Harper Mark VI three-wheeled car

Harper Mark VI three-wheeled ‘invalid car’, registration number 172 EPH, as issued to eligible drivers by the Ministry of Pensions, made by C B Harper Limited, England c1957-60.

During the twentieth century, developments in vehicles for disabled drivers were closely linked to the two World Wars. Mobility was also a key part of the independence that many of those wounded by the conflicts strove for as they returned to civilian life. This three wheeled vehicle was one of a range of distinct single-seater cars that would become familiar features of British roads. Designed with a small two litre, two-stroke petrol engine and four speed gearbox, it had a maximum speed that could exceed the legal limit of 30mph. It was made at the former Stanley Engineering Company site at Egham, England, by Harper who had bought the company in 1954.

In 2003, the Harper Mark VIs, along with all other similar government supplied vehicles, were banned from British roads due to safety concerns. Those still in use were recalled and they, along with hundreds already stockpiled by the government were destroyed. A few survive in museums and private hands. This Mark VI is believed to be one of only three still in existence.