Armstrong Siddeley Heritage Trust
Armstrong Siddeley 20/25hp & 25hp
Armstrong Siddeley 20/25hp
The 20hp model was significantly improved in 1936. The engine size was increased to 3677cc, which resulted in a notable change in the RAC rating from 20hp to 25hp. This upgrade and an enlarged and strengthened chassis added some 2cwt to the car's overall weight. However, the larger engine compensated for this increase, enhancing the car's performance and power.
The model was available in short or long chassis versions to accommodate differing types of bodywork. The in-house coach builder Burlington, known for its exquisite craftsmanship, produced several different bodies while rolling chassis were available for outside coachbuilders.
The Burlington variants included a Seven-Seat Limousine or Landaulet, a Six-Light Touring Saloon, an Atlanta Sports Saloon and a Town and Country Saloon with an optional centre division, this model is shown above.
These images show the interior appointments of a 1936 20/25 Burlington Town and Country Saloon. It has an adjustable front bench seat with an integral glass division that can be retracted into the seat.
.jpg)
This model was also available as a 20/25hp Touring Saloon, but it differed from the Town and Country saloon in that it did not have a glass division and had an enlarged luggage capacity. Its distinctive notchback can distinguish it from the Town and Country version.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
These images are of an Armstrong Siddeley 20/25hp Burlington Limousine de Ville finished in black over primrose yellow. It left the factory in 1936 as a seven-seat Enclosed Limousine with black bodywork. Its first owner was Sir Henry Ledgard, in whose family it remained until the mid-1960s. At a later date, H.T. Coachworks converted it to a Limousine de Ville.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
The rear compartment was finished in West of England cloth with leather to the front, note the ocasional rear seats.
This is a 1936 Salmons Tickford Cabriolet on a 20/25 chassis. It was renowned for its all-weather capability.
Photo credit for the interior goes to Auto Salon Singen
The luxurious interior of the Tickford Cabriolet is apparent from the above images.
.jpg)
%20Paint%20reduced.jpg)
Here we have the Atalanta Sports Saloon. Its body styling was very different from the usual ASM offerings, so much so that opinions on its appearance ranged from describing it as handsome to calling it idiosyncratic.
The two-tone example is of a surviving 20/25 model, while the black-and-white brochure image is of a 25hp version. Note the different bonnet louvre treatments. The two-tone car's colours seem a little vibrant for a 1930s motor car; however, one factory colour option was Grey over Vermillion. We wonder if anyone ever ordered such a brave combination.
_JPG.jpg)
%20enlarged%20cropped.jpg)
Here we have two images of a 20/25hp Maltby bodied DHC and a 20/25hp Touring saloon.
Armstrong Siddeley 25hp
After a short production run, the 20/25 was replaced with a model known as the 25hp. This was not just a simple rename of an existing model; the chassis was completely redesigned to accommodate an integral engine, gearbox, and clutch assembly, which was mounted onto the chassis via rubber bushes to eliminate vibration.
The 20/25 chassis
The 25hp chassis, click on the images to see the differences.
The 25hp body was almost identical to the 20/25 model, the main difference being chrome horizontal bonnet louvres instead of simple vertical body pressings.
This 25hp Limousine was delivered to Neville Chamberlain in 1939. Chamberlain served as the United Kingdom's prime minister from 1937 to 1940.
The outer images are of the 20/25 engine, whilst the central one is of a 25hp. The only real difference between them is a change to the air filter.
While most of the chassis were furnished with a saloon or limousine body, there were some one-offs like this Woody shooting brake, and quite a few 20/25 and 25s were equipped with an ambulance body.
%20up%20200.jpg)
.jpg)
This Armstrong Siddeley 25hp was dispatched as a rolling chassis to Salmond & Sons to be equipped with their Tickford all-weather body. The luxurious and heavy roof is raised up or down by a crank handle inserted in the bodywork; the model was known as a Jubilee Cabriolet.
It was registered in December 1938 and finished in metallic grey with a green leather interior. The top left image shows it in two-tone blue in 2006. Subsequently, it was exported to Germany, where the body was repainted in dual-tone red and maroon and the interior retrimmed in red.
Technical Details
Here we have a slide show of a 1938 25hp brochure, click on the red arrow to open it up.
