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In 1885, E. G Brown and
J C Margeston turn a former cloth mill near Bath into a rubber products
factory. 1890 when the Business is booming, Avon
outgrows its original premises and moves to Melksham in Wiltshire, Great
Britain. It was in 1897 when they already expert
at making solid tyres, Avon recognizes that pneumatic tyres are where the
future’s headed and starts development, despite the fact that there are
fewer than 50 British made cars on the road at this time.
By 1901 Avon opens
its first pneumatic tyre production line. 1906,
Demand is growing and Avon wants to make it bigger still; the company
takes its very first advertisement in ‘The Autocar’. and
It was then on 1911, Motorbikes are
growing popular so Avon starts making tyres for them.
1914-18, There’s a war on and unlike
previous conflicts mechanised weapons and transportation are coming to the
fore. Avon assists the British war effort by producing tyres for just about
every type of military vehicle.
1920s,
There’s an inevitable post-war slump. Avon responds by exercising its powers
of innovation – it’s one of the first tyre companies to produce the soon to
be popular ‘cord’ car tyre. 1933,
Avon knows it makes great tyres but Rolls-Royce confirms their quality by
specifying them as standard equipment. Avon continues the relationship to
this day. And the company is ‘floated’ on the London Stock Exchange.
1941, Europe’s at war again and Avon’s 2500
employees work flat-out during the whole of the conflict.
1956,Since the end of WW2 Avon’s growth has been
rapid, so the time’s right for a complete modernization and expansion of its
tyre making plant. The overhaul takes five years, and increases production
by an extraordinary 50 per cent. 1957,
Avon dips its toe into the thrilling world of motorcycle racing for
the first time, with some degree of success – between 1958 and 1963, every
solo world motorcycle champion rode on Avon tyres.
1959, Aston Martin fits Avon competition tyres to
its 'works' sports car racers and cleans up in this year's World Sports Car
championship.
1961, More
innovation, this time in the form of a special ‘cling’ rubber compound for
car and motorcycle tyres that greatly increases their wet weather
performance. Annual tyre production at Avon’s Melksham plant stands at 1.5
million units; impressive stuff given how comparatively few cars there were
around at the start of the ’60s compared with now.
1966, Disaster. Well, almost. In August what will
later be known as the ‘Great Fire of Melksham’ rips through the finished
goods store and threatens the entire factory. Although the fire rages for
hours, Avon’s undaunted workforce is back making tyres within 24 hours.
1970s, there’s a rush to develop radial
tyre technology and Avon is at the forefront of it, another example of the
spirit of innovation that’s a major strand of the company’s DNA. Radial
tyres are now almost universal. 1981,
The lure of the race circuit beckons as Avon teams up with
International Race Tyre Services (IRTS) and enters the competition tyre
market. The project works out so well that Avon opens a racing tyre
production facility. 1982,
Avon’s race tyres prove so capable that the company wins a three-year
deal to supply all the tyres for Formula 3. That ‘three year’ contract is
still going strong today. 1983,
Avon’s tyres are such a hit on the race track that it makes sense to
create its own racing division, Avon Racing, to design, develop and sell
competition tyres around the world.
1985,Avon gains
the prestigious BS5750 certification (now known as ISO 9001) an independent
and internationally recognised quality standard; Avon’s the first UK tyre
maker to be awarded the honour. 1986,
Another chequered flag moment for Avon Racing as motorsport’s
governing body, the FIA, awards the company the contract to supply racing
tyres for Formula 3000, starting from the 1988 season; Avon remains the
official tyre supplier to Formula 3000 to this day.
1993, The winning streak continues as
Formula Ford signs up Avon Racing as its official tyre supplier for the UK
and Europe. 1995,
Motorsport's governing body, the FIA, introduces the Thoroughbred Grand Prix
(TGP) championship for 3.0-litre non-turbo Formula 1 cars that raced in
events between 1966 and 1985. Avon Racing supplies the tyres and continues
to do so to this day.
1996,
Another series for older open-wheeler race cars is launched - the
EuroBOSS championship is for ex-Indy cars, pre-1988 F1 cars and F3000
chassis with unlimited capacity engines. A tyre supplier is needed and Avon
Racing does the honors. 1997,
A new dawn for Avon as it is acquired by Cooper Tire & Rubber
Company, Ohio, USA. The deal gives Avon access to even more high-tech design
and development facilities. 2000,
Avon pushes forward the boundaries of radial motorcycle tyre design
with the Azaro range; this high performance tyre successfully blends great
grip with long life. Meanwhile, Avon Racing clinches a three-year deal to
provide tyres for the US Formula 2000 National Championship.
2001, Reinforcing its position as a
producer of high performance car tyres, Avon launches the low-profile, high
speed ZZ3 range. 2002, The
technologies that created the original Azaro bike tyre have been refined and
improved; the new Azaro grips harder, lasts longer.
2003, Avon Racing continues to supply
competition tyres to more than 150 race championships around the world.
Meanwhile, Avon's range of high performance road car tyres continues to
expand its coverage of the sports car market, and its outstanding range of
motorcycle tyres, particularly the exciting Azaro series, makes more and
more new friends.
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