In 1905, he fell out with the Vickers brothers and, looking to found his own motor car company, Herbert Austin undertook numerous exploratory rides around Birmingham in his Wolseley 7.5 h.p.. On 4 November 1905, he found the derelict printing works, owned by a financier, E A Olivieri. Friends came forward with financial help, and with additional invoice financing from Frank Kayser of Kayser, Ellison and Company, and William Harvey du Cros of the Dunlop Rubber Company, enabled Austin to buy the site and an additional from Olivieri for £7,500 on 22 January 1906.