1. Singer 9 sports car.
Here's a photo from the family album, showing a Singer 9 Le Mans dating from the mid 1930s. It belonged to my grandfather, although its whereabouts now are unknown. The registration was XJ 8926. I've featured this car before on another site, but thought it high time that the Singer feature here too. The photo was taken while the family were enjoying a roadside picnic, note the motorcycle to the right of the picture. This side of the family were big on motorcycling in the 40s and 50s, so I'm not surprised that a two wheeled machine is also on show in the photo.
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Does this car survive? it doesn't show up on any DVLA searches, but it could still be out there, perhaps tucked away in a barn somewhere, or, horror of horrors, re-registered on a different number (no prizes for guessing what the numberplate pirates would do with that reg. no.).
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The Singer Le Mans made its debut in 1933, following on from the team successes with the Nine Sports model at Le Mans. Rivals of the day would include a number of models from Morris Garages, or MG as they liked to be known. The engine was a four cylinder overhead cam unit of 972cc. Visually the car looked quite similar to contemporary MGs, although one big giveaway was the fitment of twin spare wheels at the rear.
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Shortly after publishing this page, Bob dropped me a line with the following information: "The windscreen wiper being mounted at the base of the windscreen and absence of dashboard cowls suggest that this was an open four seater which, strictly speaking, was a Sports Nine four seater. That production year, this model was not called a Le Mans by the factory even though it was a four seater that did so well at Le Mans in 1933."
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I'm not sure when the family Singer was sold, I do know that in the 1960s there was a fixed head 9 Coupe in the family. The 9hp Coupe was sold in the late 1960s following a period of storage. It had received a nerf in the back thanks to an errant milkfloat driver, although the damage wasn't believed to be extensive. This led to the vehicle going into the garage and being parked up on blocks, to be sold a few years later, circa 1968. Did this car, one-time resident in the Cheadle (Cheshire) area survive? The Coupe's registration was EVK 498. Likewise if more info on the LeMans comes to light, I'll pop it onto this page.
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2. A 1934 Singer 9.
This next shot sees a couple of chaps and a lady stood with a 1934 Singer, either a Le Mans or another Nine Sports, quite possibly in the London area which is where BMG 12 would first have been registered. The gent on the left is certainly well dressed for a spot of open-top motoring. The lady appears to be looking up the road, possibly hoping to spy a bus stop where she can hitch a ride in more comfortable surroundings than the Singer.
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Return to Old Vehicle Photos Page 7.
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