Lot Ended
Description
1952 Armstrong Siddeley
Whitley
One-family-owned for 60 years; only 33,900 miles
indicated, believed correct; recently restored after 35 years in storage; only
600 miles on rebuilt engine; a charming example of
this exceedingly rare saloon
Established in
Coventry in 1919, Armstrong Siddeley was one of the UK's most respected
manufacturers in the post-war era, producing staid but well-built luxury saloon
and tourers. Most models were named after aircraft (Lancaster; Typhoon;
Hurricane), a logical move since the company was foremost an aero engine maker,
a field in which it gained vast experience during WW2.
Getting its name from the Armstrong-Whitworth twin-engined bomber,
the Whitley was made from 1949-1954 and was a 4- or 6-light saloon made of steel
and aluminium panels fitted over a wooden frame in the fashionable semi
razor-edge style. The engine was a smooth 75bhp 2,309cc straight-six with a tax
rating of 18hp that had first appeared on export versions of the Tempest,
coupled with a choice of conventional four-speed synchromesh or Wilson
pre-selector gearbox.
The chassis used
independent torsion bar suspension at the front with a conventional live axle
with leaf springs at the rear, while a Girling hydro-mechanical braking system
provided the stopping power, the front drums hydraulically operated while those
at the rear used rod and cable. Armstrong Siddeley were particularly proud of
the car’s heating system which had an early form of air conditioning under the
bonnet and kept the windscreen commendably mist-free – a real novelty at the
time.
Costing £1,216 (including hefty £271
purchase tax) the Whitley was always an expensive car and only 4,321 were sold
in total, many of which were exported to Australia, and only 329 are known to
survive today. Armstrong Siddeley continued to make cars until 1960 at which
point it went back to concentrating on its core business of aero
engines.
First registered to Armstrong Siddeley
themselves in April 1952, this 4-light saloon then had two further private
owners before being acquired by Mr JR Wilson of Carlisle in 1958. It was to
remain in his family for 60 years, although due to ill health it got laid up in
a barn in the mid-1970s and spent the next 35 years in
storage.
In 2011 another family member finally
decided to drag the car out and restore it, as shown in photos and invoices on
file. This included new front wings, one new rear wing, new bumpers and a full
repaint in the original black. The engine was also rebuilt with new pistons,
gaskets etc, all parts being supplied by the owners’ club. Back on the road the
following year, it flew through its MOT in August 2012 with no advisories
recorded.
Our vendor acquired the car from the
family in the summer of 2018 and has continued to look after it well, including
fitting a new clutch to the floor-change gearbox which cost £700. It has only
covered 600 miles since the engine rebuild, the odometer currently showing
33,874 miles which is believed to be genuine. The original brown leather
interior is still in fine shape and lends credence to this
claim.
Documentation includes the original buff
logbook; original maintenance manual; spare parts catalogue; a copy of a factory
service manual which runs to over 220 pages; restoration invoices and photos,
plus photos of the car as found in 2011; club literature; various old tax
discs back to 1971 and the 2012 MOT. Supplied with two sets of keys and sundry
useful spares, it also retains its original starting handle and wheel-changing
kit.
Starting promptly, we noticed a slight misfire while driving
it around onsite so it could do with a good service, but shows good 40psi
oil pressure. This fine old Whitley no doubt has another 70 years of useful life
ahead of it.
For
more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email [email protected]
* All charges are subject to VAT