This mystery is our cup of tea!

I agree with A. Bos that the car is likely to be an Itala, possibly a 35/45 hp. One additional feature that supports this is the double horizontal windscreen bracket on the left-hand-side of the dashboard as you face the car. This is a clear feature of Itala Palombello's at the time. (The right-hand bracket seems to be obscured.) The number plate is Surrey, prior to 1913. And A. Bos is right in saying that Itala's were popular at the time. Dame Ethel Locke King, who became the driving force behind the completion of the Brooklands race track in west Surrey, owned at least one Itala, which led the procession at the opening of the track in 1907. She also competed with an Itala in 1908 in the first women's race at the track, the Ladies' Silver Bracelet Handicap, and came second. But there is good evidence she was lent it by John Douglas-Scott-Montagu. There are a number of photographs of the period at the Brooklands Museum that feature Italas in domestic, not racing, guise. John Douglas-Scott-Montagu was also a friend of Edward VII. One might guess that Itala's were quite the thing at the time. John Douglas-Scott-Montagu's mistress, Eleanor Velasco Thornton, was the model for the Spirit of Ecstasy, as fitted to some Rolls-Royce's of the period and subsequently, but thereby hangs another tale. As usual, the background is easier to tackle. The photograph was take at the corner of High Street and Park Street, Maidenhead. Mr Upson owned the pharmacy on the corner for about 30 years, was a keen Methodist, and produced a brood of children.

I see, I didn't notice the front axle. Looking at other photos, Bianchi had a curved axle like this one.

Hi Craig, as far as I can check all Lancia's before WW1, including the Gamma, had straight front axles. Also the radiator top was really flat with more angular corners.

I was thinking it was also Italian, but a Lancia, possibly a Gamma.

Interesting challenge. I collect images of city and country scenes with cars myself too, just to have an idea of what was common on the roads back then. In England the cars on these postcards normally have an English origin, but not in this case. The car is shown with a nice frontal view, though slightly blurry and grainy. Unfortunately the lower edges of the radiator disappear in the shadow, but enough is left still to make a fairly reliable identification. Most important: the two rectangular plates on the dashboard: Italy was the country of the dashboard plates, so Italian origin seems a fair guess. The Mercedes-style radiator has a flattened top, but the core is unsegmented. The front axle has a slight curve in the middle and the mudguards are a bit American style. So where does that lead us? I would say a 1909-1910 Itala, a make not uncommon in England. Most details fit, including the rectangular dashboard plates (Fiat would have had a plate with a curved top, normally on the left side of the car). So, for the moment Itala is the most probable solution for me, but I must admit that there is a small uncertainty in this id because of the quality of the picture.

A Napier!