Singer Motors

George Singer began his bicycle-making business in Coventry in 1874.[2] At the time, he was foreman of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company, from which he resigned.[3] He was joined in the business by J. E. Stringer, his brother-in-law.[4] It appears Singer was inspired to produce a bicycle safer than the Ordinary (penny-farthing) type standard at the time, by cyclist George Dominy.[4] Singer did not alter the large front and small rear wheel design of the Ordinary, but by raking the front forks (a first) did make it safer.[4] He patented the design on 24 October 1878.[4]

He followed this with an 1879 model having a large rear wheel and small front wheels which could be folded aside.[4] and in 1885 with a tricycle, rear wheels driven by chain, which also featured a handbrake (designed by Singer and his associate, R. H. Lea) on the rear axle.[4]

In about 1888, Singer introduced the Rational, a diamond-framed model with wheels the same size, each about 30 in (76 cm) diameter.[5] It also offered removable handlebars and removable rear wheel.[6] While safer, its performance suffered.[6] Nevertheless, it proved popular with cycle tourers.[6]

In 1895, Singer Cycle faced a £600,000 "floatation by that egregious company promoter" Terah Hooley,[6] but survived. It also weathered an industry slump in 1898 that wiped out many British bicycle makers.[6]

Singer Cycle Company began producing motor cars in 1901.[6]

Part of Singer & Company Directors' Report, 31 July 1917. The chairman then was Arthur Edward Jagger, other directors were William Edward Bullock and Arthur Charles Bourner, who was a partner of the largest chartered accountancy firm of the Potteries.

Singer Cycle began motor vehicle production in 1901, purchasing the manufacturing rights to the Perks & Birch Motor Wheel, a one-cylinder engine contained in a spoked aluminium wheel,[6] known as a motorwheel. It was a 222 cc (13.5 cu in) four-stroke designed by former Beeston employees Edwin Perks and Frank Birch. A unique feature was that the engine, fuel tank, carburettor and low-tension magneto were all housed in a two-sided cast alloy spoked wheel. It was probably the first motor bicycle to be provided with magneto ignition. It was perhaps the only motorcycle engine of its era with reliable ignition.[7] These were fitted to bicycles.[8] The design was used by Singer & Co in the rear wheel and then the front wheel of a trike.

In 1904, he developed a range of more conventional motorcycles which included 346 cc two strokes and, from 1911, side-valve models of 299 cc and 535 cc. In 1913 Singer & Co offered an open-frame ladies model.[9]

Singer & Co stopped building motorcycles at the outbreak of the First World War.[10]

In 1909, Singer & Co built a series of racers and roadsters and entered several bikes in races, including the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1914.[9] George E. Stanley broke the one-hour record at Brooklands race track on a Singer motorcycle in 1912, becoming the first ever rider of a 350 cc motorcycle to cover over 60 miles (97 km) in an hour.[8]

Singer's first tricar was the Tri-Voiturette.[7] It was powered by a 2+1⁄2 hp (1.9 kW) engine, and offered in two models, the No. 1 (passenger facing backward) and Mo. 2 (passenger facing forward); both fitted the passenger seat well behind the rear axle.[11]

At the 1902 Cordingly Show, at the Islington Agricultural Hall, Singer showed two commercial variants of the Tri-Voiturette, the Motor Carrier, one for tradesmen, one for dairymen.[7]

The Tri-Voiturette was replaced by another tricar, which had two front wheels and a driven rear, more horsepower, and a coachbuilt body, but with the passenger now in front of the driver.[7]

Muriel Hind drove a Singer Tricar in the 1906 Land's End to John O'Groats Trial, with aviation pioneer Hilda Hewlett as her passenger and mechanic. She also drove a tricar in the twenty four hour London to Edinburgh Trial, again with a female passenger, making good time in torrential rain.[12]

The first Singer-designed car was the 4-cylinder 2.4-litre 12/14 of 1906. The engine was bought in from Aster.

Singer made their first four-wheel car in 1905. It was designed by Scottish engineer Alexander Craig and was a variant of a design he had done for Lea-Francis having a 2-cylinder 1,853 or 2,471 cc (113.1 or 150.8 cu in) engine.[13]

The Craig engine was replaced in 1906 by White & Poppe engines in Singer's two light car models. These were a 7 hp (5.2 kW) twin and a 12/14 four-cylinder. These were joined by a White & Poppe-engined Doctor's Brougham and two Auster-powered tourers, a 12/14 and a 20/22.[7]

For 1907, the Lea-Francis design was dropped and a range of two-, three- and four-cylinder models was launched, using White and Poppe engines. The Aster engined models were dropped in 1909 and a new range of larger cars introduced. All cars were now White and Poppe powered.

Singer experimented with a cyclecar, powered by a transversely-mounted aircooled engine in 1911–12.[7] Instead, the company built a light car, the Ten, which debuted in 1912 with a 10 hp (7.5 kW) 1,096 cc (66.9 cu in) four-cylinder engine;[14] its main drawback was a three-speed transmission built into the rear axle.[15] The Ten was the company's first big seller. The same year, two years after George Singer's death, the "bicycle wheel" radiator emblem was deleted.[7] That year's primary product was a 16/20, powered by a White & Poppe engine.[7]

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 20 hp were so equipped.

