Another victim of the Red Flag Act.

Via: Patent Pending

"An early gas powered vehicle was designed by Edward Butler of England, in 1885. The design was shown at the 1885 Inventions Exhibition, in London. Butler patented the vehicle in 1887, and built the vehicle in 1890. It was a three wheeled vehicle with two wheels in front, and the rear wheel was powered by a chain from the 2 cylinder engine. Any such vehicle in England was doomed to failure because of the highly restrictive 1865 Red Flag Act. This established a speed limit of 2 mph in town, and 4 mph in the country, and a flagman walking in front the vehicle, and two helpers to control horse traffic. The Butler Petrol cycle was a contemporary of the Benz gas powered tricycle and Daimler's vehicle among gas vechicles, and the Serpollet steam vehicle. "