Founded in 1899 and perhaps Scotland’s most major contribution to the motor industry, Albion (the ancient term for England, deriving from the Latin word “albus”, meaning white, in reference to the White Cliffs of Dover) had developed a reputation for building rugged and reliable commercial vehicles, of which were competing against those from Foden. The models consisted of: Claymore (named after a sword that was used by Scottish Highlanders), Chieftain (named after a supreme ruler of a clan, particularly a Scottish clan), Caledonian (derived from the word Caledonia, the Roman term for Scotland), Clydesdale (the old-fashioned word for the county of Lanarkshire in Scotland), and Clansman (person associated with a clan). The company was also famous for their slogan “Sure as the Sunrise”. Although today, Albion is now a subsidiary of axle manufacturer American Axle & Manufacturing, the company will always be remembered for their rugged and reliable motors and as a Scottish institution.
Scotstoun, Glasgow. Where Albion was founded in 1899.
Albion’s first motor vehicle, an A1 8 HP twin-cylinder Dogcart from 1900.
Although best renowned for producing commercial vehicles, Albion, at one point, did make cars, of which this 24/30 HP Tourer with a 3.1 litre, 4-cylinder motor was the most powerful of.
The model that put Albion on the map as a manufacturer of rugged and dependable commercial vehicles was the four-cylinder, chain-driven A10, manufactured in 1910 right up to 1926. 6000 A10s were built for the war effort during the First World War.
The KL127, introduced in 1935, became one of the company’s most successful four-wheeled commercial products.
In the late 1930s, Albion made their contribution to the heavy-weight market with the CX model line-up. This particular one is a CX7 8×4 tanker unit.
One of the company’s most successful post-war offerings was the Chieftain FT37 range. This is a 4×2 FT37A flatbed unit.
From 1951 right up to 1980 (the year the marque went defunct), Albions were no more than just rebadged Leylands and AECs.
In 1998, Albion was taken over by American Axle & Manufacturing of Detroit, Michigan, and has become a subsidiary of the company since.
Alex K Car Blog 