DescriptionThe Lewis factory pictured was on Molton Street in Adelaide c. 1905-1906. The Lewis Company began as cycle manufacturers, the first Lewis car was produced in 1900. The company at this time was based in McHenry Street, the Molton Street factory was built in 1904, with the shop front ‘Lewis Motor House’ facing Victoria Square.
The first Lewis car proved an effective marketing device, if not a great success as a saleable product. This was the early days of motorised vehicles and Lewis were able to harness the excitement surrounding this new form of transportation, creating publicity for the company through displays and excursions with their new vehicles.
The company also experimented with motor cycle designs, and once a successful one was settled on in 1903 produced these in numbers for sale. Lewis imported cars for sale, and ran a hire car business. By 1907 Lewis Motors had branches in Broken Hill, Kadina, Port Pirie and Mt Gambier. In May 1907 Vivian Lewis Limited was formed. In 1910 a new factory was built in Gawler Place South, the one pictured here was maintained for a few years following the shift of their main production. Locationnot specifiedCatalogue NumberML16221
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Copyright(Image)Out of CopyrightLicense(Image)Public Domain
