ARMSTRONG-SIDDELEY, Coventry, United Kingdom, 1919-1960


This firm with a long name was born in 1919 in Coventry as a result of the merger of two British companies - the automobile Siddeley-Deasy Motor Sag and Armstrong-Whitworth & Co., known for its aircraft, automobiles and accessories for them.
The first project implemented was a 6-cylinder engine with a working volume of 5 liters, in which the designers applied aviation principles and materials. The car equipped with it had a specific wedge-shaped form of a radiator, which did not change over the next 40 years or more. Another distinctive element was the Sphinx figure on the radiator cap. In 1922, a lighter “18 HP” car with a 2.3-liter 6-cylinder engine appeared, and the next-model engine “14 HP” had a volume of only 2 liters and a flat radiator, showing that the car does not belong to the upper class, as other.
“ARMSTRONG-SIDDELEY" was considered to be a very conservative company, so the use of the Wilson compact planetary gearbox from which it was close to automatic was in 1928 a real sensation. From 1933, the company began mass production of such a gearbox and even sold it to Connaught companies. , ERA and HWM. At the same time, the production of “12 HP” and “15 HP” began with 6-cylinder engines of 1.2 and 1.9 liters.
The authority of the company increased from year to year, according to the growth in the volume and power of its engine motors, the comfort of their bodies. The range of models with 6-cylinder engines with overhead camshaft in the early 30s was supplemented with the options “20 HP” and “30 HP”, which were especially popular among fans of sports cars and chic limousines. Among the cars stood out a huge 5-liter Siddeley Special with the most luxurious body for wealthy clients. For less wealthy buyers, the “ARMSTRONG-SIDDELEY" had in store the models “12 HP” with 4-cylinder and “17 HP” with 6-cylinder engines.
Post-war cars were not like prewar. Instead of obscure numbers, they bore beautiful names. The first were the 4-door Lancaster sedan and the Hurricane sports cabriolet, named after Her Majesty's air force planes manufactured by Hawker-Siddeley. On both unified cars were 6-cylinder engines of 2.0 and 2.3 liters. In the early 50s they were replaced by Typhoon and Whitley. In 1953, Sapphire was released with a 6-cylinder engine of 3435 cm3. Two years later, two more “Sapphire” appeared - models “234” and “236”, respectively, with 4- and 6-cylinder engines of 2.3 liters each. The swan song “ARMSTRONG-SIDDELEY” in 1958 was a luxurious 4-liter Star Sapphire with an automatic transmission.
But the end of the firm’s activity was a change in the aviation industry. In 1959, Hawker Siddeley merged with Bristol Aero Engines, becoming the aviation concern Bristol-Siddeley. There was no place for a modest car company in it.

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