BSA Early Tourer (1907–1915) History

The Birmingham Small Arms Company established a motor-car department in 1907, producing a prototype that year and selling around 150 cars in 1908. The initial range comprised three four-cylinder models — the 14/18, 18/23, and 25/33 hp — with engines displacing between 2.5 and 4.2 litres; the larger cars drew directly on the Itala design that had competed in the 1907 Peking–Paris race.

In 1910 BSA acquired the Daimler Company, using Daimler's manufacturing expertise and engineering talent to shore up its struggling car operation. By 1912, car production was transferred from Birmingham's Sparkbrook works to Coventry, and the range was rationalised to a single model: the 13.9 hp with a 2,015 cc four-cylinder engine. The bodies built at Sparkbrook were notable for being among the earliest examples of all-metal bodywork. World War I ended production in 1914–1915.