Singer Super 10.
Given that most of this car's grille is out of shot, identifying the old British car in this photo took a few minutes of digging around. The unusually small rear side window was a good clue, as was the (just visible) corner of the radiator shell. The car is a Singer Super 10 saloon, a model built either side of WW2. Quite a few examples I've seen photos of have a painted, body-colour, radiator surround, whereas this car's is chrome-plated. As far as I can tell, this was a differentiator brought in a year or so into production, to identify the two levels of trim that were available.
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Sat at the wheel is a smartly-dressed young lady. Perhaps she and her other half were readied for a drive to church, or perhaps another social gathering where smart dress was expected?
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Singer 10s had been on sale in various forms since 1912 (examples from the 1920s may be found on this page). The variant shown here, available in both Ten and Super Ten specification, went on sale in 1938 and continued in production until 1940, pausing for the duration of the war. The engine fitted to this 10HP car was Singer's own overhead cam 1185cc four-cylinder unit. The base model made do with a three-speed gearbox, while owners of the Super could enjoy the choice of four forward speeds. The latter also had a sunroof as standard. The Super, from 1939, came with the chrome-plated radiator surround, while the basic Popular version made do with the painted type.
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Production of the Super Ten (only) restarted from January 1946, with just minor changes made to its specification. Cars continued to roll off the line until 1949, by which time the new SM1500 was already on sale.
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Return to Page 19 in the photographic archive, or visit the main index here.
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