Cubitt's Aylesbury home

There is interest in the fate of old motor factories and racing shops, etc. A long time ago, riding into Aylesbury in a Model-T or Lancia bus from Waddesdon, I used to note the remains of the old Cubitt car factory on the left of the Bicester Road. A Motor Sport reader, Michael Potter, has sent me a 1982 piece from the Bucks Herald, which shows that then it was occupied by Versatile Fittings Ltd. The factory dated back to WWI for the tentmaker James Putman, but closed in 1918. Cubitt’s bought it in 1919, aiming to build their 2.8-litre 16/20 car there on a mass-production scale of 5000 a year. That ran into difficulties, and in 1924 the company was wound up with a loss of £420,000 and 500 jobs. The place remained empty until Hazell, Watson & Viney took it over in 1938.

During WWII EK Cole made Ekco radio equipment there. In Cubitt’s hey-day you might see an enormous line-up of cars outside the four-bay building under a huge ‘The Cubitt Car’ notice.