May Car In The Room by John Newson 1951 Armstrong-Siddeley Whitworth
Armstrong-Siddeley Whitley cars were built from 1949 to 1953 (2582 made). This automobile is a 4 door saloon. Its 2.3 litre engine is a naturally aspirated, overhead valve, 6 cylinder motor that has an output of 75bhp (76 PS/56 kW) of power at 4200 rpm, and maximum torque of 145Nm (107 lb-ft/14.8 kgm) at 3000 rpm. Power is transferred to the wheels by means of a 4 speed manual gearbox. Weight is 1430 kg, maximum speed 100mph. I have driven my car up to 60mph, but I didn’t have the balls to go any faster as it tends to go off track on New Zealand’s bad roads. The Siddeley Autocar Company were building cars from 1902 until it became known as Armstrong-Siddeley in 1919. At this time it also started building aeroplanes but under the Armstrong-Whitworth brand. When WW2 started the Armstrong-Siddeley Motor Company then went into aircraft manufacturing for the war effort, building the Lancaster, Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest (Typhoon II) and the Whitley. After the war Armstrong-Siddeley then went back to car manufacturing building the Lancaster, Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest and the Whitley car .What a great marketing ploy using the aircraft names for the different models of cars. The Whitley car model engine is the only Armstrong-Siddeley engine that has hydraulic push rods. It also has same other interesting features like push button start ,inboard under chassis jacks that jack up the whole side of the car. It’s lovely to drive and very comfortable, with easy gear changes. It has hydraulic front brakes and push rod rear brakes. Although I love my Whitley there is one model of Armstrong Siddeley would love to own if I could find one and afford it that is:
Side Curtains June 2021
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