On this day in auto history - July 31st

Sat 31st Jul 2021

It was on this day in 1960 that saw the last ever car produced by world-renowned British marque Armstrong Siddeley.

Founded out of a merger between the Siddeley-Deasy Autocar Company of Coventry and Newcastle’s Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing group in 1919, Armstrong Siddeley specialised in producing a range of luxury vehicles for the top echelons of society.

Having the future King George VI as an early customer was a sound endorsement of the marque which boomed in popularity before World War II and held its own immediately after it despite intense competition from the likes of Bentley, Jaguar and Rover.

However, with the company increasingly focused on aviation projects during the 1950’s, Armstrong Siddeley cars eventually lost their place in the market and the decision was taken to stop car production dead in 1960.

Despite everything, a flourishing Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club remains in operation with hundreds of members worldwide. The club runs a comprehensive spare parts service for pre and post war models, helping to preserve the appeal of the iconic marque in the vintage car market.