Iris (car)

Iris was a British car brand that was manufactured from 1906-1925 by Legros & Knowles Ltd in Willesden, London and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.

The Iris Motor Co, was established at Holland St, Brixton, London,in 1902. It made motorcycles until 1904 and later the Iris car.

Lucien Alphonse Legros (1866-1933), O.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., M.I.C.E., son of the artist Alphonse Legros, and Guy Knowles, scion of a wealthy and artistic family, founded Legros & Knowles Ltd in Cumberland Park, Willesden Junction, Willesden, London in 1904 to build and repair vehicles. They had met while Knowles was studying art under Alphonze Legros. Knowles provided most of the financial capital while Legros, an older, experienced tramway engineer, was the main designer.

Two Legros & Knowles vehicles were shown at the 1904 Olympia Show, but they were cumbersome, outdated designs with chain drive, slow revving engines and magneto ignition. They were subsequently referred to as the 'Old Buggerinas'.

From 1904 Legros & Knowles manufactured Iris cars.

In November 1905 a new Iris model appeared with shaft drive and the diamond shaped radiator. It was designed by Ivon M. de Havilland, elder brother of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, who had been at Harrow school with Knowles ten years earlier. (Note - de Havilland died approximately a year later.) Also in 1905 some marine units were built, based on the original Legros engine design, one of which was installed in the motor yacht Iris at the Southampton trials.

By 1907 Frank T. Burgess was involved with the design at Iris. He later designed both the 1914 T.T. Humber and the 3 litre Bentley for W. O. Bentley.

In 1907 Iris Cars Ltd was founded as a distribution company for the production models. It collapsed in 1908 (or 1909).

The factory in Willesden was quite small, comprising a machine shop, engine room which drove all the machinery, the erecting shop with space for four chassis, and the blacksmith's shop. Upstairs there was a light machine shop, fitting shop, parts store and pattern maker's shop. A separate building contained the office, the drawing office, and engine test-shop. There was no foundry. The total workforce was less than 60.

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