Armstrong-Siddeley cars were manufactured in Coventry, UK, from 1919 to 1960. The company was formed through the merger of Armstrong-Whitworth and Siddeley-Deasy, both of which had produced cars prior to the First World War. The mergers continued after 1919, and Armstrong-Siddeley found itself the “automotive” subsidiary of a large combine that also included the aircraft manufacturer Hawker-Siddeley.
The names of various Hawker-Siddeley aircraft and engines – Typhoon, Lancaster, Hurricane, Whitley, Sapphire – were commemorated in the names of the cars made after 1945.
Enthusiastic owners of these quintessentially English cars did not take long to set up national clubs to promote the marque and arrange events – Australia as early as 1960, the UK shortly afterwards, and NZ in 1970, when Les Death of Cambridge advertised for owners in this
country to contact him with a view to establishing a group here.
The New Zealand club got off the ground quickly, driven largely by Les in its early years, with a monthly Newsletter (which became Sphinx-NZ in 1971) and annual rally events.
Foundation of the club coincided with a unique opportunity to obtain a share of spare parts: when car production ended in 1960, the parent company, Bristol Siddeley, promised to keep parts available for a further ten years. By 1970 the parent company itself had been through numerous changes and was now part of Rolls-Royce, and it needed to move the parts on. The end result was that the parts went to the three national clubs – with not a few complications caused by currency transfer regulations at the time – and formed the basis of the parts services offered by each of the clubs to this day.
“Sphinx Division” was set up as a separate entity to handle spare parts in New Zealand, and members of ASCC-NZ continue to benefit from the supply of original and remanufactured components it offers.
Now in its 52nd year, ASCC-NZ has a membership of around 100, both locally and abroad, and is transitioning into the digital age with its magazine, Sphinx-NZ, being made available in both electronic and print versions, in addition to this website and a presence on Facebook.
Club cars range from the 1920s to 1960, the bulk being post-war, and a smaller selection of models from the 20s and 30s.