Plaque describing Singer's part in the origin of Aston-Martin

The Ten's performance attracted interest from former racing cyclist Lionel Martin, who bought a copy right off Singer's stand at the 1912 Olympia Motor Show.[15] Martin gave the car a thorough going-over, improving the engine's power and raising the top speed from 40 to 70 mph (64 to 113 km/h).[15] Martin set up shop in Henniker Mews, Kensington, England, tuning the four-cylinder cars, and did a robust business.[15] This was aided by the motor racing success of Martin's own improved Ten, in particular at the Aston Clinton hillclimb.[15] The Ten would also be sold by William Rootes, former Singer apprentice turned dealer.[15]

On 11 July 1914, Beatrice Blore drove a Singer Ten car up the cable track (with a gradient of 1 in 3 in places) of the Great Orme, in Llandudno, North Wales, becoming the first woman to drive up the steep and challenging headland. She was six months pregnant at the time and the drive was a publicity stunt developed by her partner George Wilkin Browne to help sell the cars at his Llandudno garage, North Wales Silver Motors. The cars were advertised for sale for £195.[16]

Production was suspended for the First World War, then resumed afterward.[15] Except for detail changes, the engine remained the same until the Ten ended production in 1923; the chassis was redesigned in 1921.[15] The two-seater was priced at £395.[15]

In 1921, Singer purchased motorcycle and cyclecar maker Coventry Premier, selling a four-wheeler of their design, powered by a 1,005 cc (61.3 cu in) water-cooled V-twin, for £250,[15] under that name until 1924.[13] The engine was changed to a four-cylinder Singer in 1922, but the car ceased production in 1923.[15]

In 1922, Singer's first six-cylinder was a 1,999 cc (122.0 cu in) of 15 hp (11 kW), with a dated fixed head.[15] This new 15 used a chassis very similar to the 10's, and had one interesting feature, a retractable luggage rack.[17] In 1924, the 15 was offered with a Weymann fabric body.[17] Sales of the 15 were "modest".[17]

The 10's engine was converted to overhead valves in 1923 and monobloc, while the next year, the Ten also got a Waymann body option.[17]

The new 10/26 replaced the older 10 in 1924.[17] it offered a 1,308 cc (79.8 cu in) engine and modernized styling. It was offered in several models, from the £195 four-seat Popular to the £295 Saloon Limousine Del Luxe.[17]

At the 1926 London Motor Show, the company debuted the Junior, powered by a 16.5 hp (12.3 kW) OHV 848 cc (51.7 cu in).[18] Priced from £148 10s as a four-seat tourer, it had only rear-wheel brakes to start.[17] A racing 10 set the Brooklands lap record in 1921 at 74.42 mph (119.77 km/h).[19] Meanwhile, the 10/26 became the 1,308 cc (79.8 cu in)-engined Senior,[20] joined by the new Six, powered by a 1,776 cc (108.4 cu in) inline six based on the 10/26's and four-wheel servo-assisted brakes from Clayton Dewandre.[17] The same year, Singer took over Calcott Brothers.[13]

In the 1920s, Singer sales climbed steadily,[17] By 1928, Singer was Britain's third largest car maker after Austin and Morris.[21] Singer, restricted by a built-in site, acquired other companies for factory space. In 1926, they made 9,000 cars. In 1929, with seven factories and 8,000 employees, they produced 28,000 cars, though having just 15% they trailed far behind Austin and Morris which shared 60% of the market. Hampered by their new acquisitions, the cost of new machinery and a moving assembly line in their latest acquisition, Singer's offerings were eclipsed by new models from Austin, Morris, and Hillman; from 1932, these were joined by the new Ford Model Y.[1]

The Senior would be redesigned in 1928, with capacity increased to 1,571 cc (95.9 cu in) and an additional crankshaft main bearing added (up from two to three).[17] And, like the Junior and Six, the track was increased.[17] One other model was a fabric-bodied convertible saloon, the Sun.[22]

The redesign left Singer with a few hundred older chassis, which the company bodied and sold as Deliverys, at £180.[22]

Toward the end of the year, a privateer ran a two-seat Junior up Porlock Hill one hundred times in fifteen hours, which moved Singer to rename that model the Porlock.[22]

In 1929, a 2+2 on the Junior chassis appeared, and the Senior disappeared, while the Six gained a 1,792 cc (109.4 cu in) sidevalve.[22] This was joined by a Super Six, with a 1,921 cc (117.2 cu in) OHV and four-speed manual transmission.[22] This was, said The Autocar, "the most impressive Singer yet"[23]

