Early Postwar Armstrong Siddeley Cars

Armstrong Siddeley was a British maker of luxury (and somewhat lesser) cars, production having ended in 1960.

Today's post deals with its set of models introduced shortly after the end of World War 2.  All were mounted on a 115-inch (2921 mm) wheelbase, save a few later sedans.

Model names were assigned on the basis of body type.  Drophead (convertible) coupes were called Hurricanes, named after the Hawker fighter.  The fixed-top coupe was the Typhoon, named for a later World War 2 British fighter-bomber.  Saloons (sedans) were named after bombers.  The first such was the Lancaster, and a few years later the Whitley was added to the lineup.  All told, 10,528 such cars were made between 1945 and 1953.

I wrote about an ugly 1950s Armstrong Siddeley body style here.

Gallery

1947 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane - car-for-sale photo
Styling was essentially prewar.

1946 Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon - HandH Auctions photo
The fixed-head coupe passenger greenhouse features a fairly flat roof and large windows, giving it an airy appearance.

1949 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster - car-for-sale photo
Aside from the top of the A-pillar and roof, the saloon version is the same as the coupe forward of the B-pillar.  For example, the front door forward cutlines are the same, though the saloon's door is more narrow.

1951 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley - car-for-sale photo
Whitleys were added for 1949.  They were what the British call four-light (four-window) saloons.  The main difference from the Lancaster is the shape of the top in the C-pillar area and the forward area of the trunk profile.  B-pillars are thinner too.

1947 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane - car-for-sale photo
In a gesture to late prewar styling trends, grille bars are horizontal.

1946 Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon - HandH Auctions photo
I suppose the idea was to yield a more "streamlined" look.

1947 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster - car-for-sale photo
But the result was too ponderous.  Vertical bars or thinner horizontal ones might have been improvements.

1951 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley - car-for-sale photo
Note the front fender sculpting.  I'll say more about that farther down.

1947 Armstrong Siddeley Hurricane - car-for-sale photo
The rectangular panel below the trunk lid might be for spare tire access.

1946 Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon - HandH Auctions photo
Same rear as on the Hurricane.

1949 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster - car-for-sale photo
The trunk area is superficially similar to that of the coupes.  But the lid hinges are at the bottom and concealed, the handle is above, rather than below.  Fuel filler caps are in the same place, however.

1952 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley - South Western Vehicle Auctions photo
This seems to be the 122-inch (3100 mm) Whitley, having six windows.  The trunk lid is similar to that found on coupes, but extends farther down.  The fuel filler cap is relocated to the fender.  Note the dent on the front fender.

1949 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster - car-for-sale photo
Now for the unusual front fender sculpting.  As you can see, fender sides are dished in to form catwalks.

1947 Armstrong Siddeley Lancaster - car-for-sale photo
Seen from a more normal viewing perspective.

1951 Armstrong Siddeley Whitley - car-for-sale photo
The sculpting as seen from the rear.

1946 Armstrong Siddeley Typhoon - HandH Auctions photo
More decorative than functional, I rate the sculpting as interesting and distinctive, yet not attractive.

LaSalle-Successor Cadillac Series 61's Short Saga

Setting aside the single-year marketed 1939 Cadillac Series 61, this post deals with the Series 61 that from 1941 served as Cadillac's entry level model into the 1951 model year.

This Series 61 began as replacement for the discontinued Cadillac companion brand LaSalle that ceased production in 1940.   I posted about that here.  Some Series 61 background from Wikipedia is here.

The standard Cadillac during those years was the Series 62 that usually out-sold the 61s despite having a higher price range.  Here are some sales data (Series 61 first, then Series 62, finally the ratio of 61 to 62 sales):

1941:  29,250  24,726  1.18

1942:  5,700  4,960  1.15

1946:  3,001  18,566  0.16

1947:  8,555  39,835  0.21

1948:  8,603  34,213  0.25

1949:  22,148  55,643  0.40

1950:  26,772  59,818  0.45

1951:  4,700  81,844  0.06

As can be seen, 61s sold comparatively well early in their career and again shortly before the line was cancelled.  The reason for cancellation might have been because its body platform was being phased out.  Aside from model years 1948 and 1949, Cadillac 61s and 62s did not share the exact same body platform.   Cadillac 61s used General Motors' B-bodies through 1947, then after 1949 used what I call the Lesser C-body, whereas Series 62 Cadillacs used the basic C-body.  Lesser-C sales dropped dramatically in 1951 because models such as the Buick Special switched to a redesigned B-body that year.  So Cadillac management apparently decided to base production on mainline C-bodies to economize on tooling expenses.

Some of my thoughts on the Lesser C-body are here.

Below are images comparing Series 61 Cadillacs with Series 62 examples.  Unless noted, images are of for-sale cars.

Gallery

1941 Cadillac 61 Touring Sedan
The link to my earlier post shows similarities between this design and designs proposed for 1941 LaSalles.

