White and Poppe

White and Poppe

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Alfred White first met Peter Poppe in August 1897 when visiting a small arms factory in Austria. They became friends, and White suggested to Poppe that he moved to Coventry to set up an engine business. Supported financially by White’s family, the resulting Company was registered in 1899. White’s family owned 337 shares in the company, Alfred White, 250, and Peter Poppe, 1 share. The company initially worked on the design of a single cylinder engine but this was interrupted by manufacture of munitions for the Boer war (1899-1902). The first engine produced was for a motor bike in 1903 (80mm bore 85mm stroke, air cooled). 

 Example of 80x85 W&P Engine (ca. 1904)

In 1905 they introduced 80mm bore 90 mm stroke engine in 2, 3, 4 cylinder versions (7-14 hp).

Example of 80x90 two cylinder water cooled engine (ca. 1906)

 Example of 130mm stroke engine (ca. 1908)

 Example of 120x130mm four cylinder engine (1911)

In 1900, White and Poppe filed various patents for machine tools they had designed for their production line. They pioneered interchangeability of parts in automotive engines from their experience in the munitions industry. Their advanced carburettors mechanically controlled the proportion of fuel to air to achieve a consistent proportion throughout the operating range. When the first German airship was shot down (Schutte-Lanz SL11) on 3rd September 1916 it was fitted with a White and Poppe carburettor. 

White and Poppe were a proprietary engine manufacturer and became a preferred supplier to Dennis Bros in 1906 at which point White and Poppe were supplying 22 different motor manufacturers.

On 5th November 1919, in the post World War I recession, Dennis Bros purchased White and Poppe (by exchange of shares to the value of £204,365.00), White and Poppe having produced nearly 12000 engines in total, including ca. 5000 for Dennis Bros.

Alfred White was offered a knighthood after World War I but turned it down because Peter Poppe was not eligible, being a foreign national.

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White and Poppe engine production from 1907 and prior to merger with Dennis.

The 82x86 water cooled single cylinder (4-1/2hp), developed for tri-car work is missing from the list, presumably because it had been discontinued by 1907.

If you have further information, early W&P engines, spares or drawings please email benjamin.p.hawkins@gmail.com