1951 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane

Lot details
Registration No: VFF?932
Chassis No: 1810010
Mot Expiry: None

The Armstrong Siddeley engineering group was created in 1919 by the amalgamation of Armstrong-Whitworth and Siddeley-Deasy. Over its forty-one year reign it produced some thirty models of luxury cars and for many years was also one of the UK's largest manufacturers of aero engines. The very week WWII ended in Europe, the company introduced its first post war model, the Hurricane - a large two-door three-position Drophead Coupe. The Lancaster four-door Saloon followed in February 1946 and the Typhoon Sports Saloon (basically a Hurricane with a fixed hard top) was unveiled in September of the same year. All the 16hp and 18hp models built between 1945 and 1954 were named after aircraft built by the group under the Hawker-Siddeley banner (the others were the Whitley and Tempest). The early versions of each model were powered by 2-litre OHV six-cylinder engines but by 1949 the capacity had been increased to 2.3 litres, raising the output from 70 to 75bhp; the torque coincidentally rose from 96 to 108lbft. The same cruciform chassis served as the base for all the derivatives. Suspension was independent at the front courtesy of longitudinal torsion bars. Braking was by Girling hydro-mechanically operated drums all round. Two gearbox options were available, a four-speed manual unit and Wilson preselector one. A total of almost 12,500 chassis were fitted with one or other of the body options over the eight years of production, of which some 920 are thought to remain worldwide. Of the total manufactured, 2,606 were Hurricanes.

The right-hand drive Hurricane now available is a 2.3-litre-engined 18hp example from 1951 equipped with the four-speed manual gearbox. In the vendor's care for the last seventeen years, we understand 'VFF 932' previously belonged to a doctor from Anglesey and the car was evidently restored by the Rolls-Royce dealer in Snowdonia. The interior has been retrimmed in leather and a new mohair hood fitted as recently as last year. The vendor informs us that bodywork, paintwork, trim, engine and transmission are all "good". The Hurricane sports Cream coachwork teamed with a Cream and Brown interior - surely an ideal wedding car as well as a fun classic for general use.