Lot 425: Armstrong Siddeley 18hp Whitley Saloon

While most motor manufacturers entered the post-war era with cars little changed from those on offer in 1939, Armstrong Siddeley was able to launch a new model immediately, announcing the Hurricane in May 1945. A stylish, 4/5-seater, three-position drophead coupé, the Hurricane was soon joined by the mechanically similar Lancaster saloon, both cars using a developed version of the advanced, 1,991cc, 16hp, overhead-valve six introduced in 1938. (Choosing the evocative names of WW2 aircraft for its models made good sense for Armstrong Siddeley, which had built many of them  as Hawker Siddeley and Armstrong Whitworth  and supplied the engines for countless others). The newcomers' independent front suspension was a first for Armstrong Siddeley and both used Girling hydro-mechanical brakes. There was a choice of traditional pre-selector or four-speed synchromesh transmissions. While Lancaster body construction was contracted out to Mulliners Ltd, that of the Hurricane was undertaken in-house, as was that of the Typhoon fixed-head coupé and 'razor-edge' Whitley saloon, named after the company's twin-engined bomber. The Whitley was new for 1949, its introduction, together with Station Coupé and Utility Coupé light commercial vehicles, coinciding with enlargement of the engine to 2.3-litres (nominally 18hp). Production of the 16/18hp range ceased in 1953 after a little over 12,000 of these characterful cars had been made. This Armstrong Siddeley Whitley was first registered in 1952 to an owner in Wrington, Somerset - Barry Burnett's home village - and has remained in the area ever since. Barry is believed to be its 3rd owner. The car's interior has been removed and needs to be reinstalled; otherwise the vehicle remains in lovely original condition. Last MoT'd in 2001 and sold strictly as viewed, it comes with fully stamped service history from new; old-style logbook; maintenance manual; a quantity of 1980s/1990s MoTs: and Swansea V5 registration document. No reserve.