The Fleetwood-Knight of Kingston

By Lloyd Davis the original designer

From the time I was able to perceive, wheels and motion intrigued me, and as time progressed, so increased my desire to improve what was before me.

In 1906, a ride in a Stevens-Duryea convinced me that nothing to that date had been created to parallel the adventures of this Planet. A tremendous experience, moving along at the stupendous speed of fifteen miles per hour, something to remember forever.

Having been sufficiently fortunate to be born into a family of Boat Builders and Designers which included the manufacture of steam boilers, steam engines, gasoline engines and all types of boats, there isn't any surprise to me that I had the desire to manufacture a masterpiece to run on four wheels.

About the year 1912 my Father introduced a Mclaughlin Roadster and an E.M.F. Touring into the family after having been transported prior to this time by a horse and Mclaughlin rubber tired Buggy which at that time was solid comfort. It was at this time I commenced driving the Cars around the Shipyard and in 1914 commenced driving on the roads, which was an experience.

During the early spring of 1917 an offer to drive a 1915 Cadillac during my summer vacation for a wealthy family was made which I accepted very readily. The odometer registered 3,800 miles in spite of it being two years old, it was a beautiful automobile. It was necessary to pass a test in order to get a license. This was int he form of a lapel button and which I still have in my possession. It was termed a "licensed Operator" and the number 4765. I could write a book on the many experiences during that summer.

From the autumn of 1917 to the spring of 1918 an other project was handed to me, to design a heavy duty truck to carry a load of approximately fifteen tons and with numerous specifications to fit into the shipyard requirements. The truck was completed the following year and met all requirements. Specifications would require a couple pages, there were twenty-one speedsforward and besides a jack shaft with chain drive to rear wheels (which were equipped with twelve inch solid rubber dual tires) the variable speeds were gained by using two four speed transmissions which, as you can readily gather, had a multiplicity of combinations.

In the year 1919 I was approached by Professor Lindsay Malcolm of Queen's University, whom I knew very well. He asked if I would go with him on the construction of Queen's Stadium in Kingston to supervise all mechanical equipment which I did and finished in time to get back to school. It was a most interesting adventure.

It was in 1923 that the design for the Fleetwood Knight was commenced. From here on, the story of this project is explained in the General Specifications with Smith Bros. Motor Body Works in Toronto, commissioned to build the bodies when the running chassis were completed.

The Roadster which was completed after the Sedan was also quite a success and which I used for transportation when I joined General Motors as Assistant Chassis Engineer in 1927 in Oshawa. The Chief Engineer at that time spent a great deal of time going over the job along with many others in the organization. The Engineer in charge of the Cadillac Division christened it "H.M.S. FURIOUS".

Eventually I sold the Roadster to a Garageman Operator in Oshawa who drove it for a considerable time. He then sold it to another chap located in the neighbourhood of North Bay who operated it on a Mail Route for a long period of time covering about one hundred sixty miles per day to the west of North Bay and in the early sixties I understand it had travelled in excess of four hundred thousand miles. I was able to get some information on it and the service required up to that time had been four sets of piston rings, three sets of piston pins and three sets of main and connecting rod bearings, also one timing chain. Of course, there were numerous sets of Tires. The car was lost in quick-sand when it went off the road during the sixties. If it couldbe located now it would, no doubt, be worth a few dollars. The Sedan was badly damaged by fire many years ago.

When World War II commenced I joined the Aircraft Controller's Department and was connected with the Anson Program up to the Anson Mark Five, then with DeHavilland Aircraft on the Mosquito Program to the end of the War. Later on I formed my Chartered Company in the General Contracting business, mostly Industrial Building with the exception of a few high priced custom Homes. Presently I am, in addition to my Company operation, connected with several operations at the Toronto International Airport.

If I had more time left, I would like to design and build cars again to meet the present demands, one that would last at least half a lifetime. I don't think I would be very popular with the Motor Car Industry.