PreWar of the Month: an Arrol-Aster with a racing past

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Interest in marques such as Albion, Argyll and Arrol-Johnston has, sadly, never been particularly widespread outside of their native Scotland. This is a pity because all produced very capable, high-quality cars through the Edwardian and Vintage years and were not without some notable achievements. For example, it was an Arrol-Johnston which won the first ever International Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man in 1905 with the firm's chief engineer J. S. Napier at the wheel, beating many other better-known marques including Rolls-Royce, Napier and Wolseley.

There are, of course, opportunities to see Arrol-Johnstons in museums around the world, and you may see one or two of its instantly recognizable wooden dogcarts on the London to Brighton, but the marque nevertheless remains obscure. Far scarcer still, however, is the name of Arrol-Aster.

Aster will be known to some Veteran enthusiasts as a French manufacturer of proprietary engines in the first decade of the 20th century, but the firm established a British branch and, by 1922, long after the Aster name had fallen out of use in France, it reappeared on a line of expensive, luxurious cars constructed in Wembley, close to London.

By the late 1920s, both Arrol-Johnston and Aster faced problems and in 1927 they merged to become the Arrol-Johnston & Aster Eng. Co. of Dumfries; thus the existing Aster 21/60hp was rebadged as the Arrol-Aster. A new model was introduced, too - the six-cylinder, 2½-litre 17/50hp.

Arrol-Asters were expensive cars built in small numbers, and 1930 was the final year of production, so survivors today are very few and far between. The 1928 17/50hp we see here, though, for sale in Australia, is a special example indeed. In 1928, Arrol-Johnston constructed four or five cars with which to enter long-distance races around Europe, and there is photographic evidence of some of them racing in the Ards T.T. and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Two of the works racers survive, both having been rebodied as saloons in 1930, but this example has been restored with a replica of its original racing bodywork. Described as being in 'immaculate condition' with 'excellent brakes', it looks like a splendid Vintage touring car for anybody who fancies something a bit different. As it was built with endurance racing in mind, it would be a wonderful thing to see it running at the Le Mans Classic, or maybe tackling something like the Flying Scotsman Rally.

From Scotland to Australia and everywhere in between, this Arrol-Aster should be a pleasure to own and drive. See the listing here for more information.

Words: Zack Stiling
 

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