Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 132,597 pages of information and 209,980 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
Singer: Cars
From Graces Guide
Note: This is a sub-section of Singer
1905 They made their first four wheel car which had a 3 cylinder 1400 cc engine and was made under licence from Lea-Francis.
1906 The first Singer-designed car was the 4 cylinder 2.4 litre 12/14. The engine was bought in from Aster.
Produced 8-10, 12-14 (both two-cylinder) and 12-25 h.p. four-cylinder cars. The two smaller models used horizontal engines and chain-drive while the larger one had a vertical engine and shaft-drive. Also produce a three-cylinder model. [1]
1907 The Lea-Francis design was dropped and a range of two, three and four cylinder models using White and Poppe engines launched.
1909 The Aster engined models were dropped in 1909 and a new range of larger cars introduced. All cars were now White and Poppe powered.
1911 The first big seller appeared with the 1,100cc Ten with Singer's own engine. The use of their own power plants spread through the range until by the outbreak of the First World War all models, except the low volume 3.3 litre 20hp, were so equipped.
1912 Cars sold by Percy Lambert and Worger.
1913-1917 For a list of the models and prices see the 1917 Red Book.
After World War I, the Ten continued with a redesign in 1923 including a new overhead valve engine.
1922 Six cylinder models were introduced.
1927 The Ten engine grew to 1300 cc and a new light car the 850 cc overhead cam (ohc) engine, the big selling Junior was announced.
1928 Singer was Britain's third largest car maker after Austin and Morris. The range continued in a very complex manner using developments of the ohc Junior engine first with the Nine, the 14/6 and the sporty 1 1/2 litre in 1933. The Nine became the Bantam in 1935.
1929-1935 They produced a range of commercial vehicles of 25cwt, 30cwt, 2ton and 45cwt payloads. The vehicles incorporated several novel features including electric starters.
1935 Sales declined.
WWII Manufactured parts for the De Havilland Mosquito.
After the Second World War, initially the pre war Nine, Ten and Twelve were re-introduced with little change, but in 1948 the all new SM1500 with independent front suspension, but still using a chassis, was announced. It was, however, expensive at £799 and failed to sell well as Singer's rivals also got back into full production. The car was restyled to become the Hunter in 1954, also available with a twin overhead cam version of the engine, few of which were made.
1951 Exhibitor at the 1951 Motor Show in the Car Section.
1956 The company was in financial difficulties and Rootes Brothers, who had handled Singer sales since before World War I, bought the company, which spelled the end for independent designs. The next car was a badge engineered Hillman Minx variant, the Gazelle retained the Singer ohc engine for a while but this also went in 1958. The last car to carry the Singer name was an upmarket version of the rear engined Hillman Imp called the Chamois.
1956 Production ended at the Coventry Street Works.
1961 Listed as subsidiary of Humber. [2]
1961 Motor car manufacturers. Makers of the "Gazelle". [3]
1963 Motor Show exhibitor. Showed Vogue and Gazelle models. Listed as part of Rootes Motors. [4]
1964 Rootes taken over by Chrysler.
1970 Singer cars ceased being made by this time.
List of Models
- Singer: Nine Roadster. Series 4A
- Singer: SM.1500 1949-56
- Singer: Gazelle 1955-67 - (83,061 produced)
- Singer: Vogue 1961-66 - (47,769 produced)
- Singer: Nine
- Singer: Ten
- Singer: Eleven
- Singer: Twelve
- Singer: Sixteen
- Singer: 9 Bantam
- Singer: Junior
- Super Ten/Super Twelve 1938-49
- Hunter 75 1955-56
- Singer: Chamois 1964-70 - (97,567 produced)
- 10 1400 cc 1905
- 12/14 2400 cc 1906-10
- 20/25 3500 cc 1908-10
- 15 2600 cc 1911-14
- Ten 1100 cc 1912-23
- 10/26 1300 cc 1925-27
- 14/34 and Senior 1800 cc 1926-27
- Light Six 1800 cc 1929-31
- Senior Six 1600 cc 1927-30
- Super Six 1920 cc 1930-31
- Junior 850 cc 1927-35
- Nine 970 cc 1933-37
- 1.5 litre 1500 cc 1933-37
- Bantam 970 cc 1936-40
- Twelve 1500 cc 1937-39
- Ten 1200 cc 1938-49
- 4A Roadster 1074 cc 1949-1951
- SM1500 1500 cc 1948-54
- 4AD Roadster 1497 cc 1951-1955
- Singer: Hunter 1500 cc 1954-56
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Automobile Vol. III. Edited by Paul N. Hasluck and published by Cassell in 1906.
- ↑ 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises: Motor, Motor-Cycle and Commercial Vehicle Manufacturers
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ 1963 Motor Show