British and European Car Spotters Guide - 1931

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1931 British and European Car Spotters Guide


The September 1931 Census showed that the total number of motor vehicles in use in the United Kingdom was 1,560,349. This included 1,103,715 private cars and 89,182 'hackneys'. In the 1931 model year private car and taxi production totalled 158,997, a drop of over ten thousand compared with the previous year and obviously a result of the world-wide economic depression. Total production of all types motor vehicles was 226,307, just over 10 per cent of which was exported. This also showed a decrease compared with the previous year. Imports amounted to 2,118 cars, valued at £467,785. The total number of new car registrations at home was 139,403 (ex cl. N. Ireland) with the largest number in the 8 HP class (36,354), followed by 12 HP (17,647), 10 HP (14,522),16 HP (13,803), 14 HP (12,406) and 15 HP (12,164), the remaining HP classes all containing well under 10,000. In Northern Ireland 2,712 new cars were registered.

In 1931 Daimler was manufacturing a Double Six sports coupe with a body by Corsica. This magnificent car, with its V12 sleeve-valve engine had acquired a most unfortunate appearance. It had no running board, and so suffered an untidy look along the bottom; the wings did not seem to match the wheels very well and the wheels themselves were so large that the long bonnet all but disappeared between the front wings. Perhaps the most unfortunate effect was the way in which the bonnet appeared to bear no relation to the body. The scuttle on this car seemed more to separate them than anything else, and the bonnet lines jarred with those of the body.

The slight forward rake of the windows, in conjunction with the pronounced rear end, gave the car a hunch-back look rather than the racy look the designer presumably wished for. These shortcomings, however, were details. The basic shape with the upright radiator over the front axle, the long, tapered bonnet, the small glazed area and the sweeping wings over the large wheels were features of many cars at this time on both sides of the Atlantic. The legendary Hispano Suiza and the Pierce Arrow both had similar features to the Daimler. The traditional position for the radiator had always been a vertical mounting directly above the front axle.

Then, in 1930, the Wolseley Hornet was produced with the radiator positioned in front of the axle at a slightly raked angle. This allowed the designer to fit a longer engine without having to lengthen the wheel-base. From the point of view of styling, this was an unfortunate step. But as many other manufacturers, realising the advantages to be obtained, followed Wolseley's lead, the results became clear: cars lost their dignity and even sports cars, of which the Hornet was one, lacked their earlier look of power. This re siting of the radiator was only one of the changes during the 1930s which contributed to the gradual decline of standards in motor-car styling.

One of the biggest contributors to this decline was the steady improvement in the steel presses which were used for the production of the body panels. Initially, the limitations of the presses allowed the designer only a moderate amount of curve in a body panel. Such limitations, regardless of what the designer might otherwise have wanted, meant that he had to confine his design to the subtle curves then available. Towards the end of the 1930s, designers were able to obtain far more pronounced curves in the body panel, and they made wide use of this facility. The results generally were not as pleasing as the earlier designs. Cars became rounded, their shapes ill-defined and they lost earlier notions of either dignity or sleekness.

Motorsport in 1931



In 1931, the most important race of June was the Le Mans 24 Hour event. It was notable for the absence of the big Bentleys which had dominated the event for the previous four years. The event was won by Tim Birkin and Lord Howe in one of the all-conquering Alfa Romeo 8C2300s, at a record average of 78.13mph, with a Mercedes-Benz second and Tim Rose-Richards and Saunders-Davis third in a virtually-standard Talbot 105. 26 cars started the race. The British made almost as much fuss about the Irish GP, held at Phoenix Park, Dublin run as a two-day race on handicap (first day for small cars, second day for larger cars). Norman Black's Montlhery MG Midget won the 'small car' event at 64.7mph, and 'Tim' Birkin the 'large car' event, in an 8C2300 Alfa at 83.73mph, with Black adjudged the overall winner.

Louis Chiron and Achille Varzi won the 10-hour French GP at Montlhery, in a new-model twin-cam Bugatti (Type 51), at 78.16mph, while the Indianapolis 500 race had just been won by Louis Schneider in a Miller at 96.62mph; he took more than 5hr lOmin to complete the 500 miles. The most interesting new racing car to make its debut was Alfa's sensational Type A of 3500cc, which had two 1750cc six-cylinder engines mounted side-by-side, ahead of the driver, and which provided a total of 230bhp. Even at that stage it was acknowledged that there might be handling problems.

