The Armstrong Siddeley Whitley is a large post-war sports saloon automobile and a version of the 16/18 hp series made between 1946 and 1954 by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

company of

Armstrong Siddeley Armstrong Siddeley was a British engineering group that operated during the first half of the 20th century. It was formed in 1919 and is best known for the production of luxury vehicles and aircraft engines. The company was created following ...

. The Whitley was the last of the range to enter production, first appearing in 1949. The Whitley only used the larger 2309 cc overhead valve engine with a tax rating of 18 hp that had first appeared on export versions of the

Tempest Tempest is a synonym for a storm. '' The Tempest'' is a play by William Shakespeare. Tempest or The Tempest may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Films * ''The Tempest'' (1908 film), a British silent film * ''The Tempest'' (1911 film), a ...

coupled with a choice of

synchromesh A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission system, where gear changes ...

or pre-selector gearbox. The front suspension was independent using

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end termi ...

s, while at the rear was a live axle and leaf springs. A Girling hydro-mechanical braking system was fitted, with the front drums hydraulically operated, while those at the rear were cable. A variety of body styles were made. Most common are the 4 or 6 light saloons, but limousines were also made on a long-wheelbase chassis from 1950 to 1952. The Utility Coupe and Station Coupe were

coupé utility A coupé utility is a vehicle with a passenger compartment at the front and an integrated cargo tray at the rear, with the front of the cargo bed doubling as the rear of the passenger compartment. The term originated in the 1930s, where it wa ...

versions made for the export market and in particular for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. Armstrong Siddeley 16-18 hp model range, www.siddeley.com, as archived at web.archive.org
/ref> The former had a conventional front seat only and the latter had an extended cabin with a small additional seat at the rear. File:Fair Dinkum Aussie Ute.jpg, Armstrong Siddeley Utility Coupe File:Armstrong Siddeley Station Coupe 1950.JPG, 1950 Armstrong Siddeley Station Coupe

References

*A-Z of Cars 1945-1970. Bay View Books 1986. Michael Sedgwick and Mark Gillies. {{ISBN, 1-870979-39-7 Whitley 1950s cars Cars introduced in 1949