W & G Du Cros

W & G Du Cros Limited also well-known as W & G was a business established in 1901 as a motor importers and dealership by Harvey Du Cros, founder of the pneumatic tyre industry also founder and head of the Dunlop Rubber Company and a major investor in businesses connected to the automobile. It grew into a major taxicab business and car and commercial motor-body builder which manufactured it own brand lorries and passenger vehicles.

It became a subsidiary of a major car manufacturing combine which fell into financial difficulties in the Great Depression and W & G Du Cros closed its doors in 1935.

Though Dunlop was late to move into the manufacture of car tyres Lord Montagu of Beaulieu persuaded Du Cros to buy a French Panhard & Levassor. Impressed, Du Cros obtained the rights to sell Panhard & Levassor cars in Britain and Ireland and the colonies. A showroom was set up in Lower Regent Street, London W1 at the junction with Carlton Street on the ground floor of Dunlop Rubber's head office.

Harvey's youngest sons, William and George Du Cros, were directors of Dunlop but found time to attend the Paris exhibitions as British concessionaires to welcome English-speaking visitors to Panhard & Levassor's displays. The business extended to Ireland where they were retailers of Mercedes, Swift and Austin cars as well as Panhard & Levassor. Harvey Du Cros had major holdings in Swift and Austin and was Austin's deputy chairman. The Panhard's were serviced and repaired in premises in Kimberley Road Willesden Lane NW.

They established one of London's major taxi fleets using Napier as well as Panhard & Levassor taxicabs. Both brands of the taxis had yellow bonnets to their engines, W & G was inscribed on their radiators and their drivers wore special grey uniforms. New premises were bought in Warple Way Acton to provide a depot and service facilities tor the taxicab business. These new premises also included a foundry. In 1908 W & G Du Cros was incorporated as a limited liability company and William and George Du Cros were joint managing directors. In 1910 W & G Du Cros employed about one thousand drivers and in Warple Way, close to Napier's Works, they made taxicab bodies. Offices were in the same block of buildings but at number 177 Acton Vale, on the corner of Warple Way and Acton Vale. From cab bodies they moved on to lorry bodies and then complete W & G lorries using bought-in engines and mechanicals. In 1920 they listed W & G delivery vans with 23.7 hp and 25 hp engines and 30cwt and 40cwt capacities.

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