Another Pre-War Singer in North America...

[Phillip]

Yet another pre-war Singer surfaces in North America!

35 Singer Special.jpg (134.48 KiB) Viewed 4382 times

Charley Delimur of California has owned this 1935 Singer Special since 1972, when he had it shipped over from England. A year or so before that, the car had been restored and rebodied in a similar style to the ’33 Brooklands ‘relay’ cars by a G. H. Phillips and it was shown on the SOC stand at the Beaulieu Autojumble.

The Factory records show that chassis number 63199 was originally a 1935 style Le Mans Coupe painted Apple Green & Ivory, with Apple Green wheels and green upholstery. It was sold via an Oxford dealer to a Harry Mairs on December 21, 1934 and given the British Reg: AJ0 255. Mairs used the Coupe in the 1936 Sunbac Colmore Trophy Trial, but did not place in the awards.

The Singer benefited from and engine re-build in the 1980’s and had the body removed to refinish the chassis. Charley drives the Singer about 100 miles a year because, as he puts it, “at present I have little desire to battle large SUVs on the fast roads of California”. The car presently shows 13,000 miles on the odometer, which no doubt was re-set when the car was rebuilt.

Charley feels it’s time to move his little jewel on to a new custodian, but he is adamant that it should go to someone who, as he puts it, “would have a keen appreciation of the significance of this chassis for the purpose of restoring it to it's original body style or someone that would adore the car as is.”

I have offered to assist in the sale of the car and can be contacted via my e-mail at phillip.avis@sympatico.ca. Charley will not be posting the car on eBay.

Many thanks to Bob Dibben and Martyn Wray for their usual assistance in helping to identify AJO 255!

Phillip Avis,
Pre-War Registrar,
NASOC

[Peter McKercher]

Those of you who purchased the Singer Owners Calendar I produced several years back will recognize Charlie's car. It truly is a lovely looking machine and worthy of a good home for anyone looking for entry to the pre war Singer set.

[mikeyr]

glad he is finally moving the car on to someone who might get it on the road regularly. I have spoken with him for well over a decade and helped him get parts over the years but he never seemed to stay interested in the car, just brief occasional interest.

[Phillip]

Yeah, it's a shame but he seems to be of the same mind as you Mike, that it is hard to really use it stock with the roads and traffic the way they are in CA. Anyway, he has certainly looked after it and the mileage is low as a result.

It's a pretty car I am hoping one of our gang might come forward to give it some use and, who knows, maybe show it at Stowe this year!!!

[Phillip]

More just in about Charley’s Special’…

John Horne in the UK has passed on some more info about the car via the pages of the ASCO club magazine ‘MASCOT'.

Back in the 1960’s John knew Mr Phillips, who was also an SOC member and had a Le Mans which he had restored. John thinks the basis of the Special probably came from one of the many chassis John had in his back garden at the time. Mr Phillips was a professional grade coach builder and had produced a number of beetle-back bodies on shortened Bentley chassis’. John says the workmanship was quite impressive.The body currently on the Singer seems to have been inspired by John's suggestion that it look like Kay Petrie's car used in the Brooklands Six Hour Relay Race.

Soon after finishing the special, Mr Phillips, who was living near John at the time, moved up to Bury-St. Edmunds to be with his brother. The car was eventually sold to someone in Holland and that is the last John heard of it.

John Horne is Honourary Life President & Registrar for Singer Le Mans / Singers 1930 – 1939 excluding Juniors & Roadsters for The Association of Singer Car Owners