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

The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com

DeSoto

US, 1913 – 1916

DeSoto Motro Car Co, Auburn, Ind.

The DeSoto appears to have succeeded the Zimmerman. This was a large car with a 55hp, 6-cylinder engine, which was furnished with a compressed-air starter. The DeSoto model Six-55 five-seater touring car sold for $2185.

US, 1928 – 1960

Chrysler Motors Corp, Detroit, Mich.

The DeSoto was launched in 1928 as a 3.2-litre side valve six to compete with Oldsmobile, Pontiac and the cheaper Nashes. Styling and general design of the DeSoto were in line with the 1929 Chryslers, and at $885 for a DeSoto sedan 90.000 were sold in the first twelve months. A 3.4-litre straight-8 DeSoto on a 9ft 6in wheelbase was announced for 1930 as the world’s cheapest 8-cylinder car. However, DeSoto suffered badly in the Depression, and in 1932, when flexible rubber engine mountings and free wheels were made available, sales dropped to 26.000 DeSoto cars.
The DeSoto disappeared from the British market about this time, though certain ‘Chrysler’ models listed in England (the Mortlake, Croydon, and some of the Richmonds) were in fact DeSoto cars in all but name. A 6-cylinder version of Chrysler’s advanced unitary-construction Airflow, the SE-type with a 4-litre engine, was brought out in 1934, but was an unsuccessful as its bigger sister. Later DeSotos followed regular Chrysler lines closely though in later years there was a tendency for DeSoto to move into a higher price class than Dodge; by 1952 DeSotos started $300 higher than the companion make.
By 1939 the DeSoto cars for sale were being made with independent front suspension, hypoid back axles and column change. There was a choice at DeSoto of two 6-cylinder engines and three wheelbase lengths, the longest of these being reserved for seven-seater bodywork – DeSoto continued to offer a really roomy family car right up to 1954. A 4-speed semi-automatic Vacumatic transmission became an option in 1941, but DeSoto’s big post-war change of models did not take place until 1952, when the division followed Chrysler’s lead in adopting the oversquare ohv V8; the DeSoto version was of 4½-litre capcity and developed 16-bhp. With the advent of Chrysler’s ‘flight sweep’ styling in 1955, the side-valve sixes were dropped and the standard engine in a DeSoto was now a 4.8-litre eight, giving 185bhp in Firedome guise, and 200bhp in Fireflite form. Though this redesigning saved Chrysler sales generally, the slump in the medium-price class had an adverse effect on DeSoto and in 1959 the DeSoto division was merged with Plymouth. Last of the DeSotos were the 1961 models, unitary-construction cars with a choice of three engines: Plymouth’s 145bhp ohv ‘slant six’ as used in the Valiant, and V8s of 230 and 265bhp, the two former only in Canadian DeSotos. Production of DeSoto cars ceased in November 1960 after only a few had been delivered.

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; MCS
The information is written with the greatest of care. However, if you have any suggested amendments please contact us at office@prewarcar.com