Edwardian Grandeur: Napier revisited

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Before Rolls-Royce, there was Napier. From its first foray into car-making in 1900, the London firm produced what were arguably the most sophisticated, powerful, and luxurious cars in Britain — until Rolls-Royce introduced the Silver Ghost as a challenger in 1907. Thereafter, the two marques locked swords in a spirited rivalry that lasted until 1924, when Napier withdrew from the shrinking luxury car market to focus on the more lucrative production of aero engines and, later, the mind-boggling Deltic locomotive engine.

It’s easy to see why a personality like Sir Joseph Robinson — a diamond and gold miner living near Cape Town — would have wanted to add this 1913 Napier Type 44 30/35hp Pullman-Landaulet by Cunard to his stable of motor cars, even if he rarely ever used it. The chassis was robust enough to handle South Africa’s rough tracks, the intricately engineered four-litre six-cylinder engine could propel it at a fair old lick when the roads turned smooth, and Cunard’s sumptuous bodywork offered not only unparalleled comfort but also the assurance of being up to date with fashion — the swooping and drooping side mouldings being a clear attempt to incorporate Art Nouveau motifs into automotive design.

The Napier languished in Sir Joseph’s garage until 1959, after which it was eventually lightly restored and shipped to Britain, where it entered the collection of the late Jim Boland in 2010. Now, as selections from the Boland Collection are due to be auctioned by RM Sotheby’s on 8 July(more info here), Peter Card has taken the opportunity to examine this extraordinary survivor for the July issue of The Automobile, available now.

Photographs by James Lynch

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