Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster

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Armstrong Siddeley was established in 1919 as a result of the amalgamation of Armstrong-Whitworth’s car making activities and Deasey of Coventry.

Armstrong Siddeley established itself as one of the UK's most respected manufacturers in the pre-war and immediate post-war era, producing solidly built, easy to drive and comfortable cars rather than more sporting machines. All cars were named after aircraft, a logical move since the company was foremost an aero engine maker, a field in which it gained vast experience during the war years.

Introduced in 1945, the Lancaster was the first large post-war sports saloon built by the company. The chassis was all new and featured independent front suspension using torsion bars and a live rear axle with leaf springs. A Girling hydro-mechanical braking system was fitted, with the front drums hydraulically operated while those at the rear used rod and cable. Wire wheels were an option but rarely fitted.

At first the Lancaster was fitted with a 70bhp 1,991cc six-cylinder engine carried over from the pre-war 16hp model, but from 1949 this grew to 2,309cc by increasing the cylinder bore from 65 to 70mm, with a choice of a four-speed synchromesh or a pre-selector gearbox. The four door, six light body was made of steel and aluminium panels fitted over a wooden frame and was bought in from Mulliners of Birmingham. An opening sunshine roof was standard.

Built at a time when raw materials were still in short supply, the Lancaster was typical of the dependable but unremarkable automobiles produced by the British motor industry as it recovered from the devastation of the war years. It was popular too, a total of 3,597 Lancasters being sold before the model was eventually discontinued in 1952. Armstrong Siddeley continued to make cars until 1960 at which point it went back to concentrating on its core business of aero engines.

Dating from January 1949, this Lancaster has been on display at the Stondon Museum since October 1997 during which time it received £2,500 worth of recommissioning work that included bumper re-chroming, leather treatment and a full repaint. Included in the sale are some old MOTs, a buff logbook and various invoices. The most recent MOT certificate dates from October 2010 which is presumably when the car was last in use.

AMENDMENT: Please note the last recorded MOT for this vehicle in the file is from 1986, NOT 2010