Thank you for the memory. As an apprenticed coach builder I worked at Armstrong Siddeley for four years between 1956 and 1960 after my National Service producing six cars a week. I was strongly reprimanded by the body shop foreman for referring to the vehicles as cars. 'These are not motor cars laddie....they're Gentleman's Carriages'. When the works closed down we were transferred to RAS (Routes Armstrong Siddeley) producing the Sunbeam Alpine. Happy days.
This Armstrong Siddeley is beautiful. I have been a fan of Brisith Daimler cars ever since I visited Hong Kong back before the turnover back to China. I was there in 1985. Picked up at the Airport in a gigantic British Daimler. I fell in love with that car then. Sadly, we do see these in Texas,
There was an Armstrong Siddeley in the city of Mwanza, Tanzania when I was growing up there in the 1950s. It was an estate station wagon and had enormous windows around it. It was owned by an old Italian merchant, and he did not keep it up very well. AS also produced stationary engines, and we had one that drove a light plant.
My father had three Armstrong Siddeleys between 1955 and 1972, the last being a wonderful sand and sable 1960 Star sapphire model bought new. This car given number plate WJH 127 was I bleive sold to Holland
I always liked these. I kept photos of a 1961 prototype with dual headlights. Compared to an American car in 1960, these were positively smallish, still very attractive styling, classic British motorcar.
My first car was a 67' Sunbeam Rapier. the mirrors were mounted on the front fenders and I liked being able to monitor my mirrors and not having to take my attention off the road ahead of me. It was a great 1st car and very reliable. The only thing I didn't like was the extreme loss of power on roads above 5,000ft. elevation. Getting to Denver Colorado was challenging (Wolf Creek Pass). I gave up on Pikes Peak !
Fascinating. I work for EH at Kenilworth Castle and we have a exhibition about these cars. Of course Lord Siddeley owned Kenilworth Castle. I also own classic cars myself/and my Dad.
My father had an Armstrong Siddeley. I remember people who drove it were impressed by the power steering. My father was rather less impressed by the mpg if I recall correctly.
'A bit of light into the 50's ' ? The dockers behaviour was largely responsible for the demise of the BSA conglomerate darling. [ read Steve Koerner's authoritative book.]
My word, he thinks that a car should have 2 tone paint & CHROME!!!! A man after my own heart. Unfortunatly, todays car manufacturers wouldn't understand, being lost in their tasteless, chromless chariots of which ALL look alike....and TOTALLY DULL! in my opinion.
2:35 Lady Docker "They mixed with royalty and Hollywood, regularly entertaining the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Ian Fleming, Prince Rainier, Grace Kelly and the Duke of Marlborough at their holiday homes all over the world, or aboard their yacht, Shemara, which was often anchored off the Riviera. Norah was known for her unapologetic spending: mink coats, diamonds, fast cars - she had it all" End Quote ! Without rich people spending their money, we would all have less, as they created employment for 1000's of ordinary folks. If they had just kept their cash in Banks not a lot would have achieved any benefit.
Would be interesting to see Daimler's sales figures for the period 1945 - 1960. Did the 'Docker shockers' and attendant publicity sell any cars? You can't stay in business selling one car every ten years to the Queen. If they spent 10,000 pounds building a show car and got 500,000 pounds worth of publicity world wide that is a good bargain. All car companies made special show cars at that time, American firms made some even more spectacular than the Daimlers, to the point where they could not even be driven on the road. I tried to find some sales figures and the best I can come up with is that they sold a total of 1000 - 2000 cars a year. That is not enough to survive for very long. And, it was not possible to sell large amounts of luxury cars in Britain. They could only stay in business by building up their export business. Unfortunately Daimler was little known outside Britain. That is where the show car programme begins to make sense. If they could sell 10,000 to 50,000 cars per year world wide they stood a chance. Otherwise they were doomed to slowly fade away to nothing which is more or less what happened.
Lady Docker is considered to be responsible for Daimler Conquest. Without the sales of that car, Daimler would have gone under years before they were sold to Jaguar. Conquest production ended in early 1958 and unbelievably they had no replacement car, except the SP250.
Marvellous little movie and pretty accurate. The Dockers certainly produced some very vulgar cars nevertheless Nora was correct about one thing and that was the need to produce sales and sell cars that the middle class could afford. The Conquest was a result of this and it did sell. The most beautiful were the Special Sports but at 500 sold it was hardly a commercial success. The Austin Atlantic in comparison sold nearly 8000 examples, was technically far superior and yet was regarded as a failure at the time! Daimler might have survived with that type of failure! The Armstrong Star Saphire like Daimlers Majestic Major were the final marvellous swan songs. The Armstrong was certainly prettier. But by the 1960s the world had changed and the Ford Mustang was just around the corner. Somehow Rover managed to survive and thrive but that was it for large traditional saloons. The rest Humber etc were simply outdated and unnecessary. Accept for today's enthusiasts like me who love to restore these well made restorable vehicles that now can fill an entirely different role.
Do you happen to have the rest of this episode - and the rest of the Wild Rovers and Sporting Heroes episodes? You've only put up the first half of each episode.
I have never understood the British habit of mounting tiny mirrors at the end of the mudguard. Effectively renders the mirrors(s) absolutely bloody useless.
Sorry MET-TECH, didn't take any photo's much to my regret. I would have dearly loved to own an AS but well beyond my means. Ah well with three children we became ardent 'Austineers' for many years with a 1934 Austin 10/4 Lichfield and 1935 Austin 12/6 Ascot and enough wonderful holidays and rallies to write a volume of books.
If Daimler were to consider the kind of customers of luxury that abound today, they would turn in their graves. Luxury is commoditised. Available to the highest bidder. Money talks like nothing else. And money can buy a bit of breeding too….