1941 Cadillac 61 Touring Sedan
B-body Cadillac 61s had a 126-inch (3200 mm) wheelbase.

1941 Cadillac 62 Touring Sedan
C-body '41 Cadillacs had the same wheelbase.  An easy spotter's guide to 4-door sedans is that C-body sedans were 4-window, whereas B-body sedans were 6-window.

1942 Cadillac 61 - Barrett-Jackson Auctions photo
An attractive design, even with those extended front fenders. 

1942 Cadillac 62 - BaT Auctions photo
C-body wheelbases were increased to 129 inches (3277 mm) for 1942.  The added length was ahead of the cowling, and this resulted in longer front fenders.  Those larger fenders strike me as looking too heavy, unlike the Series 61 version.

1946 Cadillac 61
Early post- World War 2 Cadillacs were nearly identical to the 1942 models.

1946 Cadillac 61

1947 Cadillac 62

1948 Cadillac 62
Most Cadillacs got a new C-body for 1949 and 1950.  Series 61s looked like the 62 shown here except they didn't have the chrome plaque abaft of the front wheel opening.  Wheelbases were 126 inches.

1950 Cadillac 62 - Mecum Auctions photo
Cadillacs were redesigned again for 1950.  Here is a general view.

1950 Cadillac 62
Side view.  Again, a 126-inch wheelbase.

1950 Cadillac 61
The Lesser C-bodied 61, on a 122-inch (3099 mm) wheelbase again.  The most obvious differences have to do with the passenger compartment greenhouse.

1951 Cadillac 62 - Mecum

1951 Cadillac 61
The final year.

Jaguar's Postwar Saloon Redesign: The Mark V

Jaguar's Mark V (1948-1951) was the company's first redesigned postwar car (along with the XK120 sports car also introduced in 1948, but not initialy planned for mass production).  It succeeded the retroactively named Mark IV that was a pre-World War 2 design.

Following the Mark V came the Mark VII (1950-1956) that had more appropriate postwar styling features.  As for the Mark V, its design was largely a cleaned-up, slightly better integrated, slightly bulkier version of the Mark IV.  This was when most carmakers were rapidly following the trend to integrated "envelope" type bodies.

Why was Jaguar such a laggard?  I can only speculate.  Perhaps it was something "in the air" of the British automobile industry at the time.  A rough rule was that brands closer to entry-level were first to modernize styling and upper-end cars featured more traditional designs for their postwar restylings.  Jaguar had the reputation of providing good value for prices, but its cars were aligned much closer to the high end of the price-prestige continuum than the low end, so it falls into this conservative design category.  As noted, the Mark VII brought Jaguar more into line with postwar trends.

I previously wrote about Mark IV and Mark V Jaguars in my post "Jaguar's Tucked-in Aft Roof Line" here.  Today, I compare overall appearance of saloons (sedans) of both marks.

Gallery

1947 Jaguar Mark IV 3 1/2 Litre Saloon - HandH Auctions photo
First, general views of each design.

1949 Jaguar Mark V 3.5-Litre Saloon - Bonhams Auctions photo
The Mark V seems larger, but their wheelbases are the same: 120-inches (3048 mm).

1948 Jaguar Mark IV 3 1/2 Litre Saloon - car-for-sale photo
Front quarter view.  Mark IVs seem less spindly than, say, mid-1930s British cars.

1950 Jaguar Mark V 2.5-Litre Saloon - Hyman, Ltd. photo
But the Mark Vs look more massive, in part because they were wider -- 69.5-inches (1765 mm) -- than Mark IVs' 65.5-inches (1660 mm).  Grilles are similar, and so are the hoods (bonnets), though the Mark Vs is less horizontal in profile.  Headlights are smaller and partly blended into the fenders.

1949 Jaguar Mark IV 2 1/2 Litre Sports Saloon - car-for sale photo
Presumably a late-1948 model.  The trunk (boot) is large and integrated into the body -- again, unlike many mid-1930s British designs.

1950 Jaguar Mark V 3.5-Litre Saloon - car-for-sale photo
Rear end styling is essentially the same.

1948 Jaguar Mark IV 3 1/2 Litre Saloon - Bring a Trailer Auctions photo
Doors are aft-hinged "suicide" types.  The B-pillar is substantial.

1950 Jaguar Mark V 3.5-Litre Saloon - car-for-sale photo
Rear passenger doors are hinged on the B-pillars.  The passenger compartment greenhouse is reshaped -- greater windshield slant, thinner roof, thinner A- and B-pillars, and a more curved profile.  The beltline falls off to the rear more strongly.  Fenderlines are similar.  No louvres on the side of the hood, making for a cleaner appearance.

1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Redesign Updated

The Lincoln-Zephyr, introduced for the 1936 model year, was a streamlined, upper-middle-price-line car comparable to Chrysler Airflows and Buick Roadmasters.  Zephyrs were redesigned four model years later (1940) and facelifted at two-year intervals (1938 and 1942) within each body's production lifetime.  The Zephyr name was dropped post- World War 2 on resumption of production, the design being a facelifted 1942.