In Britain, new car sales were dropping steadily as a result of the deepening depression. 1930 sales had been down on 1929, and now 1931 sales were down by a further 15 per cent. The volume of sales, too, was low - in a month about 1200 cars would be registered in the whole of Yorkshire, and a mere 40 or 50 in Cumberland. It was apposite, therefore, that one of the most significant new cars - the side-valve Morris Minor - was road tested in saloon car form. It cost £119 (not quite the cheapest car of all), could reach 56 miles-per-hour, and had an overall fuel consumption of between 45 and 50 miles-per-gallon. In the 'pipe-dream' category was a proposal for a new road, which would have been constructed on a causeway across the mouth of the Dee estuary, linking Hoylake (on the Wirral) with the coast of North Wales.
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1931 AC 16/56 Four-Door Saloon
UK

AC 16/56 Four-Door Saloon

  Also see: AC Road Tests and Reviews | AC Cars Brochures
 
The 1991-cc OHC engine developed 56 bhp and drove the floating rear axle through a single dry-plate clutch, three-speed gearbox with right-hand gate change and 5.5:1 worm type final drive.
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1931 Alvis 16·95 HP Silver Eagle
UK

Alvis 16·95 HP Silver Eagle

  Also see: Alvis Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Alvis 16·95 HP Silver Eagle was first introduced in 1929 and continued into the thirties with detail improvements. Its six-cylinder engine had pushrod-operated overhead valves and a cubic capacity of 2148 cc (67·5 x 100 mm). Wheelbase was 10 ft 3 in and the 1931/32 four/five-seater Tourer version illustrated cost £595.
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1931 Alvis 20 HP Silver Eagle
UK

Alvis 20 HP Silver Eagle

  Also see: Alvis Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Alvis 20 HP Silver Eagle was basically similar to the 16·95 HP but had 73-mm bore, resulting in 2511-cc cubic capacity. Two wheellbase lengths were available: 10ft 3 in (Model TB) and 11 ft (Model TC chassis for Li mousi ne body). Like the 16.95 HP it featured a Special Dual Ignition system, consisting of an aircraft type Polar Inductor Magneto, adapted by the use of special switches and high-tension coil to work as coil ignition for starting, or in the unlikely event of magneto failure' The Mayfair Four-light Saloon shown sold at £775.
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1931 Armstrong Siddeley 12HP
UK

Armstrong Siddeley

 
Armstrong Siddeley offered six chassis. all with six-cylinder engine They ranged from the 1434-cc 12 HP up to the 4960-cc 30 HP. Shown is a Six Light Coach Saloon on the 8 ft 9 in wheelbase 12 HP chassis which was available with either disc (shown) or wire spoke wheels.
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1931 Aston Martin 1½ Litre Sports
UK

Aston Martin 1½ Litre Sports

  Also see: Aston Martin Road Tests and Reviews
 
Aston Martin 1 ½ Litre Sports was powered by a 1496-cc (69·3 x 99 mm) twin-carburettor OHC engine and had 8 ft 6 in wheelbase. Pictured left is one of the team cars of the 1931 racing season. Its sister cars finished first and second in the 1931 Double-Twelve Race at the famous Brooklands track and won the Rudge Cup at Le Mans in 1932.
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1931 Austin Seven 'Chummy' Tourer
UK

Austin Seven 'Chummy' Tourer

  Also see: Austin Road Tests and Reviews
 
Austin Seven 'Chummy' Tourer of 1930/31. These models had a shorter scuttle than before and a revised bonnet with two sets of louvres. In August 1931 the wheelbase was extended from 6 ft 3 in to 6 ft 9 in.
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1931 Austin Sixteen
UK

Austin Sixteen

  Also see: Austin Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Austin Sixteen chassis had a 2249-cc (65·6 x 111 mm) six-cylinder engine and 9 ft 4 in wheelbase. It cost £235. Complete cars. with factory-built bodywork. were in the £310 to £345 price range. Pictured left is a Burnham four-door Saloon.
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1931 Bentley 8 Litre
UK

Bentley 8 Litre

  Also see: Bentley Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Bentley 8-Litre had 7983-cc (110 x 140 mm) six-cylinder engine, rated at 44·9 HP. Pictured left is Forrest Lycett's 11-ft wheelbase racer. A 12-ft wheelbase chassis cost £1850. 4½- and 6½-Litre models, costing from £1050 to £1800 in chassis form, were available also. Model shown weighed 4725 Ib, incl. driver, and maximum speeds at 4000 rpm in the indirect gears were 51,72 and 96 mph respectively. Maximum speed in top gear was quoted as 'Autobahn': 122 mph, and still accelerating.
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1931 Bentley 8 Litre Coupe
UK

