Summary

Owned by the 6th Earl of Clarendon, this car has been beautifully restored in original colors. Features a 20hp overhead-valve 6-cylinder 3,190cc engine, 4-speed pre-selector gearbox and side-mounts.

Details

Armstrong Siddeley was a very high-quality British manufacturer of luxury automobiles and aircraft engines starting in 1919 and continuing until 1960, when Rolls-Royce purchased the company. The 1934 20hp saloon was a high-quality, expensive car with many technical advancements. It featured a 3,190cc overhead-valve 6-cylinder engine, a Wilson pre-selector 4-speed gearbox, Lucas-Startix automatic starter control, wire wheels, side-mounts, 122-1/2' tires, deep-vee radiator shell and an Egyptian Sphinx mascot. Factory records show this car was delivered to Armstrong Siddeley Motors Ltd. in Durban, South Africa, arriving February 2, 1934. It became one of the personal cars of George Herbert Hyde Villiers, the 6th Earl of Clarendon, a British aristocrat who served as Governor-General for South Africa from 1931 to 1937. It was sold to a wealthy farmer, who then sold it to a British gentleman in 1968. He brought the car to Toronto, Canada, in 1978. The next Canadian owners in 1998 commenced a full frame-off restoration, spearheaded by John Watts of LNER restorations, whose firewall plate still graces the car. Engine, mechanical and wiring and block repair were done by Watts or LNER, while the high-quality paintwork was done by Pfaff Autoworks and interior was done by Peter Svilans. It is beautifully finished in green and brown, accented by beautifully restored chrome plating. The interior is correctly done in soft brown leather with wool carpets and features a gorgeous dashboard. The instruments are beautiful; it's restored to a high standard throughout. The undercarriage is extremely clean and nice. It's so well done that when it was finished, it won Best Car of the Show at the British Car Day in Bronte Provincial Park, Oakville, on September 17, 2006, the largest British car show in North America. High-quality when new, and high-quality and unusual today.