"The American Invasion"

“The American invasion”

Sir,

I have hesitated to join in the correspondence in that delightful work “The American Invasion,” but I am a little doubtful of Mr. Kent Karslake’s identification of “The Volume” with the Mass.

To begin with, the Mass (alias, in France, the Pierron) wasn’t an American car but authentic French, the odd name stemming from its English sponsor, whose name is variously given as Masser-Horniman or Masserman. Equally, I am pretty sure it wasn’t sold in France before about 1909, when separate Pierron listings began to appear.

Mr. Karslake may, however, be on the right track, since 1913 Mass Cars (by this time established in Bloemfontein Road, Shepherds Bush), had taken on two American agencies, the R.C.H. and the Paige : in fact the latter’s ts-h.p. 4-cylinder model was sold here as the MassPaige to emphasise the link. Unfortunately I can’t finish the story, as I am not sufficiently up in Motor Trade history of the period to know if Charles Jarrott and Letts Ltd. were retailers of either of these two makes.

Incidentally, my congratulations to you for digging up this alluring work.

Bognor Regis. M ictitkEt, SEDGWICK.