasgow supplied most of the aluminium over ash framework bodies. (They were also responsible for the Skeoch cyclecar bodywork). The overhead worm drive back axle was to Gilchrist's own design.
Sam personally tested every chassis and each car was hand crafted, although competition from Morris and Clyno meant that prices had to be lowered.
Gilchrist made their only show appearance at the 1922 Scottish Motor Show (27th January to 4th February) where they displayed a complete chassis along with a Sim and Wilson four-seat tourer and a cabriolet bodied by the Portland Motor Company of Edinburgh.
The post-war boom was not to last long; Morris had reduced prices by £100 in February 1921 and again in 1922, making a Gilchrist nearly 50% more expensive than a Morris. This and labour disputes and strikes, including the General Strike of 1926, began the decline for Gilchrist. His brother-in-law, with strikes in his own mines, withdrew his financial support and Gilchrist's new sports design never left the drawing board and he moved back to the original garage behind his bungalow.
Gilchrist continued to announce changes to his cars specifications and although in theory Gilchrist cars could still be purchased, they could only have been made up from existing stocks. Gilchrist later stated that the last Gilchrist car was built in 1921 and delivered in 1922.
Sam continued to be inventive and designed tools and equipment for the printing industry. By 1962 he was trying to market his patented device for wheel alignment.
He suffered a cerebral haemorrhage on the 2nd May 1962 and died shortly afterwards in hospital.
