Tag Archives: Saloon

Two Bearing Crankshaft – Singer 8 Junior

Like many pioneering manufacturers of motor cars Singer Motors Ltd was founded as a manufacturer of bicycles, by George Singer in 1874. By 1901 the company had diversified into producing powered tricycles which were soon followed by powered bicycles. Singer built their first car in 1905. Over the next four Tuesday’s GALPOT will be looking at four models from the interwar years.

Singer 8 Junior, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

The Singer 8 Junior was launched in 1926. Initially only a four seat tourer was available, in blue with black wings / fenders.

Singer 8 Junior, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

For tax purposes the 4 cylinder motor was classed as having 8 horsepower, it featured gravity fuel feed, a crank running in just two bearings, overhead cam shaft, 6 volt electrics, that produced 16.5 hp at 3250 rpm. The motor would be the progenitor of future Singer power units for three decades.

Singer 8 Junior, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

Eventually a range of different body styles were offered including Two Seater Tourer, Sunshine Saloon, Coachbuilt Saloon as seen here, Fabric Saloon, a two plus two called the Sportsman’s Coupe and a boat-tailed Sports which helped sell 6000 8 Juniors a year between 1927 and 1931 which made Singer the third largest manufacturer in the UK behind Austin and Morris.

Singer 8 Junior, Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet

There were plans for the German Aga “Aga Fahrzeugwerke GmbH” company to manufacture Singer 8 Juniors under license, in much the same way as BMW manufactured the Austin 8 under license, but these plans came to naught, after a single prototype had been built Aga disappeared.

Today’s featured 1928 saloon / sedan was purchased by the current owners in 2009 at the Bristol Classic Car Show in Shepton Mallet, it is known to have resided in Cornwall and Surrey about 20 years ago. The owners say the car is great fun to drive “and we always get there eventually.”

Thanks for joining me on this “Two Bearing Crankshaft” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

Hot Rover #2 – MG ZS

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The MG ZS was the second prong of Rover MG’s three pronged attack on the market for hot vehicles launched in 2001 alongside the MG ZR I looked at last week.

The ancestry of the MG ZS can be traced back to fifth generation Honda Civic, the floor pan of which Rover used to build the Rover 400 model which when face lifted became the Rover 45.

The ZS was made available with a range of tuned motors from the Rover 45 and a tuned 175hp version of the 2.5 litre / 152 cui V6 from the larger Rover 75.

The 2001 vehicle seen here at the Goodwood Revival last year is the model topping ZS 180 with the 175 hp V6 that gives the ZS a rest to 60 mph time 7.3 seconds and top speed of 139 mph. The ZS 180 has larger brakes discs and brake calipers than all of the other ZS models.

The Honda based chassis pan with double wishbone front suspension and multi link rear suspension proved eminently adaptable to switch from optimised for comfort settings required for Rover 45 customers to optimised for handling settings required for MG ZS customers which along with the ZS steering came in for praise from press when launched.

The large rear spoiler was standard on ZS 180 models up until 2004 when the model was face lifted with a much smarter body kit.

Thanks for joining me on this “Hot Rover #2” edition of “Gettin a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t for get to come back now !

Action Economy Lean Breed – Dodge Dart

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I have always thought the 1962 Dodge Dart looked like an amalgamation of two separate designs the middle top half and

lower outer half not quite matching but somehow blending at the broken chrome line on the front and rear wings.

The design philosophy behind the Dart was based on a comedic misinterpretation by Chrysler executives of an over heard conversation between Chevrolet executives who were talking about the compact Chevrolet Nova, but which Chrysler executives thought was about downsized large cars like the Impala. As a result of this misunderstanding the second generation Dart became an intermediate and inadvertently left Dodge with nothing to compete with in the full size market segment at the start of the 1962 model year.

Launched in 1962 with strap lines that included “First of the action economy cars” and “Come in and drive the new lean breed of Dodge” the range included 2 and four door Sedan and Hardtop models along with a two door convertible.

The B platform unibody rode on “Torsion-Aire” torsion bar front suspension and could be ordered with motors ranging from a 3.7 litre / 225 cui inclined straight six to a 6.8 litre / 213 cui V8, the car featured here appears to be registered as having a 7.2 litre / 439 cui motor, a big block 440 Magnum dating from somewhere between 1966 and 1978.

With it’s light weight and good handling the ’62 Dart fitted with the 415hp 6.8 litre / 413 cui “Ramcharger” V8 proved a popular record braking drag racer.

The B platform remained in production with slight modifications until 1981 while the ’62 Dart body was wholly replaced with no carry over at all by the third generation Dart in 1963.

Thanks for joining me on this “Action Economy Lean Breed” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for Ferrari Friday. Don’t forget to come back now !

Last Known Survivor – MG 18/80 Six deluxe Saloon MkII

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Between 1930 and 1932 MG built 236 18/80 Mk II’s with heavier frames and softer springs than the earlier Mk I’s which eventually replaced the Mk I which had been manufactured between 1928 and 1931.

Of those 236 Mk II’s 50 were deluxe Saloons.

Only 25 18/80 Six Mk II’s are known to exist, one of them is the prototype featured here a couple of weeks ago which now has a later Tigress style body, and another is the Six Saloon featured last week.

