Arroll-Johnston (Arrol-Aster)

GB, 1897 – 1931

(1) The Mo-Car Syndicate Ltd, Bluevale, Camlachie, Glasgow, 1897 – 1906

(2) The New Arrol-Johnston Car Co Ltd, Paisley, Renfrewshire, 1906 – 1913

(3) Arrol-Johnston & Aster Heathhall, Dumfries, 1913 – 1927

Arrol-Johnston was one of the famous makes of Scotland. It was born when George Johnston, Sir William Arrol (the civil engineer) and others, produced their first Arrol-Johnston Dogcart, a strong reliable vehicle with an underfloor flat-twin, opposed-piston engine and chain drive. Its high-wheeled, solid-tyred, horse-carriage type of body was retained well into the 1900s, a more modern 12hp machine was introduced alongside the Arrol-Johnston Dogcart for sale in 1905, with a front-mounted 3-cylinder engine and unit construction of engine and gearbox, but even the Dogcart outlived this one. The Arrol-Johnston make received a new lease of life, however, with the arrival of J.S. Napier as chief engineer and the formation of a new company under Sir William beardmore. Napier won the first Tourist Trophy Race in 1905 with an 18hp car of his own design. By 1908 it was making conventional cars only – three 4-cylinder models. T.C. Pullinger became general manager in 1909 and the company’s most popular pre-war model, the 2 ½-litre 1 Arrol-Johnston 5.9hp appeared. It, too, was normal, except for its dashboard radiator and Allen-Liversidge front-wheel brakes. The latter were unsatisfactory, and lasted only until 1912. By that year, there were also a smaller four Arrol-Johnston for sale and a big six in the range. Experiments were made with an electric car, the Arrol-Johnston-Edison.  

Arrol-Johnston planned to impress the post-war market with their advanced Arrol-Johnston Victory model, designed by G.W.A. Brown. The single ohc engine, developed 40bhp from 2.6 litres. However, the car was too expensive and insufficiently developed. It broke down when on a Royal tour of the West of England, so that the publicity attending its début was not of the kind it needed. Hurriedly Arrol-Johnston resuscitated the old Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp. It was cheaper, but this was at the cost of such unpopular American cost-cutting expedients as a black-painted radiator and fixed ignition. All the same, it saved the Arrol-Johnston company for the time being, and a more modern version, the Arrol-Johnston 20hp, was introduced alongside the Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp in 1922. It had a Monobloc engine with an detachable head. In 1926 overhead valves and front-wheel brakes were added.  

In 1927 Arrol-Johnston were merged with Aster and complication set in. The Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp was retained. So were the two current Asters. Both the latter were given Burt-McCollum single sleeve-valve engines in the interests of silence, but the 21/60hp Aster was also available in its original ohv form, renamed the Arrol-Aster. Another completely new Arrol-Aster for sale was the 2½-litre 6-cylinder 17/50hp with sleeve valves. The 21/60hp Arrol-Aster and the 15.9hp Arrol-Johnston were dropped for 1929, and a straight-8 Arrol-Aster substituted. It had a 3.3-litre sleeve valve engine consisting of the 17/50 unit with two extra cylinders and was available in supercharged form. This was a fast car intented as a sports mdoel, but unlike the French sleeve-valve designs it could not produce high outputs as revolutions were limited.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; TRN

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