1951 Singer Nine Roadster 4AB

Description

Super little Singer restored to show-winning condition about 20 years ago and lightly used since; full set of weather gear; driven 45 miles to the sale

Singer made its first car in 1905 and was soon a force to be reckoned with, becoming the UK’s third largest manufacturer by the late-1920s with over 40 models on offer. The Singer Nine Roadster was introduced in 1939 and formed the basis of the post-war models, keeping its cute pre-war styling throughout its 19-year production life.

An open version of Singer’s Bantam saloon, the Roadster used a tuned version of the Bantam’s 1,074cc OHC engine with a revised manifold, downdraught SU carburettor and raised compression. Producing 36bhp and driving through a 3-speed gearbox, it gave the car a top speed of 65mph.

In 1950 it evolved into the 4A Roadster, so called because it had a 4-speed gearbox from the Singer Hunter while a Solex carb brought the power up to 37bhp. The 4AB model was quick to follow with a stronger chassis, independent front suspension, hydro-mechanical brakes, cutaway wings, shorter radiator grille and slotted road wheels. It remained in production until January 1953 by which time 1,000 had been sold, half of them in RHD for the UK market.

This super 4AB was first registered in London in early 1951 with the registration number WMF 998. Sadly there is very little history with the car but by 2004 it was owned by a Mr B Grundy of Cambs who appears to have treated it to a sympathetic restoration.

He tried to recover the original registration but was unable to do so because it was no longer recognised on the DVLA system which had been computerised in the mid-1980s so it must have been off the road for many years prior to his ownership.

A 2006 letter from the Singer owner’s club confirms that the car left the factory in January 1951 and had indeed been restored to an authentic standard with its original components still intact.

It sailed through the MOT in 2006 and again in 2008 with no advisories recorded, and it has only covered around 1,600 miles since, the odometer currently showing 4,527 miles. Testament to how good the restoration was, it won ‘Car of the Show’ at the Clumber Park Classic Car Show in July 2018.  

Our vendor acquired the Singer in June last year, sight unseen, for considerably more than the guide price suggested here. He was relieved to find that it was every bit as good as he had been led to believe, although he did find a few things to improve upon.

This included overhauling the braking system and fitting four new brake cylinders to the front wheels; cleaning out the fuel system and overhauling the mechanical fuel pump (it also has an electric fuel pump at the rear); changing the gearbox and rear axle oils and getting the fuel gauge working correctly. He also had the carburettor stripped, cleaned and professionally tuned, the garage doing the work praising the cleanliness of the exhaust emissions – better than many of the more modern cars they worked on.

Our vendor is pretty certain the engine has been rebuilt and he says it runs fine on E5 unleaded fuel although he does use an additive too. There is a battery isolator switch concealed under the left side of the dash for added security. A full set of weather gear is present (hood; side screens; tonneau cover) all in excellent condition.  

Driven some 45 miles to the sale, we are told that the car drives as well as it looks and it has certainly been starting promptly and running sweetly as we have moved it around on site, with good 45psi oil pressure. These delightful 4AB Roadsters are pretty rare these days and you would be hard pressed to find a better example at the sensible guide price suggested.   

Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com