Louis Frankel
Specialist
LOT 573
1919 Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp Tourer Registration no. HS 1671 Chassis no. 2988 Engine no. 2988
Estimate: £20,000 - £30,000
Lot 573
1919 Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp Tourer
The Beaulieu Sale Collectors' Motor Cars & Automobilia|10 September 2022, 14:00 BST|Beaulieu, National Motor Museum
1919 Arrol-Johnston 15.9hp Tourer
Registration no. HS 1671
Chassis no. 2988
Engine no. 2988
Registration no. HS 1671
Chassis no. 2988
Engine no. 2988
• Of Scottish manufacture
• Restored in the mid-2000s and completed in 2010
• Reportedly over £23,000 spent
• 3,000 trouble-free miles since restoration
• Restored in the mid-2000s and completed in 2010
• Reportedly over £23,000 spent
• 3,000 trouble-free miles since restoration
Footnotes
Produced by the Mo-Car Syndicate Ltd, Glasgow, Arrol-Johnston took its name from financial backer Sir William Arrol (builder of the Forth Railway Bridge) and its designer George Johnston, a locomotive engineer. A prototype was built in 1895 before the company's foundation in November of that year, making the Arrol-Johnston one of the very earliest British-built motor cars. The first example was produced in a coach house at Mosesfield House, Springburn; subsequently premises were found at Bluevale Camlachie in Glasgow. According to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile: "Johnston's car was an unusual design, with an opposed-piston flat-twin engine. The connecting rod of one piston worked directly on the crankshaft, while the other acted through a rocking lever. The gearbox was driven by chain, with another single chain taking power to the rear axle. The dogcart-type body seated six passengers in three rows, with the driver in the second row." This original design, being of heavy and robust construction with high ground clearance and solid tyres, was very well suited to the Scottish roads of the period and carried on with little modification until 1906, by which time it looked distinctly dated. Arrol-Johnston survived a succession of reorganisations and changes of trading name, and built its last car in 1931.
One of Arrol-Johnson's more conventional designs, this 15.9hp model is powered by a 2.6-litre four-cylinder sidevalve engine, which drives the spiral-bevel rear axle via a four-speed right-hand change gearbox and single-plate clutch. Also called the 'Fifteen' and '15/40', some 2,100 were produced up to 1923, a few being built thereafter. Many of these examples utilised pre-war running gear due a need to fulfil customer desires for cars when the victory model failed materialise.
Restored in the mid-2000s and completed in 2010, this car benefits from a new ash body frame and steel panelling and now looks exactly as it did on leaving the factory. The vendor advises us that the previous owner's son told him that his father had spent in excess of £23,000 on the rebuild. The car is said to be an excellent runner, having covered some 3,000 miles since restoration without any issues emerging. It is understood that only two twin-block, pre-running gear examples of this model still remain, making this a very rare and near unique example. Various Scottish events have been attended and prizes won. Included in the sale is an owner's handbook, jack, tool kit, and half a dozen Arrol-Johnson spanners. Accompanying documentation consists of an old-style logbook, a current V5C Registration Certificate, and a large file of photographs and other paperwork relating to the restoration.
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