Lucas "King of the Road" Car Side Lamp

This Lucas "King of the Road" oil-illuminating car side lamp No. F 146 is a rare collectible from the early 1900s. A similar lamp was recently sold at Bonhams too. The King of the Road lamps were said "not to blow out in the toughest gales". This nickel-plated side lamp is built with 3-inch and ruby tell-tale lenses. It is manufactured by Jos Lucas Ltd. in Birmingham, U.K. The founder, Joseph Lucas, a father of six, initially sold paraffin oil from a barrow cart around the streets of Hockley in the 1850s. In 1860, he founded the firm that would eventually grow into the renowned Lucas Industries.