Armstrong-Siddeley

The Armstrong-Siddeley was an English automobile manufactured from 1919 (when the marque was formed by a merger between two Coventry-based companies, Armstrong-Whitworth and Siddeley-Deasy) to 1960.

The first car produced from this union was a fairly massive machine, a 5-liter 30hp; a smaller 18 appeared in 1922 and a 2-liter 14hp was introduced in 1923. 1928 saw the company's first 15hp six; 1929 saw the introduction of a 12hp vehicle. This was a pioneering year for the marque, during which it first offered the Wilson preselector gearbox as an optional extra; it became standard issue on all cars from 1933. In 1930 the company marketed four models, of 12, 15, 20, and 30hp (this last costing £1450).

The company's rather staid image was endorsed during the 1930s by the introduction of a range of six-cylinder cars with ohv engines, though a four-cylinder 12hp was kept in production until 1936. In 1933 the 5-liter six-cylinder Siddeley Special was announced, featuring a Hiduminum aluminum alloy engine; this model cost £950.

The week that World War II ended in Europe, Armstrong-Siddeley introduced its first post-war models; these were the Lancaster four-door saloon and the Hurricane drophead coupe. The names of these models echoed the names of aircraft produced by the Hawker Siddeley Group (the name adopted by the company in 1935) during the war. These cars were powered by 2-liter six-cylinder engines, increased to 2.3-liter engines in 1949. From 1953 the company produced the Sapphire, with a six-cylinder engine of 3435cc; in 1956 the number of models was increased with the 234 (a 2.3-liter four) and the 236 (with the older 2.3 six-cylinder engine).

The last model produced by Armstrong-Siddeley was 1958's Star Sapphire, with a 4-liter engine and automatic transmission. In 1959 Bristol Aero Engines merged with Hawker Siddeley, forming Bristol Siddeley. The Armstrong-Siddeley was a casualty of the merger; the last car left the Coventry factory in 1960.