The 8 hp (6.0 kW) 848 cc (51.7 cu in) Junior of 1931, with styling resembling the top-priced saloon and a "waterfall" grille, which lent the car its common name.[24] The range continued in a very complex manner using developments of the ohc Junior engine, with an 848 cc (51.7 cu in), the Ten, the sidevalve 1,476 cc (90.1 cu in) 12/6, the sidevalve 18/6 (now 2,041 cc (124.5 cu in)), and the OHV Silent-Six (now 2,180 cc (133 cu in)).[22] At the top of the price range was the £480 Charles Frederick ‘C F’ Beauvais-designed Kaye Don saloon, built on the Silent-Six platform.[22] Hydraulic brakes were standard, except for the Kaye Don, which relied on servo-boosted Dewandre brakes.[22] A sliding sunshine roof was also available.[22]

In 1932, Leo J. Shorter became chief engineer (by 1940, technical director[25]).[22] He and two other designers created the new Sports Nine Sports, which made its debut at the London Motor Show that same year;[22] it featured a two-bearing crankshaft engine of 972cc, which gave the car its name. Owing to manufacturing difficulties of the new bodywork, the "9" engine was fitted to a number of Junior chassis' as a stopgap until the production cars were ready, which gave rise to the incredibly rare "Junior-Nine". The production numbers are unknown, and only 8 are known to have survived. And in 1933, The Nine was joined by a new 14 hp (10 kW) six-cylinder, a 1.5 Horsepower six-cylinder, and a 2-Liter six-cylinder, while the Junior was dropped and the new sidevalve-engined 12 displaced the Ten.[22] The Sports Nine was "an immediate success"[22] among trials racers, and Singer entered a specially-prepared version at Le Mans, which led to the Nine being commonly called the Le Mans.[22] Singer earned an "excellent reputation" in racing before three works Nines appeared at the 1935 Ulster Tourist Trophy, where all three wrecked, all from the same cause (steering failure) and all, incredibly, at the same spot. All the drivers literally walked away unscathed, but Singer's reputation in racing was beyond repair.[25]

In summer 1934, the Eleven was launched and was very innovative in its class by including the clutch-less "Fluidrive" Fluid coupling and Independent front suspension,[26] and was also offered with "aerodynamic" Airstream coachwork;[25] the name was given independent of the Chrysler.[25]

Independent front suspension was added to the Nine in 1935,[25] while the larger models got Fluidrive transmissions.[25] The new two litre Sixteen debuted that year as well, also with IFS.[25] The Nine became the Bantam in 1935, which also debuted at the London Motor Show; it was a close copy of the Ford Model Y (a popular subject for copying), with two-bearing crankshafts and a 972 cc (59.3 cu in) engine; this, and its high £127 pricetag, made it uncompetitive.[25] It had a two-bearing crankshaft and was the first Singer with a synchromesh gearbox,[25] albeit with only three forward gears.[27] Continuing decline in sales led to financial trouble, and Singer attempted to cut costs, such as by switching back to mechanical brakes on the Nine in 1939.[25]

In May 1936, W. E. Bullock, who had been managing director from 1919 together with his son, general manager from 1931, resigned following criticism from the shareholders at their annual general meeting. No longer viable, Singer & Co Limited was dissolved in December 1936 and what had been its business was transferred to a new company, Singer Motors Limited.[28]

In 1938, the three-bearing 9 hp (6.7 kW) OHC engine of 1,074 cc (65.5 cu in) was introduced, the three speed gearbox only had synchro between 2nd and top.[29]

• 
  1919 Ten
• 
  1927 Junior 8
• 
  1927 Senior 10/26 tourer
• 
  1930 Senior
• 
  1933 Silent Six Continental sports saloon
• 
  1933 972 cc (59.3 cu in) Nine Sports with helmet wings
• 
  1934 Eleven saloon
• 
  1934 Le Mans 1½-litre 2-seater Sports

• 
  1936 Bantam Nine 4-door
• 
  1936 Bantam Nine tourer
• 
  1939 Bantam Nine saloon
• 
  1939 Bantam Nine van
• 
  1939 Bantam Nine Roadster

From 1938 to 1955, Singer Motors Ltd supplied new OHC engines (a few 9HP, a 10HP and numerous 12 HPs plus 4-speed gearboxes) for fitment to HRG Engineering Company's sports cars at Tolworth, Surrey - these replaced the 1.5 litre Meadows engines fitted to earlier cars.

After the Second World War, the new Roadster and the Ten and Twelve saloons all returned to production with little change. In 1948, Singer's first streamlined car appeared, the SM1500 (designed by Technical Director Shorter[25]), which featured coil spring IFS.[25] and a separate chassis, still using the SOHC 1500cc engin; It was, however, expensive, at £799, and hopes it would save the company proved in vain.[30]

The SM1500 was given a traditional radiator grille and renamed the Hunter in 1954; the high-priced Hunter was equally in vain.[25] (Though specified with an optional HRG-designed DOHC engine, this was likely never sold.[25]) In the December 2011 edition of Automobile Magazine, a 1954 SM1500 was compared to an MG TD, finding the Singer the superior roadster.[31]

• 
  1948 North American-market Nine Roadster
• 
  1946 Super Ten
• 
  1949 Super Twelve
• 
  1948–54 SM1500
• 
  1954–56 Hunter