Bentley 8 Litre Coupe

  Also see: Bentley Road Tests and Reviews
 
Bentley 8- Litre chassis with Coupe bodywork. This was one of the last 'real Bentleys'. The Company was taken over by Rolls-Royce and re-organized as Bentley Motors (1931) Ltd., headquartered at Derby. New RR/Bentley models first made their appearance at the Olympia Motor Show in 1933. The May 1932 registration of the car shown gives some indication of the time it took for special coachwork to be hand-built.
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1931 Crossley Six-Wheeler
UK

Crossley Six-Wheeler

 
Crossley offered this six-wheeled saloon for 'colonial' use. It was powered by a six-cylinder 3·5-Litre engine, which drove both rear axles ('tandem drive'). Note the wire-spoke wheels and the fabric body. A similar model was offered by Morris-Commercial Cars Ltd.
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1931 Daimler Double Six 50
UK

Daimler Double Six 50

  Also see: Daimler Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Daimler Double Six 50 was a huge car with either 12ft 11 ½ in or 13 ft 7 in wheelbase. The 7136-cc (81·5 x 114 mm) V-12-cylinder engine was arranged in four blocks of three cylinders and had two carburettors. All Daimlers were supplied in chassis form only, no standard bodies were listed. The Double Six 50 chassis cost £1950. Shown is a 1930/31 Sports model Corsica Drophead Coupe, one of only a few built. The Double Six name was revived in 1972 for the Daimler edition of the V12 Jaguar Saloon.
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1931 DKW 1000
Germany

DKW 1000

   
 
Page under construction.
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1931 Ford Model A Fordor
UK

Ford Model A Fordor

  Also see: Ford UK Road Tests and Reviews
 
Ford Model A Fordor. During the production span of the Model A (and Model AF and commercial vehicle derivatives; see also 1930) Ford built their new Dagenham plant. Production was transferred there in 1931, the last vehicle coming off the Trafford Park, Manchester, assembly line in October 1931. Just under 15,000 Model A and AF cars were built in the UK, following some 275,000 Model Ts (1911-28).
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1931 Hillman Wizard
UK

Hillman Wizard

  Also see: Hillman Road Tests and Reviews
 
Hillman range of 4-cyl. Fourteen and 8-cyl. Straight 8 and Vortic 8 models was supplemented in April, 1931, with a new 6-cyl. range named Wizard. It was available with 65-mm bore (15·7 HP) or 75-mm bore (20·9 HP) with no price difference, the latter intended especially for overseas markets.
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1931 Hillman Wizard
UK

Hillman Wizard

  Also see: Hillman Road Tests and Reviews
 
Hillman Wizard 75 with Coupe Cabriolet bodywork at the introduction of the new range in the Royal Albert Hall in London on 27 April. 1931.
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1931 Hillman Wizard
UK

Hillman Wizard

  Also see: Hillman Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Hillman Wizard was available with wire spoke or artillery wheels, the latter being fitted to this prototype car, shown during tests prior to its introduction. Artillery wheels had wooden spokes. secured between two metal plates at the centre. This construction method had long been used for gun carriages and limbers - hence the name.
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1931 Hillman Vortic
UK

Hillman Vortic

  Also see: Hillman Road Tests and Reviews
 
Hillman Vortic was produced during 1931-32 and had a 2618-cc (63 x 105 mm) eight-cylinder in-line OHV engine, developing 58 bhp at 3300 rpm and rated at 19·7 HP. The chassis cost £325 (£285 in 1932) and is shown with Special Sunshine Saloon bodywork by Charlesworth Bodies Ltd. of Coventry.
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1931 Hillman Minx Prototype
UK

Hillman Minx Prototype

  Also see: Hillman Road Tests and Reviews
 
When the first Minx was completed at Coventry William Rootes (the late Lord Rootes) himself took it abroad and tested it on the continent of Europe and in North Africa. He made it a practice to personally test each new model and is shown here at right, with the Minx on the Swiss-Italian border in May. 1931. The car made its public debut at the Olympia Motor Show in the following October and deliveries commenced after a few modifications, in the Spring of 1932.
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1931 Humber Snipe Tourer and Pullman Limousine
UK

Humber Snipe Tourer and Pullman Limousine

  Also see: Humber Road Tests and Reviews
 
Humber Snipe Tourers and Pullman Limousine photographed in Jamaica. Engine was 23·8 HP 3498·5-cc (80 x 116 mm) Six. wheelbase 10ft and 11 ft respectively.
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1931 Humber Pullman Limousine
UK

