Museum of Science and Industry

Vintage Crossley cars will converge on Manchester this weekend as part of a classic and vintage car rally at MOSI to celebrate the 100^th anniversary of Manchester-based Crossley Motors. The event is part of the Heroes of Transport Festival on 7-8 August, which includes events and family-friendly activities on the rich transport history of Manchester and the North West.

Several Crossley cars will be seen driving around Manchester on Saturday 7 August. They will be part of the Tame Valley Vintage and Classic Car Club 25 Anniversary Charity Car Run to Buxton, which leaves MOSI at 11:00 am on Sunday 8 August.

Crossley first started producing cars in 1904 and formed Crossley Motors in 1910. Car manufacture finished in 1937 to allow Crossley to concentrate on building vehicles for the Army. MOSI already has three Crossley cars, including a 1909 40 horsepower limousine which is the oldest Crossley known to survive.

MOSI transport curator Nick Forder said: “Crossley built Rolls-Royce quality cars and tried to compete in both the luxury and family car markets. The problem with this was that the cars were often very expensive. MOSI’s  Shelsley was the same price as a semi-detached house in 1929! However, many Manchester people will have travelled in Crossleys as the company built many locally used ‘buses in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s.”   

Crossley Motors was officially registered in 1910 as the vehicle manufacturing arm of Crossley Brothers, although vehicles had been made from 1904. They were based in Gorton, Manchester on the street now known as Crossley Street, and later factories were in Heaton Chapel, Reddish and Nottingham.

Crossley Motors became part of British Leyland, and built buses at Workington until 1985. Crossley Brothers became part of Rolls-Royce and the original Gorton works closed on 27 February 2009.

MOSI’s Heroes of Transport Festival will feature workshops and costume character performances for families. There will a display of transport-related collection items from MOSI and elsewhere – including an eco-Mini, tractors and the world record-breaking speed boat Miss Windermere. A free heritage bus service will run to Manchester Transport Museum to view Crossley buses on display there. On Saturday 8 August there will be a reunion of Sinclair C5s (to celebrate the 25th anniversary) and a retro bicycle picnic for all fashion-conscious cyclists, while classic and vintage cars for the A6 Rally will also be on display.

The Tame Valley Vintage and Classic Car Club 25^th Anniversary Car Rally will leave from MOSI at 11am, Sunday 8 August. The cars will be on display from 10am. For more information on MOSI please look up www.mosi.org.uk 

For media enquiries please contact: Sarah Roe, MOSI press and publicity officer on Tel: 0161 606 0176, m: 07847 372647

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