Arrol-Aster was a British car maker founded in 1927 when
Arrol-Johnston and the English
Aster company merged. The Wembley, London works of Aster was closed and production concentrated at the Heathhall,
Dumfries factory of Arrol-Johnston.
At first, manufacture of all the cars previously made by the two companies was continued along with those made under the Galloway badge but in 1928 a rationalisation was carried out. The cars were complex and expensive and sales were poor resulting in the company going into receivership in 1929 and finally closing in 1931.
The company was responsible for making the body for
Sir Malcolm Campbell's
Blue Bird car in 1929 and an Arrol-Aster car was entered in the
1931 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1931 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 9th Grand Prix of Endurance that took place at the Circuit de la Sarthe on 13 and 14 June 1931.
With the demise of Bentley, the favourite for an outright victory was split between the Bugatti and Alfa Romeo ...
.
Model range
*1927-1930 Aster 21/60 3042 cc Straight-6 Overhead valve
*1927-1930 Aster 24/70 3460 cc Straight-6 Sleeve valve
*1927-1929 Arrol-Johnston 15/40 2413 cc Straight-4 Overhead valve
*1927-1930 Arrol-Aster 17/50 2370 cc Straight-6
Sleeve valve
The sleeve valve is a type of valve mechanism for piston engines, distinct from the usual poppet valve. Sleeve valve engines saw use in a number of pre-World War II luxury cars and in the United States in the Willys-Knight car and light truck. T ...
*1929-1930 Arrol-Aster 23/70 3293 cc straight-8 Sleeve valve
Arrol-Aster 17/50
The 17/50 used a straight six, single sleeve valve engine of 2370 cc driving the rear wheels through a four speed gearbox. Suspension was by semi elliptic leaf springs at the front and cantilever springs at the rear.
A Cozette
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced indu ...
was an optional extra costing GBP50 giving the car a top speed of and an economy of
The car had a distinctive two part V shaped windscreen and was available with saloon, open touring or coupé bodies.
In 1929, a car was entered into, and completed, the
Monte Carlo Rally
The Monte Carlo Rally or Rallye Monte-Carlo (officially ''Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo'') is a rallying event organised each year by the Automobile Club de Monaco. The rally now takes place along the French Riviera in Monaco and southeast ...
driven by the Hon Mmrs Victor Bruce,
[ and two supercharged cars were entered for the 1929 ]RAC Tourist Trophy
The RAC Tourist Trophy (sometimes called the International Tourist Trophy) is a motor racing award presented by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) to the overall victor of a motor race in the United Kingdom. Established in 1905, it is the world's ol ...
(TT) in Ulster driven by E.R. Hall and N. Garrard. Both cars crashed.
Arrol-Aster 23/70
The 23/70 shared the same basic layout as the 17/50 but was fitted with a straight-8 sleeve valve engine. The exact capacity of the engine is quoted by various sources as between 2760 and 3293 cc. The engine was said to be vulnerable if taken above 3400 rpm.
See also
* Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster
L'Aster, Aster, Ateliers de Construction Mecanique l'Aster, was a French manufacturer of automobiles and the leading supplier of engines to other manufacturers from the late 1890s until circa 1910/12. Although primarily known as an engine mas ...
(Original French 'Aster')
* List of car manufacturers of the United Kingdom
:''This list is incomplete. You can help by adding correctly sourced information about other manufacturers.''
As of 2018 there are approximately 35 active British car manufacturers and over 500 defunct British car manufacturers. This page lists ...
References
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External links
1927 21/60 4-Door Fabric Saloon advertisement
Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Scotland
Vehicle manufacturing companies established in 1927
Companies based in Dumfries and Galloway