Armstrong-Siddeley
Armstrong-Siddeley was a British company operating during the first half of the 20th century. It had two aspects: motor cars,
Armstrong Siddeley Motors Ltd, and aero-engines and aircraft, via the
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Company. The company was formed as a result of the merger of the interests of two
Coventry-based companies,
Armstrong-Whitworth and
Siddeley-Deasy in 1919.
A predecessor company, Siddeley Autocars of
Coventry, was founded by
John Davenport Siddeley (1866-1953) in 1902. Its products were heavily based on
Peugeots using many of their parts but fitted with English bodies. This company merged with
Wolseley in 1905 and made stately Wolseley-Siddeley motorcars. They were used by Queen Alexandra and the Duke of York, the later King Edward VII.
In 1909 J.D. Siddeley resigned from Wolseley and took over the
Deasy Motor Co and the company became known as
Siddeley-Deasy.In 1912 the cars used the slogan "As silent as the sphinx" and started to sport a
Sphinx as a bonnet ornament.
During
World War I the company produced trucks, ambulances, and staff cars. In 1915 airframes and aero-engines started to be produced as well.
In 1919 Siddeley-Deasy was bought by Sir W.G. Armstrong Whitworth & Company and Armstrong-Siddeley Motors was a subsidiary as was the
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft Company.
In 1927, Siddeley bought Armstrong Siddeley out of Armstrong Whitworth and both it and the Armstrong Whitworth aero company were in his control.
The companies manufactured
automobiles and later
aircraft engines up to
1960. J.D. Siddeley retired when in 1936 Armstrong Whitworth aircraft became part of
Hawker Siddeley Aircraft. In 1936
Thomas Octave Murdoch (Tommy, later Sir Thomas) Sopwith. another aircraft pioneer, became chairman of Amstrong-Siddeley Motorcars. Armstrong-Siddeley remained a separate name although part of Hawker Siddeley until it merged with
Bristol Aero Engines to form
Bristol Siddeley (later merged with
Rolls-Royce Limited's aero-engine division, now
Rolls-Royce plc).
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1936 Armstrong-Siddeley 12HP |
 |
1939 Armstrong-Siddeley 16HP |
The first car produced from the union was a fairly massive machine, a 5-litre 30
hp; a smaller 18 appeared in
1922 and a 2-litre 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, the latter 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-litre six-cylinder Siddeley Special was announced, featuring a Hiduminium (
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 all used a 2-litre six-cylinder engines, increased to 2.3-litre engines in
1949. From 1953 the company produced the Sapphire, with a 3.4 litre six-cylinder engine.
In
1956 the model range was expanded with the addition of the 234 (a 2.3-litre four cylinder) and the 236 (with the older 2.3 litre six-cylinder engine). The Sapphire 346 sported a bonnet mascot in the shape of a Sphinx with namesake Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire jet engines attached. The 234 and 236 Sapphires were a radical departure from the traditional Armstrong Siddeley appearance. This, coming in a time of conservative auto design, was not well received by the marque's loyal customers. Hence, the "baby Sapphire" brought about the beginning of the end for Armstrong Siddeley.
The last model produced by Armstrong-Siddeley was
1958's Star Sapphire, with a 4-litre engine,
automatic transmission and . 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.
Model List
Cars produced by Armstrong Siddeley had designations that implied their engine displacement.
| Model Name | Type | Engine | From | To | No. Produced |
|---|
| Thirty | Various | 4960 cc | 1919 | 1931 | 2770 |
| Eighteen | Various | 2400 cc | 1921 | 1925 | 2500 inc 18/50 |
| 18/50 or 18 Mk.II | Various | 2872 cc | 1925 | 1926 | 2500 inc Eighteen |
| Four-Fourteen | Various | 1852 cc | 1923 | 1929 | 13,365 |
| Twenty | Short and Long chassis | 2872 cc | 1926 | 1936 | 8847 |
| Fifteen | Tourer, saloon | 1900 cc | 1921 | 1925 | 7203 inc 15/6 |
| Twelve | Tourer, saloon, sports | 1236 (1434 cc from 1931) | 1929 | 1937 | 12500 |
| 15/6 | Tourer, saloon, sports | 1900 cc (2169 cc from 1933) | 1928 | 1934 | 7206 inc Fifteen |
| Siddeley Special | Tourer, saloon, limousine | 4960 cc | 1933 | 1937 | 253 |
| Short 17 | Coupe, saloon, sports saloon | 2394 cc | 1935 | 1938 | 4260 inc Long 17 |
| Long 17 | Saloon, tourer, Atlanta sports saloon, Limousine, landaulette | 2394 cc | 1935 | 1939 | 4260 inc Short 17 |
| 12 Plus & 14 | Saloon, tourer | 1666 cc | 1936 | 1939 | 3750 |
| 20/25 | Saloon, tourer, Atlanta sports saloonLimousine, landaulette | 3670 cc | 1936 | 1939 | 884 |
| 16 | Saloon, Sports saloon | 1991 cc | 1938 | 1939 | 950 |
| Lancaster 16 | 4 door saloon | 1991 cc | 1945 | 1952 | 12470 inc Hurricane, Whitley, Typhoon and Tempest. |
| Lancaster 18 | 4 door saloon | 2309 cc | 1945 | 1952 | 12470 inc Hurricane, Whitley, Typhoon and Tempest. |
| Hurricane 16 | Drophead coupe | 1991 cc | 1945 | 1953 | 12470 inc Lancaster Whitley, Typhoon and Tempest. |
| Hurricane 18 | Drophead coupe | 2309 cc | 1945 | 1953 | 12470 inc Lancaster Whitley, Typhoon and Tempest. |
| Typhoon | Fixed head coupe | 1991 cc | 1946 | 1949 | 12470 inc Lancaster Whitley and Tempest. |
| Tempest | coupe | 1991 cc | 1946 | 1949 | 12470 inc Lancaster Whitley and Typhoon. |
| Whitley 18 | Various | 2309 cc | 1946 | 1949 | 12470 inc Lancaster Hurricane, Typhoon and Tempest. |
| Sapphire 346 | 4 door saloon & Limousine | 3435 cc | 1952 | 1958 | 7697 |
| Sapphire 234 | 4 door saloon | 2290 cc | 1955 | 1958 | 803 |
| Sapphire 236 | 4 door saloon | 2309 cc | 1955 | 1957 | 603 |
| Star Sapphire | Saloon & Limousine | 3990 cc | 1958 | 1960 | 980 |
| Star Sapphire Mk II | Saloon & Limousine | 3990 cc | 1960 | 1960 | 1 |
|
A feature of many of their later cars was the option of an electrically-controlled
pre-selector gearbox. Like many British cars of the age there is an active owners club supporting their continued use.
The company started work on their first
gas turbine engine in
1939 and soon produced the
Mamba and
Double Mamba and later the
Python turboprop engines. Further development of the Mamba removed the
reduction gearbox to give the
Adder turbojet.
The company went on to develop an engine for unmanned
target drones, called the
Viper. This was passed for development to
Bristol Siddeley and, later, Rolls Royce. It was sold in great numbers over many years.
Armstrong-Siddeley's most powerful engine was the F9
Sapphire, developed by
Metrovick later
Armstrong-Siddeley when Metrovick withdrew from aircraft engine manufacturing.
From 1927 the Armstrong Whitworth aircraft came into Siddeley ownership.
*
Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club for the cars 
