The design first appeared in 1903 on a pedal tricycle with collapsible front wheels, whereby it could be wheeled through a narrow gateway. A powered version was exhibited at the November 1905 Stanley show, and had a 2½ hp engine fitted just behind the front axle.
Although it was a clever idea, it did not catch on.
A machine for the development of which we have been waiting a long time, our readers will no doubt remember is the Neofold tricycle. It will be recollected that in its original form the Neofold was an attachment, by means of which an ordinary pedal bicycle could be converted into a three-wheeler in a very short space of time, and it had also the advantage of partially collapsing so that it could be pushed through a narrow doorway. In the form which will interest motor cyclists, the Neofold is now fitted with a 2½ h.p. engine of British manufacture, driving through the rear wheel by means of a very long belt steadied by a jockey pulley. The engine itself is carried in a cradle forward of the steering pillar. On the foremost lug there is a tube which carries a head on which the cross tube of the attachment turns. The two triangular tubes on the extremities of the latter are brought together, and are kept in position by a single bolt fixed just below the head of the bicycle. When it is required to wheel the machine through a narrow doorway, this bolt is removed and the fore part of the machine is pulled backwards. The wheels then close together, keeping parallel all the time. The machine is then restored to its normal condition and the bolt reinserted, the whole operation not taking more than half a minute.
Sources: Graces Guide; The Motor Cycle.
