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The History of Armstrong Siddeley
Armstrong Siddeley was created by an amalgamation of Armstrong-Whitworth and Siddeley-Deasy of Coventry. The outcome of this union was a fairly massive first car, a 5 litre 30 hp, though a smaller 18 appeared in 1922 and a 2 litre 14hp came in 1923.
The year 1928 saw the introduction of a 15 hp six while the following year a 12 hp car joined the range. It was also a pioneering year for the marque with the Wilson preselector gearbox being offered, originally as an optional extra, though it became standard equipment on Armstrongs from 1933. In 1930 four models were being marketed, of 12, 15, 20 and 30 hp, the latter costing ?1450. Armstrong Siddeley's rather staid image was endorsed during the 1930s by a range of six-cylinder cars with ohv engines though a four cylinder 12hp was produced up until 1936.
A reminder that Armstrong Siddeley was one of, the country's largest manufacturers of aeroengines came in 1933 when the 5 litre six-cylinder Siddeley Special was announced with Hiduminium aluminium alloy engine. The model cost ?950.
The very week the war in Europe ended, Armstrong Siddeley announced their first postwar models: the Lancaster four-door saloon and the Hurricane drophead coup?, echoing the names of aircraft built by the Hawker Siddeley Group (as it had become in 1935) during the war. These cars were powered by 2 litre six-cylinder engines though the capacity was increased to 2.3 litre in 1949.
From 1953 the company announced the Sapphire, with a six-cylinder engine of 3435cc, and in 1956 the number of models was increased: these were the 234, a 2.3 litre four, and the 236, with the older 2.3 litre six-cylinder engine. Armstrong Siddeley's last model was the Star Sapphire of 1958, with a 4 litre engine and automatic transmission.
In 1959, however, Bristol Aero Engines merged with Hawker Siddeley to form Bristol Siddeley. A casualty of this union was Armstrong Siddeley cars: the last one left the Coventry works in 1960.
