The ABC 12hp Sports is a sports car that was produced between 1921 and 1927.
Its chassis was rather simple, having quarter-elliptic springs all round. The engine was an air-cooled flat-twin with inclined overhead valves. Steel fins on the ouside of the cylinder barrels were copper plated for better cooling efficiency.
The engine, however, was difficult to start, loud, inefficiently lubricated, and prone to breakages, particularly the quite long, exposed push rods. Over time quality improved dramatically. Combined with the vehicle's light weight, the powerplant made the car quite fast for its size, capable of speeds pushing 60 miles per hour, and boasting quite good acceleration. ABC was originally part of the Harper Bean combine, and was based in Hersham, Surrey and Harper Bean supplied castings, stampings, and forgings utilized on the first ABCs.
The "radiator" cap was actually the fuel tank filler, which led to problems when mechanics not familiar with air-cooled cars topped off the fuel tank with water.
In 1925 a more refined version came featuring stronger valve gear, a better system of lubrication, and enclosed pushrods. Front wheel brakes became an option.
The company introduced a Super Sports model in 1925 with a 1320 cc engine. This was the only model offered for the last four years of ABC's production.
It was a light car (305 kg), with a 4 cylinder, 1496 cc engine which was able to produce 28hp. This enabled the car to reach a top speed of 55mph (89kph). A belt driven dynamo powered the lights.
The car cost £550 back in 1922.