Humber Pullman Limousine

  Also see: Humber Road Tests and Reviews
 
Humber Pullman Limousine. In addition to the Snipe and Pullman models Humber offered the 16/50 which was similar to the Snipe but had a 15·7 HP 211 O-cc (65 x 106 mm) engine like the Hillman Wizard. Tyre size was 6.00-20 for the Pullman, 5.50-19 for the 16/50 and Snipe.
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1931 Humber Snipe Saloon
UK

Humber Snipe Saloon

  Also see: Humber Road Tests and Reviews
 
Humber Snipe Saloon demonstrating its off-road capabilities on Army grounds near Aldershot.
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1931 Humber 16/50 Saloon
UK

Humber 16/50 Saloon

  Also see: Humber Road Tests and Reviews
 
Humber 16/50 Saloon, after not uncommon conversion, spending its old age as a breakdown tender. Note blackout masks on headlamps, a feature of World War 2 days.
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1931 Mercedes-Benz Type 170
Germany

Mercedes-Benz Type 170

  Also see: Mercedes-Benz Road Tests and Reviews
 
Page under construction.
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1931 Mercedes-Benz Type 170
Germany

Mercedes-Benz Type 170

  Also see: Mercedes-Benz Road Tests and Reviews
 
Page under construction.
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1931 Morris Minor
UK

Morris Minor

  Also see: Morris Road Tests and Reviews
 
Morris Minor had 847-cc (57 x 83 mm) four-cylinder engine, rated at 8·05 HP. The chassis was available for £100, complete cars costing from £125 to £140. Wheelbase was 6 ft 6 in.
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1931 Morris Oxford Six Tourer
UK

Morris Oxford Six Tourer

  Also see: Morris Road Tests and Reviews
 
Morris Oxford Six Tourer, still going strong after almost forty years and three owners. This model had a 30·5-bhp 1938-cc (63·5 x 102 mm) side-valve Six engine, rated at 14·9 HP. The chassis cost £185, complete cars from £250 to £285.
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1931 Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon
UK

Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon

  Also see: Morris Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon was built in limited numbers for 'colonial' and military use. The engine was a 26·8 HP six-cylinder with 85 x 125 mm bore and stroke, developing 74 bhp at 2800 rpm. Power was transmitted through a four-speed gearbox to the worm-drive tandem rear axles. There was also the Model TO which had a 17·9 HP fourrcylinder engine with the same bore and stroke as the 60. Basically a 6 x 4 truck chassis it was available with Tourer bodywork.
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1931 Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon
UK

Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon

  Also see: Morris Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Morris Commercial Model 60 Saloon was built in limited numbers for 'colonial' and military use. The engine was a 26·8 HP six-cylinder with 85 x 125 mm bore and stroke, developing 74 bhp at 2800 rpm. Power was transmitted through a four-speed gearbox to the worm-drive tandem rear axles. There was also the Model TO which had a 17·9 HP fourrcylinder engine with the same bore and stroke as the 60. Basically a 6 x 4 truck chassis it was available with Tourer bodywork.
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1931 Riley Nine
UK

Riley Nine

  Also see: Riley Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Riley Nine had four-cylinder 1089-cc (60·3 x 95·2 mm) engine of 9·02 HP rating. The British Army used some which were slightly modified to meet their requirements for (limited) cross-country work. Tyre size, for example, was 5.25-21 instead of the standard 4.40-27. Most of the Army cars had four-door soft-top bodywork. A military saloon is shown.
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1931 Riley Brooklands
UK

Riley Brooklands

  Also see: Riley Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Riley Brooklands was a two-seater produced during 1930-31 either in racing trim or road trim. It had basically the same 1089-cc engine as the Riley Nine but with pump cooling instead of thermo-syphon, electric fuel pump instead of gravity feed and other modifications. Wheelbase was 8 ft (10 inches shorter than the Nine).
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1931 RolIs-Royce Phantom II Sedan de Ville
UK

RolIs-Royce Phantom II Sedan de Ville

  Also see: Rolls-Royce Road Tests and Reviews
 
Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedan de Ville with coachwork by Park Ward. The six-cylinder engine was of 7695-cc cubic capacity and rated at 43·3 HP. The chassis cost £1850 (short) or £1900 (long).
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1931 Rover 2-Litre Coachbuilt Saloon
UK

Rover 2-Litre Coachbuilt Saloon

  Also see: Rover Road Tests and Reviews | Rover Brochures
 
The Rover 2-Litre Coachbuilt Saloon was available in standard (shown) and more luxurious Regal trim. Both had 9 ft 3 in wheelbase and a 2023-cc six-cylinder power unit with four-speed gearbox.
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1931 Singer Junior Saloon
UK

