ABSTRACT
The growth of Coventry's motor industry in the years before the First World War was rapid, if somewhat uneven. Some twenty motor-vehicle manufacturers were based in the city by 1913 out of a total of around 113 for Britain as a whole. Coventry's component suppliers grew with the general expansion or the motor industry and a number of new firms continued to be attracted into the business. The growth of the Coventry motor industry to 1914 was facilitated by large inputs of capital, but often in modest allotments. Several firms which began in a small way drew financial support from local sources. The majority of the smaller motor firms owed their existence to capital injected by the families, friends and business contacts of their founders. Motor manufacturers often sought to improve labour productivity through the manipulation of working conditions and methods of reward.
