PART TWO - Comment
There a few things worth note and some things I will have missed.
The first is that the carby appears to have a side clamp, rather than the
brass nut type. That is a bit of a mystery then ...?
The second is the copy that says, "Trade enquiries on engine invited".
Isn't that amazing! It shows Mervyn's clear and early desire to sell his
engine for other purposes (including other mower makers). This is exactly
what did happen - with un-stamped Victa engines appearing on lawnmowers ...
like the Colda and the Collect-O-Matic. Maybe this was Merv's payback for
the critical shortage of engines that is said to have initiated Victa's
bold decision to produce their own engine in the first place? Who knows?
The third point goes to safety and is amusing. The new Victa was 'Safe'
even in rain - no leads to cut or short". This was a swipe at the first
Australian electric mowers and the few fatalities given bad press publicity
in the early 1950s. The Victa skirt-less base, of course, would gain the
name 'toe-cutter' in the future. It was much less safe than the skirted
electric mower bases! Quite the irony then - less fatalities, but many more
injuries.
The rest is history.
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Jack
