PAST IMPERFECT:Laurence Pomeroy was a designer of genius, with a career starting at Vauxhall and ending in aircraft, writes BOB MONTGOMERY
ONE OF the most liked and respected figures of the British motor industry in the period between the two world wars was designer Laurence H Pomeroy.
Born in 1883, Pomeroy, like many other well-off young men of his time, served an apprenticeship with the North London Railway Company. Following this he obtained a position with Vauxhall, which by then had moved to Luton from its original base in the district near the Thames in London, from which it took its name.
At just 25, Pomeroy became Vauxhall’s designer, producing his first car for the brand in 1908. That car “put Vauxhall in the forefront of advanced thinking”. Always interested in using motor sport to improve his designs, by 1910 Pomeroy was achieving speeds of 100mph in Vauxhall sports cars at Brooklands and by 1912, to no one’s surprise, he was appointed chief designer at the company.
Following the first World War, Pomeroy left Vauxhall, a move that Frederick Lanchester forecast would mark the doom of the company: “If I had shares in Vauxhall, I would sell them quick. . . it was as nearly a one-man show as anything in the country.” Pomeroy went to the US, where his talents were employed designing and building an all-aluminium car.
In 1925, he returned and joined Daimler. Much had changed in the industry – Vauxhall was now owned by General Motors and the economic slump meant that it was all-important that car manufacturers got their model line-up right if they were to survive.
Pomeroy stayed 10 years at Daimler, despite his early years being a succession of resounding rows with Frederick Lanchester. The differences between the two – both designers of genius in their own right – undoubtedly stemmed from the fact that Pomeroy was one of the few motor men of the time who was sufficiently well-versed in the technical aspects of motor engineering to take on Lanchester. Percy Martin, the affable chairman of Daimler, smoothed over their differences and, in 1929, Pomeroy was made managing director.
Pomeroy wanted to introduce a more popular Daimler, which would appeal to the middle classes and, in 1931, when the opportunity to buy the Lanchester Motor Company arose, Pomeroy saw this as a chance to introduce his poppet-valve engine under their name, which, he hoped, would be the first step in introducing his planned Daimler for the masses.
Sadly, it was a scheme that was never to materialise. Percy Martin retired in 1935 and Pomeroy was subsequently pushed out, failing to be re-elected to the board of the company in 1936.
He elected to leave the motor industry and joined The de Havilland Aircraft Company as general manager of its aircraft division. Pomeroy was never at ease there and soon moved on to H M Hobson.
He died in 1941, his greatest achievements being the sporting cars that he had designed while working for Vauxhall.
Pomeroy's son, also named Laurence, became a distinguished motoring writer, spending many years as technical director of Motormagazine.