Singer Junior Saloon

  Also see: Singer Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Singer Junior Saloon was much the same as in 1930 but the three-speed gearbox was replaced by a four-speed unit. Wheelbase was 7 ft 6 in. The Saloon sold at £150, the Touring version at £135.
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1931 SS I
UK

SS I

  Also see: Jaguar Road Tests and Reviews
 
SS stood for Swallow Sports, the name of the first motorcycle sidecars produced by the predecessors of Jaguar Cars Ltd. In 1931 SS became a marque in its own right when the company introduced the SS I. It was based on a Standard chassis, the engine of which was specially produced for Swallow.
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1931 SS I
UK

SS I

  Also see: Jaguar Road Tests and Reviews
 
SS stood for Swallow Sports, the name of the first motorcycle sidecars produced by the predecessors of Jaguar Cars Ltd. In 1931 SS became a marque in its own right when the company introduced the SS I. It was based on a Standard chassis, the engine of which was specially produced for Swallow.
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1931 Standard Big Nine Special Tourer
UK

Standard Big Nine Special Tourer

  Also see: Standard Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Standard Big Nine Special Tourer was priced at £195, had 1287-cc four-cylinder engine with four-speed gearbox and detachable wire wheels (basic Big Nine had three speeds and steel artillery wheels). Fabric Saloon variant cost £245.
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1931 Standard Envoy Six
UK

Standard Envoy Six

  Also see: Standard Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Standard Envoy Six had 2552-cc 20 HP engine with four-speed gearbox. Chassis cost £255, Weymann Saloon £385. Wheelbase was 9 ft 10 in.
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1931 Talbot Ninety De Luxe Sports Tourer
UK

Talbot Ninety De Luxe Sports Tourer

  Also see: Talbot History
 
The Talbot Ninety De Luxe Sports Tourer had a 17·9 HP 2276-cc (69·5 x 100 mm) OHV six-cylinder engine. Car was offered at £675, finished in black exterior material with red antique leather and red wire wheels.
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1931 Trojan Purley Fabric Saloon
UK

Trojan Purley Fabric Saloon

 
Trojan Purley Fabric Saloon was one of the models which superseded the famous box-shaped Trojan cars of the 1920s The four-cylinder engine was still of the two-stroke type with the cylinders arranged in pairs and each pair of pistons moving in unison, but it was now mounted at the rear. The earlier configuration with the engine mounted under the front seat was retained for the vans.
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1931 Vauxhall Cadet Coupe
UK

Vauxhall Cadet Coupe

  Also see: Vauxhall Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Vauxhall Cadet Coupe was based on Model VY 16·9 HP chassis. For export a 26·3 HP variant was introduced, designated model VX. For the VX the bore of the 6-cylinder engine was increased from 67·5 to 84·1 mm. With the stroke remaining at 95 mm this gave a piston displacement of 3177 cc. Brake horsepower was up from 42 to 47.
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1931 Vauxhall Eighty 24 HP Silent 80
UK

Vauxhall Eighty 24 HP Silent 80

  Also see: Vauxhall Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Vauxhall Eighty 24 HP six-cylinder saloon. also known as Silent 80, was in production during 1931-32. It had a 3317-cc (80 x 110 mm) OHV engine with four-speed gearbox and 5.50-20 tyres.
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1931 Whitlock 20/70 Model A and Model B
UK

Whitlock 20/70 Model A and Model B

   
 
Whitlock cars were extremely rare and even in their hey-day. During 1930-31 the 20/70 was supplied with a six-cylinder 3301-cc (76·2 x 120·7 mm) 72-bhp Meadows OHV engine, rated at 21·5 HP. Two chassis were available, the Model A with 10ft 4 in wheelbase at £650, and Model B with 11 ft wheelbase at £700. 1932-34 production had the former wheelbase length and a 2972-cc engine.
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1931 Wolseley 21/60
UK

Wolseley 21/60

  Also see: Wolseley Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Wolseley 21/60 cars were available with six-cylinder 2677 -cc (75 x 101 mm) or eight-cylinder 2700-cc (65 x 101 mm) engine, both with overhead camshaft and rated at 20·93 and 21·01 HP respectively. Shown is a Model E7D 21/60 County Saloon which had 9 ft 6 in wheelbase and 5.50-18 tyres. The price was £445 (Chassis £295).
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1931 Wolseley Swallow
UK

Wolseley Swallow

  Also see: Wolseley Road Tests and Reviews
 
The Wolseley Hornet six-cylinder 7 ft 6½ in wheelbase chassis with Swallow two-seater coachwork.
1931 Avions-Voisin
1931 Avions-Voisin.
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