The Singer 9 Roadster got part of its name from its horsepower rating (9 or nine). It was a 2/4 sports touring automobile built by British car manufacturer Singer from 1939-55. There were four iterations of the little car and both the seller and this author aren’t sure which model year this example is from. Located in Riverside, California, it’s a project vehicle that’s thought to be mostly complete, but you won’t know unless you’re a Singer 9 expert. It’s available for parts or restoration here on craigslist for $2,000. Thanks for this unusual tip, MattR!
These cars were only in production for a few months in the late 1930s when activities were suspended due to the war effort (WW2). When Singer went back to building cars a few years later, changes were made in the car’s design to move the engine forward, providing more interior space for passengers (which suggests the seller’s car may be one of these later models). Iterations of the little auto included the 4A in 1949, 4B and 4C in 1950, and the 4AD in 1951. Its primary competitor was the MG T Series. Production ended sometime in 1955 after about 12,700 of the roadsters were built.
Not to be mistaken for Grandma’s Singer sewing machine, this roadster may be all there but most of its parts are strewn out in the yard and not attached to the car. We’re told the motor and transmission may be the only things that haven’t been tinkered with or taken apart. The odometer reading is about 50,000 miles, but it quit working some time back. The title is not one of the pieces that have survived, so a Bill of Sale will have to suffice for the buyer. This could be a fun project and the seller offers a photo of what it might look like once you put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
I always preferred these to the T series of MGs. And this is an LHD car, even rarer
Turning this into a driver would be a huge job, if not impossible. I suspect it’s too far gone for a worthwhile rebuild, in fact it may have been a parts car for another project. But hey, good luck to whoever buys it. They’re getting rare these days.
Back in 1959/63 a quite elderly gentleman used to drive his Singer Nine to the Coronation Park dirt track outside Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, (Zimbabwe) where the late Gary Hocking, TT winner and World Champion motorcycle racer learned his trade, removed the lights, bumpers and spare wheel and raced it. Often he would win something and while the wife was collecting the spoils he would replace the lights, chuck the bumpers into the car, and when the wife came back he would drive the car home again in time for work the next day. Great times!
IT’s A 4AB MODEL WITH 1500cc OHC MOTOR , INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION , HYDRAULIC BRAKES & LEFT HAND DRIVE .
ALUMINUM OVER WOOD BODY WITH STEEL FENDERS & RUNNING BOARDS .
GREAT CARS IN THEIR DAY . SINGER WAS BOUGHT BY ROOTES IN 1956 WHEN ALL SINGERS BECAME BADGE ENGINEERED VERSIONS
OF OTHER ROOTES CARS .
I HAD A 4A ROADSTER THAT RETURNED HOME TO ENGLAND .
What a fun project! I’d be on this like a fly on poop but it’s on the wrong Coast. Aren’t they all!
It’s a 1952-53-or-54 Singer 4AD Roadster. The owner may want to contact the North American Singer Owners Club and let the members know this car is available. These cars are aluminum over an ash frame, mostly hand built, by Singer Motors, Coventry, England. 1954 was the last year of manufacture for this model. Singer was subsequently bought out by Rootes Group UK, maker of the Sunbeam Alpine. Singers were imported by Vaughn Motors in Hollywood, California, back in the day and Fergus Motors in New York. It’s rare to find one that’s RHD and has its original engine. Worth restoring. These cars had quite a racing history in California, and displacement was just under 1500 cc.
Dream on
Singer saw a market for a sports car with a back seat. Unfortunately for Singer, they saw something that didn’t exist. For a look at what the Singer roadster looked like, https://rememberroad.com/what/singer/singer-roadster-the-last-aria-of-a-dying-diva/
This would be a really nice project . For someone to learn and prove .What a nice job they can do. Make believers out of some. Who are afraid of a little hard work and determination. I saw a couple awhile back for sale. They are out their. I like it and wish I had a place to start working on it. It would be a big hit at car shows.