Almost all cars of the last century have featured horns that produce a continuous sound, usually activated via the driver’s steering wheel. In this explainer, Footman James is exploring more about the history of car horns and how they have evolved throughout automotive history. Horns for vehicles are even older than the invention of the motorcar itself, as an idea which started on steam-powered carriages here in the UK. The ‘Red Flag Act’ dictated a person should walk ahead of the steam car, waving a red flag and tooting a horn. Thankfully that idea was short-lived and soon horns were being mounted directly to the vehicle and operated by the driver. It’s easy to buy our products online! Find the product you want via the departments which can be found on the top banner, or the search facility if you know our part number/ Lucas number, or keyword. Please remember to add the forward-slash and not to put in any spaces in between the letters and numbers. e.g CG/085.002. If the product still can't be found try removing the code in front of the forward slash. e.g. 085.002.

As vehicle electrics improved during the 20 th century and vehicle numbers increased on roads globally, the car horn needed to be even more effective to cope with the demands of the modern motorist. The answer was the ‘vibrating diaphragm electric car horn’, which was in development as early as the 1930s. Despite what you might think, these were intended to produce a more socially-acceptable noise, compared to the rubber-bulb and klaxon variants. You get comprehensive product info: We do our best to give you all the info and facts you need so there are no surprises when you open the box. Not a Cremona and it uses a player piano roll to make most of the music but you can get the idea here…

25th October 2022

This popular size bulb fits most vintage car, taxi, antique, old brass and clown horns. So if you need to replace that crumbly old vintage horn bulb—and you already have your own metal collar & tube, then this fully guaranteed Plain Rubber Bulb is what you've been looking for.

Before movies had sound, silent films were often accompanied by live musical performances. Often a single piano or organ. But what I didn’t know was that at one time there were elaborate one and two person keyboards, one-man-bands, that some high-end theaters would acquire for their film accompaniment. These are rather excellent products for the price. But they ain't fancy high-class articles. Most of the bulbs are just fine and you can expect them to serve you well for at least a year or two, maybe more. But if the bulb you get does not meet with your satisfaction, then you can count on us to make things right. Fits Circular, Double Bell, Large, Small, and Straight (not Mini) horns. Ideal for vintage car enthusiasts, great for hobby & science projects: Just attach your own hardware. It didn’t take long until motorists were calling for more powerful warning devices to alert others of their presence. Manufacturers agreed, and soon took it upon themselves to develop different kinds of solutions such as chimes, whistles, sirens and of course new takes on the horn itself. Please call +44 (0) 1885 488 488 between 8.30 and 5.00 (UK time) Monday to Friday to speak to one our sales team. Holden Vintage & Classic, Building11, Stanmore Business Park, Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV15 5HR, United Kingdomthen get this Large Plain Rubber Bulb. If outside diameter is 1/2 to 5/8 of an inch (12.7 mm to 15.9 mm), then, then get We’ve come along way since the Red Flag Act – but as we enter the age of the silent vehicle, what do you think is next on the evolutionary path of the humble car horn? Here’s a question for you – when is it acceptable to use your car horn? For those of you who said ‘to greet other road users’ or ‘signal your annoyance’, we’re afraid it’s a fail… According to the Highway Code, unless you’re alerting another road user of your presence while your vehicle is moving, you’re using the horn incorrectly. Congratulations, you've come to the right place! This is the exact same bulb on our popular reproduction vintage Circular, Double Bell, Large, Small and Straight horns—but without the hardware. (Does not fit Mini Brass Bulb Horn.) That is, until Bill from the Virginia City Players bought a few horns from us and Lindsey, their musical director, sent me photos of the horns set up for use.

During the last ten years, some manufacturers have departed from the traditional car horn design altogether, but arguably the most significant recent development has arrived with the age of the electric vehicle. With EVs now being effectively silent, new legislation in some markets means manufacturers must design electric vehicle warning sounds which are played continuously when travelling at low speeds to warn pedestrians. Varying from artificial beeps and chimes, to drones and fake engine noises, the Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS) could be considered as the most modern development in the history of car horns. Rubber-bulb horns’, which featured on the earliest vintage vehicles, were made from brass and operated by hand. These started to appear on motor vehicles in the USA in the early 1900s, the idea spreading to other continents soon afterwards. However, these horns only produced a shorter tone, unless you were repeatedly squeezing the rubber-bulb. The bulb delivers an extraordinarily loud honk. It measures a substantial 3-3/4 inches (9.5 cm) in diameter by 5-1/4 inches (13.3 cm) in length. Yes, this is just the plain rubber bulb without hardware. So no brass collar or brass tube is included. Spare brass reed available separately if needed. Reed screws into horn, not the bulb. So if your reed screws into bulb, then our bulb will not work. (Yes, the reed slides inside bulb tube. But reed is physically attached to horn.)only place that sells the plain bulbs. What's more, no other shop offers you these bulbs at quantity discount prices.