History
Armstrong Siddeley began building motor cars in 1919 and, building on their reputation as aircraft makers, offered “Cars of Aircraft Quality”. They were low volume, handbuilt cars of high quality and with advanced features. In the late 1920s, when driving meant matching revs, no synchros and ‘crash’ gearboxes, Armstrong Siddeley offered a semi-automated gearbox known as a preselect, which made for smooth driving and importantly gave many women of the day their first opportunity to drive a motor car. The build quality and refinement earned their cars the slogan, “As silent and inscrutable as the Sphinx”, which became the mascot of the brand. The last Armstrong Siddeley car was sold in 1960, with the company choosing instead to focus on aircraft manufacture.
My Armstrong Siddeley is a Siddeley Special built in 1935, and owned by me since 2017. I am currently refreshing the car as it had been garaged for 20+ years. This car is quite rare, 253 were originally built between 1933 and 1937 - it's believed there are about 21 survivors worldwide today, this one being the only complete car in Australia. It currently shows a recorded mileage of 36,370 and is in very original condition. The car was quite advanced in the day - the motor was of 5 litre capacity and cast in Hyduminium alloy (as were many body panels), it had hydraulic tappets, servo-assisted braking, a self changing preselector gearbox with a Dewandre vacuum servo to lighten braking loads. The car weighed in at over 2 tons, but could attain 94mph - one owner was Sir Malcolm Campbell, then current world land speed record holder.
The Armstrong Siddeley Car Club has about 180 members across Australia with local events normally held regularly in major cities and an annual rally rotating between states that attracts about 100 members. The club also has an active spare parts service and great technical support. It's a fabulous way to connect with like-minded enthusiasts. See: www.armstrongsiddeley.com.au
