Built by Thomas Rickett of the Castle Foundry, Buckingham, in 1859, the three-wheeled vehicle was powered by a steam engine with pistons on either side of the boiler which drove the right-hand rear wheel via chain.
A second version was built for James Sinclair, Earl of Caithness, with the wheels driven through a two-speed gearbox. It was demonstrated to the Royal family at Windsor Castle in January 1860. The Earl drove the vehicle 146 miles from Inverness to Barrogill Castle, Scotland, accompanied by his wife, with Thomas Rickett as engineer. Average speed was 12 mph. Production ceased in 1865 after the introduction of the Locomotive Acts of 1861 and 1865 that limited a vehicle's speed to walking pace with a person in front of it waving a flag to warn other road users of its presence.
Sources: 3-wheelers.com, en.wikipedia.org
