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LUCAS King of the Road No. 636 Antique Brass Side Car Lamp
Authentic patina, few/no dents or scratches, lenses good.
Best one on the market.
Flat rate shipping includes insurance.
Maker: Jos Lucas, Birmingham, England
Date: Estimated 1910 - 1920
History: Joseph Lucas, joined by his son, Harry, began manufacturing paraffin lamps in 1875, primarily for bicycles until the event of the car when they soon became the major player within the marketplace. So successful was the company that by 1896, a second company was opened in America together with The New Departure Bell Company. The name, King of the Road was originally used in 1878 for the bicycle lamp, but the name stuck and was found on their most prestigious (and highly priced) lamps right until the 1920s. However, already in 1903, the company started experimenting in caroffere lamps. The light produced by caroffere was four times brighter than oil and soon afterwards the oil lamp was dropped from manufacture.
Description: The Caroffere lamp on offer is a left-hand side light which would have been attached to the left side of the car, just in front of the cab. It is an early oil lamp and would have been found on Veteran cars. It shows three lights, the major light to the front, a side light allowing persons on the sidewalk to see the car was moving and a small rear light so that the driver could ascertain the light was still working. A copper plaque is found just below the main light, inscribed Lucas Model No 636 King of the Road Jos Lucas Ltd Birmingham.
