Edward Lisle’s Star Cycle Company was the largest bicycle maker in Wolverhampton. In 1897 it bought a 3.5 hp Benz and used it as the pattern for its first car, the Star-Benz of 1898, of which around 250 were made. Star soon developed its own designs, exported widely to Australia and New Zealand, and adopted a policy of making as much as possible in-house. The company used a six-pointed star as its badge, and is said to have successfully sued Mercedes over its star emblem in 1902.
By 1914 Star was among the six largest British car makers, with a range from light cars to a 30 hp six, and a separate cheaper make, the Briton. Its 15.9 hp averaged more than 66 mph over an 801-mile RAC trial at Brooklands in 1912. After the war Star built around 1,000 cars a year from its cramped Wolverhampton works, including the fast 12/40 with four-wheel brakes.
But its carefully built cars were expensive next to mass-produced Austins and Morrises, and output fell to 105 in 1927. In 1928 Guy Motors took control, moving production to Showell Lane, Bushbury, where the Comet, Planet and Jason were built. Every car still lost money, and a receiver was appointed in March 1932.