Today’s featured 1931 model is the only known top of the range 18/80 Six deluxe Saloon Mk II known to exist.

It was completely rebuilt between 2005 and 2007 and restored to it’s original factory colour scheme.

Since restoration it has been regularly used on rallies and tours of Europe.

Thanks for joining me on this “Last Known Survivor” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, next week I’ll be rounding out the recent Tuesday features on early MG’s with a look at the oldest MG known to exist, meantime I hope you will join me for a continental curiosity tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

More Strength & Softer Springs – MG 18/80 Six Saloon Mk II

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Rather confusingly MG marketed both the MG 18/80 Six Mk I, featured a couple of weeks ago, and Mk II, featured today, simultaneously from 1929 to 1931.

The 18/80 Six Mk 1 was developed from the still born Morris Light Six project, with a much sturdier chassis, the first to be designed by MG rather than inherited from Morris.

Unfortunately many of the painstaking chassis details like the MG motifs set into the aluminium bulkhead brackets were lost once the bodies had been affixed.

The motor was derived from the failed Morris Light Six but featured a new all in one crank case and cylinder block casting with a separate cylinder head. The motor made use of the then new shell type big end and main bearings for smooth and quiet running.

The 60 hp 18/80 Six Mk 1 is said to have been capable of out accelerating comparable models with good racing reputations from both Lagonda and Alvis, however the performance advantage was lost on the 18/80 Mk II which was built on an even sturdier chassis with a wider track that added weight which was not made up by any improvement in engine performance.

The Mk I was £100 cheaper than the Mk II which made the latter car all the harder to sell despite it’s four speed gearbox, sturdier construction and softer springs. The 1930 model seen here is thought to be one of just 3 MK II’s known to have survived.

Thanks for joining me on this “More Strength & Softer Springs” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me for an independence day edition again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

The 1930 model seen here is one of

“Tender At Heart” – Ford V8 30 Saloon

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The 1938 Ford V8 30 Saloon appears to be a 1938 Ford de Luxe Sedan built for the British market complete with right hand drive.

Like the Deluxe the V8 30 was powered by a ‘flathead’ V8 with either 60hp or 85hp options.

New for 1938 was the distinctive heart shaped grill which is easily distinguished from the V shape grill of the 1937 models.

The remaining panels were identical to the earlier 1937 models, not even a new dash with recessed controls for safety could do much to stimulate sales. After the 1939/45 war the British built Ford V8 30 updated and given a brief new lease of life in the UK, marketed as the Ford Pilot.

In September 1939 Lenham, in Kent, Auxiliary Fire Station had a budget of £60 to acquire a Fire Tender and a Mr Hulland managed to acquire a Ford V8 30 hp Saloon for £30 and spent the remainder on having it converted. The depreciation from the new value of the vehicle at £230 in 1938 showing how desperate the times were at the commencement of the 1939/45 war.

Thanks for joining me on this “Tender At Heart” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

An Education – Bristol 405 Saloon

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Back in February I looked at the Bristol 405 Drophead, fit for for a Sheikh, today I am looking at the 4 door saloon, seen here at the recent Silverstone Classic, built on the same chassis design.

When launched at the Paris Motor Show in October 1954 the 405 experienced overheating problems while running in heavy Parisian traffic, this turned out to be due to a faulty batch of cylinder heads rather than the fog light blocking the radiator.

Once the overheating problem had been sorted customers were full of enthusiasm for this versatile model which was lighter than the preceding 2 door 403.

Larger doors and windows, than those seen on previous Bristol models, were accommodated by dropping the hitherto successful Superleggera body construction in favour of body work built around a wooden frame.

Unlike the 405 Drophead chassis which were sent initially to Abbots and later Tickfords for their bodywork to be built, the 405 Saloon had bodywork built in the Bristol works factory.

Gary Barker told the Adelaide Advertiser in 1956 “The Bristol 405 is a car in the very best tradition of high British performance.”

A maroon 405 Saloon was the star of the 2009 coming of age film ‘An Education‘.

My thanks to Christopher Balfour who’s book Bristol Cars A Very British Story supplied many of the background details for this blog.

Tomorrow I hope to be attending the Bristol Owners Club Concours d’Elegance a free event held at the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich – The Painted Hall.

It is sad to have to report that Chris Lawrence, one of the men behind the Morgan Triumph SLR cars that featured on a GALPOT blog two weeks ago, passed away on August 13th. Along with the SLR Chris was responsible for the Mini based Deep Sanderson and much more recently the Morgan Aero 8 amongst many other vehicle developments. I hope you will join me in sending condolences to Chris’s friends and family.

Thanks for joining me on this British Performance edition of ‘Getting a lil psycho on tyres’, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a large sports car from a revived brand that now hails from Chippenham, Wiltshire. Don’t forget to come back now !

Gettin' A Li'l Psycho On Tyres

Art Tidesco blogs on all things motoring

Tag Archives: Saloon

Two Bearing Crankshaft – Singer 8 Junior

Hot Rover #2 – MG ZS

Action Economy Lean Breed – Dodge Dart

Last Known Survivor – MG 18/80 Six deluxe Saloon MkII

More Strength & Softer Springs – MG 18/80 Six Saloon Mk II

“Tender At Heart” – Ford V8 30 Saloon

An Education – Bristol 405 Saloon