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Brothers reunited with late mum's beloved trike at Coventry Transport Museum
11 March 2024
A pair of brothers were reunited with their late mother’s beloved ‘trike’ at the Coventry Transport Museum this week.
Richard and Jonathan Webb visited the museum on Thursday (7 March) and for the first time in twenty years saw the Invacar which once belonged to mum Marion.
The three-wheeled car is a model which was once a very common sight on roads across the UK.
The Invacar, short for the now very outdated sounding "Invalid Carriage," was a distinctive three-wheeled microcar designed specifically for disabled drivers.
Produced from the 1950s through to the 1970s, these small vehicles were issued to individuals with mobility issues as part of a government initiative to provide independence and affordable transportation. The Invacar featured a fibreglass body, lightweight construction and was powered by a small motorcycle engine.
However, by the 2000s, safety concerns and changes in disability mobility options led to the gradual decommissioning of the Invacar fleet. Despite their phased-out status, these unique vehicles hold a nostalgic place in automotive history, representing a time when innovation sought to enhance the independence of those with disabilities through personalised transportation solutions.
They were also once a common sight at football grounds around the country, with drivers permitted to park at the side of the pitch to allow the perfect view.
They were eventually replaced by the motability scheme in the 1970s, though people were permitted to continue driving them until they were deemed unsafe in 2003.
Marion continued to drive her vehicle, referred to affectionately by the family as ‘the trike’ until she was legally permitted to. By then she was in her 70s, but her independence was so important to her she learned to drive with the motability scheme instead.
She and her husband Dennis had been diagnosed with polio as children, and they were both left disabled by the condition.
Despite growing up on opposite sides of London, the pair met in the 1950s after bumping into one another in Hyde Park where both were riding an earlier version of the government issued trike.
They soon fell in love, got married and started a family. The trikes would become a huge part of family life with Marion and Dennis going on holiday in them, not to mention taking part in races, including one attended by the now King Charles III at Silverstone.
Discussing being reunited with the trike, Jonathan said:”Trikes have been really important in our lives. We went on many a happy holiday with them, we were taken to school in it, it was just a massive part of our childhood.
“I last saw this vehicle 20 years ago - it looks no different, it hasn’t changed at all and it just brings back so many happy memories.”
Richard added: “The trike took Mum where she needed to go, it allowed her to have independence, do her shopping, socialising, everything - without this trike she’d have been pretty much housebound.
“So I’m pleased it’s got a home here in Coventry - it allows everyone else to come and see it and I’m happy it’s being so well looked after.”