One of the oldest motor retailing companies in Britain, Flear & Thomson was founded as a producer of steam engines and agricultural machinery when the Industrial Revolution was still in full swing. Established by William Flear and David Thomson in 1870, the business achieved notable success in its early years based at Upper Station Road, Dunfermline. Flear took full control of the company in 1891, after Thomson sold his share to emigrate to the USA and work for Andrew Carnegie, Dunfermline’s most famous son. The reputation of the company for engineering excellence spread steadily, with Flear & Thomson becoming internationally renowned as one of the finest suppliers of steam-powered engines and machinery in Britain. Indeed, orders for the company’s equipment came from as far away as New South Wales, where the Hawkesbury Agricultural College paid for the company’s patented turnip-thinning machine. The gradual decline of steam power and the rise of the internal combustion engine saw a shift in the nature of the Flear & Thomson business.
