Back in the late 1980s, when I worked in the City of London, one of my colleagues’ father was a member of the Coir of Commissionaires, and from time to time acted as doorman at the Honourable Artillery company barracks at Armoury House, City Road, not far from my office. What has this got to do with Singers? you may well ask. Well those of us of a certain age may remember that Sotheby’s used to run regular vintage/veteran car sales there using the main parade hall. As is the practice today, entrance to the sale was by catalogue – a very glossy affair which at that time cost £10.00 each. My colleague and I would walk down at lunch time from the office and his father would give us a couple of catalogues – ‘Great’. On one occasion there was a Singer included in the sale. I didn’t know it was entered and anyway did not have the money. The car was sold for a hammer price of £7,200 – I still have the Catalogue!
The car was a rare, 1927 14/34 six cylinder. I had never seen one before, and at the time I thought it would be a nice car to have. I tried to trace the car a couple of times, but as far as I could find out it didn’t belong to an ASCO or SOC member, and no trace could be found through the VSCC lists – it seemed to have disappeared completely.
Time went by, and it was some time in 2003 that I heard Jim Edington had found and bought a 1920s six cylinder Singer. I was sure it was the same car, and was pleased that it had ended up in the hands of a Singer enthusiast. Jim had a 10/26 Senior and a Junior, and had helped me out with some bits when I had suffered a broken half shaft on my 10/26 many years earlier. I was pleased to meet Jim again at the 2005 Centenary and to confirm it was the same car I had seen all that time ago.
Unfortunately, in the intervening years somebody had stolen the registration number, but otherwise it looked good. At the end of last year I heard the Jim was thinking of selling.
Now the last thing I needed was another car, but you know how it is. I called Jim, and before I knew where I was, had arranged to view. The upshot is that the car is now in my garage (just enough room). Jim had not used it much since the centenary, but I have been going through it slowly and methodically, and the car is now back on the road.”