Singer
The brand name Singer is owned by many companies around the world. However, there is an imperative need for a reminder that these companies are not in a way interrelated to each other. For example, there is a famous brand of sewing machines named Singer. There is also a US-based luxury carmaker, which actively manufactured premium cars in 1915 to 1920, named Singer. But is it is just appropriate to refer to the brand Singer for a United Kingdom-based car builder. Singer cars refer to only one brand, the Singer brand that is more familiar to car enthusiasts.
Singer is another car brand that originated and is based at Coventry in England. It was 1905 when the car manufacturer was founded as an all-out car assembly firm. Like many car companies globally, it can be noted that Singer was not originally a car making entity. Years before 1905, Singer was a bicycle maker. The year 1901 saw the company moving to design, develop, produce and market certain models of tricycle and bicycle motors.
The first vehicle with four wheels that Singer came up in 1905 was the catalyst for the establishment of the company as a full-pledged car assembler. However, the three-cylinder car with a 1400 cc engine was made and distributed under license from Lea-Francis, another older and bigger automobile firm also based in Coventry. In 1906, the company was finally able to build its first ever self-designed car, which was a 4 cylinder type in a 2.4-liter engine.
Unfortunately, Singer was included in the long list of carmakers that fell casualties to the world wars that emanated in the first half of the 20th century. Since the United Kingdom was not directly and geographically impacted by the war, Singer cars were continuously manufactured. However, due to the economic problems brought about by the war in the global economy, sales plummeted and gradually narrowed the margins of the company.
In 1956, Singer cars were practically and literally in severe financial distress. Independent designs of Singer cars finally ended when distributor Rootes Brothers acquired Singer cars. Thus, after the takeover, Singer was known to be a re-badge car manufacturer. Hillman Minx is a car that was re-badged by Singer cars after the Rootes Brothers acquisition.
The years that followed had further difficulties. It seemed like the post-war period for the global car industry was just a prelude to a darker era that was about to land on the lap of the car manufacturers worldwide. In 1970, Rootes also encountered a serious financial shortage. Thus, it had entered into an agreement to be bought out by Chrysler, a giant and budding global car firm at that time.
After the Chrysler takeover of Rootes Brothers, Singer cars perished. The car brand and its numerous models were somehow pushed to the side of oblivion. It was amazing how the industry fell short in memories that time. But for sure, history would always have a special veneration and recognition for the Singer brand of cars, which for a few decades also managed to provide spectacle to the global industry.
Original Authors: Manny
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 25/06/2007
