40s Singer 9 Roadster - a British sports car / sporting saloon

Singer 9 Roadster

The 30s was a great time for Singer, in their heyday, largely driven by the success of the Junior model, they were number 3 in Britain’s car manufacturing industry. The quality was comparable to Rover and Wolseley and their thoughtful nature to vehicle design meant their cars were well received by the buying public and press alike.

Known for quality family saloons and daring sporting vehicles, Singer felt there was a gap for a sporting roadster and so with that, they took what they already had into the workshop and in 1937 and 1938, set about using the old Le Mans Sports scuttle and windscreen assemblies and a tuned up Bantam engine and chassis and created the 9 Roadster.

The car needed to be low weight to achieve the performance and this was done by adding a coach built, ash-framed aluminium body which was lighter than a steel counterpart.

The Roadster then comes to market in January 1939 and is priced at £169 and it was sold as the best little roadster of our time - which actually wasn’t a bad shout - because Practical Motorist, Autocar and The Motor Magazine all sung the praises of the car talking of the lively performance, the good looks and the excellence.

The market for the car was a new one - it was aimed at a middle class family man who had previously loved his sports car or lusted after one - but couldn’t commit to one because his family commitments of children meant he needed some extra space for the children.

This is why there are two seats in the back, essentially making this a 2+2 - although a little bit of a squeeze for fully grown adults, it’s perfect for popping a few children in the back.

The car was economical, meaning it could be a justfied purchase and had all the hallmarks of a sports car - even right down to the styling cues taken from the mid 30s long tail Le Mans in Singer’s range. The fold down windscreen, humped scuttle and cutaway doors add to that sporting finesse of the finished car.

In short, Singer were right on target for the vision and what this growing niche market sector really wanted.

Some reviews put the top speed at 65 and others wager you could achieve 75 if you put your mind to it and your foot firmly into the floor - which was pretty good going in a pre-motorway era where many popular cars of the era were struggling to top 40 unless thrashed.

The car’s production was ceased in 1940 due to the war and was only revived in 1946 - with the cost jumping to £335 from that initial £169. It was a perfect model for the company to meet the government’s export or die post-war policy and around 90% were exported abroad - mainly to America and Australia.

As you’ll notice as we look round, this car has received some modifications to make it more usable in today’s world, but initally it would’ve been fitted with a 1074cc engine and single SU carb, the transmission would’ve been a three speed with synchro on the top two gears. It’s still rod brakes on this and the steering is burman worm and nut.

As I said, this has been modified slightly and now sports an Austin Healey Sprite 1098 engine and gearbox from a car too rotten to be saved - which gives 59bhp and from experience in driving one of these, you’ll be easily over 70mph if you don’t hold yourself back.

The roadster was made for a number of years under various iterations and production ceased in 1955 when the SM Roasster was discontinued.