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« on: Monday 16 September 24 12:27 BST (UK) »
Hi, I seem to be very late on this one. Registration CN was issued by Gateshead CBC (then Co. Durham) but dating details of the registration are lost. Gateshead is on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle, not far from the North Sea.
The precise identification of the car was a little difficult because there are two cars in 1910-1912 period with almost identical radiator header tanks when viewed head on. One was the Model C Chevrolet of USA and the other the 1911 Metallurgique of Belgium. These are very difficult to tell apart, especially if the photos are of a poor pixy blurry quality as these are. However, the front wings having no wing-bill tips, wheels without demountable rims and having left hand steering, rules out the Chevrolet.
So this leaves the Belgian Metallurgique from Marchienne-au-Pont, southern Belgium near the French Border, active between 1898 and 1928, who also made locomotives and rolling stock. Cars were of high quality made mainly for export with Britain being the main market. They made four models in that period being 12, 20, 26 or 40HP. Biggish body so this is probably a medium 20HP car bodied by Vandenplas in Belgium, as were most Melaurgique cars built in Belgium. Sold in the UK by Warwick Wright of London. A licence had been sold to the German company Berman in 1909 whom had previously been making electric automobiles.