The Napier: 'Worth Waiting For'

1933 Napier-Railton photoshop by Saranuwat Thamniroth

 

There was a time, Gentle Reader, when almost anyone could build a car. You needed little more in those early days of the Twentieth Century than a few bits of metal, a reasonable knowledge of carpentry and a wealthy uncle. 

Just fix this 'ere motor doofangle to the old cart, put a seat and a steerer in the front, oh don't fergit the klaxon parp parp, and away you go. 

Many, many companies were formed and cars were built to be sold to both the neighbors and the adventurous. Looking them up today, there were endless marques, and I even found something called the Lenox Motor Car Company, which probably made about twenty units before switching, with a sigh of relief, to manufacturing curtain rods. 

When Henry Ford introduced the assembly line, the smaller manufacturers were unable to compete with his novel building it from-the-floor up system; and with the introduction of rules, regulations, laws, copyrights, registrations, patents and trade marks, along with the economies of scale ('How many radiators did you say you want? One?'), the writing was on the wall. 

At least in the USA, the kids could build their fantasy buggies and models and replicas and one-offs - whereas in most European countries, beyond properly registered kits, the opportunities to build a better mouse-trap were (and are) few. 

Among the more successful of the early brands was Napier cars. This was because, as D. Napier and Son Limited, they had been building engines for around a hundred years before someone - a German called Karl Benz - thought of attaching one to a wagon back in 1886. 

Napier cars began production in 1900 and - as Wiki tells us - Napier also gained fame in 1904 by being the first car to cross the Canadian Rockies as Mr and Mrs Charles Glidden, sponsors of the Glidden Tours, covered 3,536 miles from Boston to Vancouver. One can only imagine the journey - no restaurants, no bars, no gas stations, and come to think of it, no roads either. 

Napier cars were famous for their abilities on the racing circuits, and by 1901 they were racing a sixteen liter car (with mixed results). It wasn't until 1904 that their first commercial vehicle was built, with a five liter engine. Several hundred were sold to satisfied customers as in 1905 a Napier broke the speed record over a mile at almost 105mph. 

A treasured framed advert for the 1916 Colonial Napier, with the tag 'Worth Waiting For' (they probably meant from the dealer, not because it had run out of gas), hangs on the wall at my home. 

The last Napier car was sold in 1924, a six liter car with Cunard-designed coachwork. In all, Napier built some 4,260 cars over its time as a manufacturer. 

The company's aero engines were used in securing various land speed records (and attempts) stretching between 1929, 1931, 1937 and then unbeaten between 1939 and 1964. 

The company returned to building airplane engines, including the popular Lion, the Sabre and the Deltic - this last was used in locomotives, minesweepers and torpedo boats. The company was taken over by English Electric in 1942, although a new Napier company making aero engines (in partnership with Rolls Royce) briefly surfaced in 1961.  

There's an association called the Napier Power Heritage Trust which has information about the company.  Amongst other jewels, there's this: 'As well as manufacturing cars at Acton, in 1904 an assembly shop was set up in the USA. The Napier Motor Company of America opened their factory in 1904 in the town of Jamaica Plain close to Boston in Massachusetts. The factory was in part of the old B.F. Sturtevant blower plant opposite the railway station between Green and Williams Streets. All the components for the vehicles were manufactured in Acton and exported to Jamaica Plain for assembly...'

I have a picture of our old house in Norfolk in England with members of the hunt no doubt drinking a toast to the Master. In the picture stands a car - I wonder, could it be an old Napier - say, or maybe even a Lenox!