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

Plymouth

US, 1928 to date

Chrysler Corporation, Detroit, Mich.

The 4-cylinder 21hp Plymouth car appeared in 1928 at a list price of $725 for a sedan. This Plymouth car replaced the earlier 4-cylinder Chryslers and represented a serious challenge for Ford and Chevrolet in their lowest price class. The Plymouth car had side valves, internal-expanding hydraulic brakes and ribbon-type radiator and gave the Plymouth car a close resemblance to the 1928 Chryslers and De Sotos, and Plymouth cars sold over 100.000 in its first year, even improving its sales position in the bleak economic climate of 1932. Plymouth cars adhered to four cylinders until 1933, when the Plymouth PD-series 6-cylinder was listed at less than $600. 1934 de luxe models of Plymouth cars had independent front suspension, but this was dropped after a year and did not reappear for some time on Plymouth cars. The standard engine in the later 1930 Plymouth cars had a capacity of 3.3-litres, rather smaller than that used in comparable Chevrolets and Fords: a small-bore 2.8-litre version Plymouth car was made for export up to 1939, but the name Plymouth was not usually found on Plymouth cars sold in England, which were nominally Chrysler Kew and Wimbledon sixes. After World War 2 evolution followed that of other Chrysler Corporation cars closely, the old-fashioned styling losing the Plymouth car division its long-held third place in American sales to Buick. Further, Plymouth cars retained the L-head six as its staple power unit right up to 1955, when Flight Sweep versions were introduced with over-square ohv V8 engines on accepted American lines in a variety of powers from 157 to 177bhp. The capacity of these Plymouth cars had 4.3-litres, while the six, now of 3.8-litres, remained available. These 1955 Plymouth cars were lower and longer than their predecessors and could be obtained with synchromesh, overdrive or automatic gearboxes.

The Plymouth Fury models of the ensuing decade represented a breakaway from the traditional Plymouth stolid family car, while the Plymouth Car Division was also responsible for Chrysler’s contribution to the compacts, the Plymouth Valiant launched for 1960. This Plymouth car had rather more European styling than its competitors, with a dummy spare-wheel moulding on the tail; interesting items of specification were the unitary construction of the Plymouth car, alternator ignition, and inclined in-line 2.8-litre ohv 6-cylinder engine. The influence of the Plymouth GT car on America resulted in the Plymouth Barracuda of 1965, a fastback coupé using the Valiant’s 8ft 10in wheelbase and a 4½-litre V8 power unit. Plymouth cars, like Ford and Chevrolet, was aiming at comprehensive coverage of the low and medium price market in 1966, with the compact Plymouth Valiant, the sports-compact Plymouth Barracuda, the medium-sized Plymouth Belvedere, the full-size Plymouth Fury, and the luxurious ‘VIP’ 4-door hardtop Plymouth car, offered only with a 5.2-litre V8 engine and selling for $2.930. An increasing emphasis on sporting Plymouth cars was detectable by 1968, when in addition to the established Barracuda there were two other sports coupés Plymouth car, the Plymouth GTX and the Plymouth Road Runner. All three Plymouth cars were available with 4-speed manual gearboxes and the 6.981cc 425bhp hemi-head V8 also used by Dodge. In 1970, when Valiant prices started at a low $2.172, there was also a Valiant sports coupé, the Plymouth Duster.

In 1971 Plymouth car company added a sub-compact to their Plymouth car range when they offered the 1½-litre Hillman Avenger as the Plymouth Cricket. The 1972 range of Plymouth cars embraced the Valiant on a 9ft wheelbase, the Barracudas and Satellites, and the full-size Furys with V8 engines and automatic transmission as standard. Engines in the Plymouth cars ranged from the Valiant’s 3.2-litre and 3.7-litre sixes up to the largest Chrysler unit, a V8 of 7.210cc. Electronic ignition was offered on the costliest Barracuda model. Casualties of new Federal regulations were the hemi-head engine and convertibles, and the same range Plymouth cars with minor improvements, among them manually-operated sun roofs, was offerd in 1973.

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