EDITION 198 JAGUAR MAGAZINE 73In 1936 they moved to Elizabeth Street, the hub for motor cycle
and car sales and repairs. Brylaws was appointed Victorian agents
for Morgan, plus BSA and Ariel cars and motor cycles. The business
boomed, and there was no local manufacturing industry to speak
of. Most vehicles were imported from Britain, so the partners
established a serious coach-building and body repair factory in
South Melbourne where they often rebodied their imported cars.
Jack fostered motorcycle racing under the Brylaw banner, and
involved members of his staff as both riders and support.
Their South Melbourne business later built bodies on new
Morgan and BSA chassis, and they undertook all manner of body
repairs and painting. Significantly, Bryson and Lawson formed
Continental and General Finance, and took on a sub-agency for
Morris and Singer cars. They bought and renovated other buildings
for their use in Elizabeth Street, and in 1938 imported their first S.S.
car to Australia - purchased via Bertie Henly in London.
Brylaws acquired a workshop in Little Collins Street, Melbourne
to manufacture their engines and other Wartime items. When peace
was declared Jack and Walter also had the distribution in Victoria
and NSW for Lea Francis cars. Their Wartime work provided
finance to assist the expansion into higher volume retail sales.
William Lyons in Coventry, equally determined to make the
most of new car sales post-War, set out to disassociate his newly
incorporated Jaguar Cars (formerly S.S. Cars) from Standard.
They had supplied him with engine blocks and other parts, but
he acquired the manufacturing machinery from them to build the
items himself. Standard’s retail outlets handled sales of S.S. and
S.S. Jaguar cars up until 1940 in many parts of the world including
Australia, so Lyons decided to ask his good friend and major UK
dealer Bertie Henly if he knew of a possible importer there.
Sir William Lyons: “Being an importer of Morgans was not a very
impressive recommendation, because Morgan production was very
small, but we were attracted to Bryson’s undertaking to sell 2000
cars in the first year, and I am convinced he would have done that
if we could have supplied that many. The shipper Millbourn was a
personal friend of mine, and gave him the highest recommendation.”
That was more than enough, but it was not before the first shipment
of Jaguars was sent to Standard in Melbourne and Sydney. Not
wanting to miss the opportunity to publicise their new arrangement,
in late 1946 the partners purchased from Standard Cars the first 2.5
and 3.5 Litre (‘MkIV’) saloons in Melbourne.
John Bryson: “British financiers and agents Tozer Kemsley and
Millbourn took charge of consignment arrangements. My father's
partner, Walter, joined Brylaw Motors full time in 1945, and theybought a showroom at 197 William Street, Sydney, then acquired
factories to service Jaguars, Morgans and Lea Francis. They bought
an old theatre on the north side of Sydney Harbour which had
burned down, and remodelled it into a showroom and service
facility. Their dynasty then extended in 1959, to South Australia."
Surprisingly, in 1950 Jack Bryson and Walter Lawson sold Brylaw
Motors, Brycar, and Brymot, plus all contracts including Jaguar, to
the Nuffield group which manufactured Austin, Riley, Morris, MG
and Wolseley. Inside a year Nuffield went through a cash crisis,
and sold Brylaw Motors back to them at one sixth the price they
paid for it! Walter decided to remain in retirement, so Jack formed
Bryson Industries which was floated on the stock exchange. Like Sir
William Lyons, he remained the major shareholder. Immediately
the stock opened it was withdrawn over subscribed!
In its first year, Bryson Industries made a massive profit of
£90,591, and from the outset was paying shareholders a premium of
up to 15% annually. It added the sales and distribution of Lambretta
motor scooters to its two wheeled business, and was also making a
success of a leather-goods company, Lacy and Osborne. Jack told
the press he even intended to explore creating his own scooter.
The Bryson family lived in a beautiful home, Jack and Trox both
drove new Jaguars, and he engaged his love of the sea. John: "He was
a long time member of the Sandringham Yacht Club, and retained a
passion for boats. His first boats were runabouts, which was all he
could afford. Several were named 'Trox' for my mother. As business
progressed he acquired more seakindly craft, a Navy dory similar
to 'Krait' which took Commandos to Japanese occupied Singapore,
then a string of Naval 08 Class used in air-sea rescue during the War.
"He then got a 45 foot launch with twin straight eight cylinder
petrol engines. It was built by the renowned Halvorsens in Sydney
then sold off after the War. He became friendly with Magnus and
Trygve Halvorsen, and later bought a 36 foot cruiser he named 'XK'
and kept it on Lake Eildon.
In June 1952 thieves broke into the Bryson showroom in Bourke
Street, East Sydney and stole £140 in cash - a lot of money then. On
the brighter side, while on a holiday with his family, Jack won first
prize in the NSW Art Union Lottery! He had donated new Jaguars
to it in 1950 and ’51, including XK120 chassis #2, but was on the
receiving end of a new Wolseley car, which he gave to 17 year old
son John, a seven roomed fully furnished home in Killara and an
unfurnished home in Greenwich. The total value was £17,500, and
he told the press he intended to make a sizeable donation to charity.
Ironically, he donated a new Jaguar as third prize the same year!
In 1955 he purchased a second freehold three storey showroom in12
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