The invention of the 1904 Armstrong Siddeley 6HP car is credited to John Davenport Siddeley. As early as the 1890s Siddeley was involved in the automobile business. John Davenport Siddeley was originally a bicycle racer as well as being a designer. He is credited with being the first person to construct and ride his own design in bicycles.
He worked for the Humber Cycle Company as well as Rover until going to Dunlop. Dunlop Tires was just in the beginning of manufacturing pneumatic tires when Siddeley worked for them. In 1902, after being named the British agent for the Peugeot automobiles he started the Siddeley Auto Car Company. The Siddeley Auto Car Company was in the business of importing Peugeots from France. In addition, he designed his own cars which were obviously the same as the Peugeot.
Working for the Wolseley Company after they purchased Siddeley Auto Car, John Davenport Siddeley resigned in 1909 to manage another company, the Deasy Motor Company. This company was later known as the Siddeley-Deasy Company. Growing impressively, at one time they had thousands of employees.
The company combined with Armstrong-Whitworth after World War I and changed their name to Armstrong Siddeley. John Davenport Siddeley worked for this company until 1935. This was the birthplace of the 1904 Armstrong Siddeley 6 HP.
Building his own cars, from which the 1904 Armstrong Siddeley emerged, this car was delivered to King & Sons, and was registered to Dr. Davidson in March 1905. Using the car in his medical practice was the main use of this car to begin. During the years from 1905 to 1917, the Siddeley had six different registered owners.
After this time it was not in use until 1934, when R.G.J. Nash made the discovery of the Siddeley in a coal dump. Taking the car from the dump in Honiton, Devon, he sold it to M.J.P. Estler for £35. He drove the car for the next 30 years and gave it to his nephew. In 1965 it was returned to the vendor and was sold in 2008 by Bonhams Auction at a "Sale of Exceptional Motorcars and Automobilia" for $128,000.
This manual transmission, rear wheel drive Siddeley has three forward gears and is navy blue on the outside with yellow lining and black upholstery made of leather. It has brass Lucas King of the Road paraffin oil lamps. In addition, the bulb horn is a double twist and the rear view mirror are both original features of this car. It has a 2 cylinder, 6 HP motor with the number 192/6C.
Considered easy to drive all around, the is widely known in antique car circles. Among vehicles dated by the Veteran Car Club, this was one of the earliest. It was given Certificate # 149 by the car club and has had a new piston and con rod installed. Considered to be in good mechanical condition for the age of the car, it has in fact been driven on many distance drives, one regularly being the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.
Sold again in October 2009 by the Automobiles of London - RM Auction House - this convertible 2 seater sold for £33,000 or $53,790. A very rare car, the single cylinder horizontal engine is 1173 cc water cooled and has a 3 speed gearbox that is shaft driven. It has a solid front axle and rear axle with leaf springs that are semi-elliptic.
One of the vehicles shown at the 2007 Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance held in Florida, it was then taken back the UK where it was sold in 2008. It had been owned by the same family for 63 years from the years 1934 to 2007.
The humble beginnings of the 1904 Armstrong Siddeley 6HP are credited to this highly gifted individual, John Davenport Siddeley, who had a ruthless business sense and was a very adept negotiator. Among his business accomplishments are the Vickers Ltd., the Deasy Motor Company, Armstrong-Whitworth and Armstrong-Siddeley Cars, A V Roe Aircraft Company and Hawker-Siddeley.
The 1904 Armstrong Siddeley 6HP is considered to be the first in the line of accomplishments in the long line of compilations accredited to this brilliant businessman.
