Mick Payne delves deeper into the history of Martello sidecars, and wonders if we’ll ever see a ‘Son of Moby Dick’.
Last month I touched upon the distinctive and shapely Kent Martello built by Martello Plastics Ltd, and for this part of the story I’m deeply indebted to Steven Lancaster, who has compiled
a comprehensive history of
the model.
About 24 were made over a period of 10 years, but the personal input by Martello’s owners, Les Bray and Len Turner, meant that the profitability was low. They were built to a standard rather than a price – an accountant’s nightmare!
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In the mid-1970s, enthusiast Clifford Day conceived and built ‘Moby Dick’, the brief being good aerodynamics with plenty of room for the passenger and luggage – a true sports/tourer, and hence the Marcos connection and even, it is reputed, the Brabham F1 engineering facility.
Read more in September’s edition of OBM
