Rhode (car)
The Rhode was a British car built from 1921 to 1930 by Rhode Motor Co, a Birmingham company formed by Mead & Deakin. The name came from Cecil Rhodes. Mead & Deakin, who had started in cycle and motorcycle component making, also produced the Canoelet sidecar. They had earlier built Medea cyclecars in 1912 with 1244cc Chapuis-Dornier engines, but those cars did not go into full production.
In 1921 they returned to car making and set up the Rhode Motor Co with a factory in Blythswood Road, Tyseley, Birmingham. By 1926 it was claimed that 50 Rhode cars were being made each week.
In 1928 the company was taken over by Thomas McKenzie and H. B. Denley, who had been in charge of sales. Production moved to smaller premises at Hall Green, Birmingham. The new setup had no engine production facilities, and the last few cars used Meadows engines. Cars were made until about 1930 or 1931, but the line stayed on the list until 1935.
The first main model, the 9.5, used a four‑cylinder in‑house engine of 1087cc with overhead camshaft. It drove the rear wheels through a three‑speed gearbox and initially had no differential. The engine had no oil pump, so lubrication relied on oil picked up by the flywheel and fed through a gallery to the valve gear. The chassis used quarter elliptic springs all around, and braking could be a transmission brake or a single rear‑axle drum. The original coachwork was called the “Occasional four,” enough for two rear passengers. In 1923 the deluxe Norwood tourer was added, and a two‑seat Sports version appeared with the spare wheel at the rear. The aluminium wings and bonnet usually remained unpainted. The engine was tuned with a high‑lift camshaft, a special cylinder head and a counterbalanced crankshaft. Options included an electric starter and a differential. Top speed was about 65 mph (105 km/h) and fuel consumption was around 45–50 mpg.
About 1000 Rhode cars are thought to have been built. In 1923 the engine grew to 1223cc by increasing bore from 62 to 66 mm, and the model was renamed the 10.8. A range of bodies followed, including a light four-seater, a coupe and an enclosed four-seater, with an All-weather version added in 1924. The cheapest version became the “11.” The Sports version produced about 38 bhp.
In 1925 the Wrigley gearbox was replaced with Rhode’s own four‑speed unit, and the model name became the 11/30. Four‑wheel brakes were offered. In 1926 the engine changed from overhead cam to pushrod overhead valves, and the model name reverted to 10.8. The factory is thought to have built around 1500 examples of the 10.8, 11 and 11/30.
The final Rhode model was the Hawk, launched in 1928. Its engine returned to overhead cam and the chassis was lengthened; only a four‑door fabric saloon body is known, and about 50 were made.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 02:38 (CET).