I posted "1940 Lincoln-Zephyr Redesign" here, and today's post is an elaboration on that.

The redesigned Lincoln-Zephyr was larger than the original.  Yet it retained several styling features of the 1938-39 facelifted version, especially the front end.  The 1938 facelift included Detroit's first horizontally oriented grille, a styling breakthrough.  So it's likely Ford management (probably in the form of Edsel Ford himself) decided to retain that successful theme on the 1940 redesign.

In the photo set below, the 1938 Zephyr facelift is represented by a nearly-identical 1939 model because my image database has better views than I have for 1938 sedans.  For the same reason, I represent the 1940 redesign with a 1941 model, also nearly identical to the original.  The 1939 Zephyr photo set is of a for-sale car by Harwood Motors. The 1941 Zephyr images are via the web site of the Driehaus Collection.

Gallery

First, the 1938 facelift design.

The 1940 redesigned body has the same 125-inch (3175 mm) wheelbase.  The after part of its profile is slight raised, enlarging the passenger compartment and trunk.  Door cutlines and C-pillars are vertical, creating a more static, less-flowing appearance.  From a marketing standpoint, the intent might have been to make Zephyrs seem more dignified, more upscale so as to better compete with the likes of Cadillac and Packard.  From a styling perspective, a slightly slanted C-pillar would have been better.  Door hinges were redesigned so as not to be exposed.

As for carryover features, note the shapes of the fenders and hood.  Rear fenders seem redesigned, but close in spirit to the 1938 version.  Front fenders seem nearly identical aside from the forward half where changes were required for the newly-mandated sealed-beam headlights.  The hood profile and cutlines are almost the same on both cars.

The width of both cars is virtually the same, so I wonder if the windshields and perhaps some of the hood tooling were retained for 1940.  Grille profiles seem the same, and also the forward hood cutlines aside from the very front.

Aside from the fender shape, the body abaft of the cowling is clearly different from the previous Zephyr design.

1950-51 Frazer Manhattan 4-Door "Hardtop" Facelift

The Frazer was the upper-medium price range car offered by the post- World War 2 startup firm Kaiser-Frazer Corporation.  Its Kaiser brand was its medium price offering.  From the outside, all K-F cars 1947-1950 looked nearly identical aside from grilles.  Interior fittings were what distinguished the price levels.

Both brands were given major upgrades for model year 1951.  Kaisers were totally redesigned, and Frazers were given a major facelift that I wrote about here.

The present post elaborates on Frazer's facelift with reference to a body type that, with a little imagination, might be considered an early example of the American hardtop (B-pillarless windows) sedans.  General Motors began selling those in 1955 followed by other brands for 1956 and later.

K-F hardtop sedans first appeared as Kaiser Virginians for the 1949 model year.  Frazer Manhattans were that brand's upscale four-door sedan range starting in 1947 (there was a lesser Standard sedan model).  Frazer's Manhattan 4-door convertible sedan appeared for 1949, but it seems that only one "hardtop" version was built.  Images of it are shown below.

While Kaisers were redesigned for 1951, Frazers were facelifted largely because K-F had a significant stock of unused 1949-1950 vintage bodies that needed to be sold.  Kaiser Virginian bodies were the basis for Frazer's Manhattan hardtop sedans, only 152 of which were made (along with 131 convertible sedans).

All images below are via Mecum Auctions.

Gallery

1947 Frazer Manhattan Sedan
This was the only Kaiser-Frazer body style during the first two model years.

1950 Frazer Manhattan "Hardtop" Sedan
The single example, perhaps built for a K-F executive.  Aside from the grille, Kaiser Virginians looked the same.  Note the lower, flatter top compared to that of the 4-door sedan in the previous photo.  Below the beltlines the bodies are the same aside from the covered rear wheel opening on the hardtop.  Some 946 Virginians were built models years 1949-1950.

1951 Frazer Manhattan "Hardtop" Sedan
The facelifted, production version.  The 1951 Frazer facelift used new sheetmetal forward of the A-pillar and included new rear fenders abaft of the back side door.  The B-pillar above the belt is fixed, comprised of two vertical metal elements with glass sandwiched between them.

1951 Frazer Manhattan Convertible Sedan
Side window framing was fixed for both the convertible sedans and hardtop sedans, though the door glass was retractible.

1949-50 Frazer Manhattan
The top was metal, covered in Vinyl or some other treated fabric.

1951 Frazer Manhattan
The redesigned front end.

1949-50 Frazer Manhattan
Initial K-F design was slab-sided and otherwise plain compared to most other postwar designs.

1951 Frazer Manhattan
The restyled fenders included character lines that reduced the slab-sidedness.  K-F should have done this fron the beginning, though the eventual lack of a V-8 motor would have eventually killed the firm.