A Real Gas!

Ah to be in England now that spring is here!

Well, if not, the next best thing would to have been at the third bi-annual Hudson British Car Day in Hudson, Quebec on Sunday, May 28th.

Over 350 British car, British food, British music and British clothing was enjoyed by more than 3.000 visitors. Even the weather was perfect!

In the middle of all of this were the Singer Boys with our English village garage display, including a mechanic's delight for lunch: Fried Wiring a la Lucas; Rods au jus with shells; Plugs au frits and mixed nuts. For dessert, bolts in Glycol and to wash it down a good bottle of Chateau Crankcase (1953).

Our home-made 'set' was the backdrop for a pair of late '40's Singer products; a 1948 Roadster and a recently imported 1947 Super Ten Saloon, plus a 1936 Singer Le Mans Special Speed Model. it was very much a crowd pleaser.

Look for more details on www.singersuperten.blogspot.com and in issue 3-2006 of NASOC NEWS.

'Stay tuned'!

The League of Extraordinary Motoring Gentlemen

They are known as ‘The Men in White’!

It started out in a simple, silly kind of way:
I wanted to emulate the look of 1930’s Brooklands boy racer, with white racing coveralls, leather goggles and flapping ascot.

We started making and selling the complete costume about two years ago. Others joined in and now at any British car show you may frequent that has a Singer display, The Men in White may not be far away!

And now The Men in White have a home:
The League of Extraordinary Motoring Gentlemen (Singer owners preferred!)

If you are into upper class twits behaving badly and like to dress up in outlandish motoring gear, then why not pay us a visit at our spoof blog…

http://www.motoringgents.blogspot.com/

Jolly good show!

It's a Bird! It's a Plane!

No! It’s Super Ten!

Just arrived on our shores from the UK and speeding from Halifax, Nova Scotia, as I write this, is probably the only complete 1947 Singer Super Ten extent in North America.
We’d love to be proved wrong, of course, so let us know if you have one tucked away!

Singer saloons are a rarity on either side of the Atlantic and few Ten saloons of any kind remain. The Super Ten featured such luxurious appointments as a sliding sunshine roof and a silk blind to the rear window.
Notice the Post-War austerity in a distinct lack of chrome plating and the painted radiator shell.

This car is a solid, original, barn find and has never been messed about with. Just the way we like them!

The car is now named ‘Wallace’ and joins the owner’s 1948 Singer Roadster named, you guessed it, 'Grommit'.

Learn more about 'Wallace' and his adventures at www.singersuperten.blogspot.com

From Green Hills to Gold...

Some parts of the world have an unfair advantage when it comes to Singer motoring!

For instance, this charming photo is of a 1934 Singer 1.5 litre Sports, six-cylinder cousin to the smaller four-cylinder Singer Nine Sports.

The idyllic English country setting shown here has now been traded for the sunny backdrop of California, where the car can be enjoyed practically all year ‘round!

The new owner plans to prepare the car for the 2007 Peking to Paris Rally, the first time I think that this type of large Singer tourer has been used for such a purpose.

Believe it or not, there are possibly two other Singer teams entered for the same event!

Stay ‘Tuned’ for more news!

An International Community...

In the late 1920’s, Singer was Britain’s third largest car manufacturer behind Austin and Morris- no mean feat in those days. The Depression and too many model variations didn’t help them in the ‘30’s, although it was the period of their best known work, especially the sporting models, which were true rivals to MG.

In Europe and the UK, Singer is quite well known, but in North America is largely forgotten. Today’s photo is a tribute to the international camaraderie that the marque fosters amongst owners.

This picture was taken as part of the 2005 Singer Centenary event held by the UK Singer clubs to celebrate 100 Years of the Singer car. 1905 was the first year a car was offered for sale to the general public.

The car is a 1929 Singer Senior saloon, loaned to me for the event by Vintage Registrar Colin Borley. The group comprises the Canadian contingent that attended the show. We are posed with the Senior in front of the façade of the old Singer factory in Coventry.

Colin was extremely generous in lending us his car, the second time he has done so for a Singer event, and it made our adventure a truly memorable one!

Stay ‘Tuned’ for more on our Singer Community…

Bits & Pieces...

First up on the Bits & Pieces file is our old friend LUCAS part number 524887, the LBD-109/2 side lamp.

Fitted on the Singer Roadster from 1939 to 1956, it is one of the constants of Roadster production. This little unit mirrors the shape of the headlamp and includes the red LUCAS dot medallion on the top, which glows red at night with the lamp illuminated. This lamp was also used on a number of other British cars in the same period.

A reasonably rare find for many years, the 109 has now been reproduced and is quite widely available. Beware, though, because the unit used on the Singer has an angled threaded mounting tube. Many are straight. This can probably be corrected by dismantling the mounting tube from the lamp and filing the square hole in the lamp body back a bit.

There are also various mounting base plates available and a number of NOS lamps that I have bought over the years came with the long, chrome Singer type and a round ‘washer’ type. The 109 was available in black paint or with a chromium finish.

Eugene Abondello, a Roadster owner down Washington-way, is presently experimenting with fitting a special 2 filament bulb in a 109 to allow for turn signals instead of mounting extra unsightly lamps on the Roadsters pure British lines. More on that in upcoming posts as Gene makes sparks fly!

Try the following leads if you are looking for LBD-109’s:

http://www.gregorysautoparts.co.uk/catalogue.php?t=0&c=430 (Original units)

http://www.vintagecarparts.co.uk/part.phtml?PartID=1445 (Repros)

http://www.s-v-c.co.uk/ (Repros)

http://www.vintagemotorspares.com/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/hodge?opendocument&part=6 (repros)

http://www.completeautomobilist.com/part.phtml?PartID=1445 (Repros)

Stay ‘Tuned’ for more Bits & Pieces.

A New Issue...

Hi Again Fellow Singerbloggers...

Just a quick FYI this time to say that Issue 2-2006 of the award-winning NASOC NEWS is now in the post to NASOC members.

It's full of the latest information on upcoming events, as well as reports on a Pre-War Singer back in the fold, an A Series Roadster rediscovered in Quebec and a special insert from our Club Librarian.

If anyone else is interested in a copy, you can contact me via the comments section. Back issues are $3.50USD, plus postage.

I'm presently gathering information for a series of Singer 'Tech Tips' to be posted in the coming weeks...so...

'Stay Tuned!'

Lost & Found...

OK Singer Hunters, here's one to look out for. Does anyone recognise this car??? It's a 4A Roadster that was sold on eBay by a Charlie Seymour.

Fellow Singerist Paul Bouchard and I found a selection of used parts for sale recently, including a seized 4A engine and gearbox, along with body panels, etc, from a 4AD model. This job lot came from a 'dealer' of sorts @ New Jersey.

Here's the mystery! All of the spare parts were from Charlie's original eBay listing, AS WAS THE ENGINE, which came from THIS CAR! So, we bought everything, but this car should have been part of the deal. Someone obviously took it apart after Charlie sold it! A crime as it was complete exxcept for a 'blown' rear axle.

Keep a look-out for an engine-less 4A Roadster in the New Jersey area! Post us if you have any leads.

Stay 'tuned!'