Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans - fast pre-war tourer with racing charisma

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans - fast pre-war tourer with racing charisma

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Created on May 7, 2016

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

39

Bruno von Rotz

3

Courtesy Bonhams

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - the windshield sits a little low for tall drivers

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - only a short section of the body is intended for the crew train

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - classic pre-war sports car

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Le Mans speeds are no longer the goal today

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - well motorized with the 1.5 liter

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - "underslung" construction - the frame sits under the suspensions

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - with two spare wheels, the roads were just much worse in the past

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - "slab tank" - upright tank

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - only 71 of these cars were built

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - long front, short rear

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - in green, of course

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - narrow track width

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - looks very similar to its little brother "Nine"

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - looks similar to an MG TA, but the radiator immediately gives the Singer away

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - with large brake drums and friction dampers

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - the tank is housed behind the crew

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - large spring-spoke steering wheel

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - short gearshift

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - rev counter for the driver, speedometer for the co-driver

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - the carpets were probably only fitted to the car at a later date

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - beautifully drawn Jaeger instruments

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - the 1.5-liter develops around 50 hp

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Intake side of the engine with three SU carburetors

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - beautiful engine construction

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - View into the intake tract of the SU carburetor

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Exhaust side of the engine

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Inscriptions everywhere

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - replacement candles - you never know

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Engine construction of the thirties

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - six-cylinder in-line engine with overhead valves

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Chassis badge - Number 64

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - high upright radiator

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - ready for the big ride

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Singer emblem

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Singer emblem on the radiator

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - Fuel filler cap

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - the wing nuts also show the Singer emblem

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - completely labeled on the wing nut above the spare wheels

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Singer Nine Le Mans (1938) - two Singer models from 1937 and 1938 at Le Mans 1958

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Singer Nine (1935) - Chassis construction

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Singer Nine Le Mans (1933) - at the 1977 Lagen classic car fair - sold for 11500

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Singer Nine Le Mans Special Speed (1935) - from the 1935 sales brochure

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1935) - as shown in the sales brochure

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1934) - the Barnes/Langley works car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1934

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans - at the Concours d'Excellence 2015 in Lucerne

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans - at the Concours d'Excellence 2015 in Lucerne

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans - at the Concours d'Excellence 2015 in Lucerne

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Singer 1 1/2 Litre Le Mans (1936) - a feast for the eyes from every perspective

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Summary

Based on the Singer Nine model, which was also very successful in motor racing, the British car manufacturer developed the more powerful and larger 1.5 liter Le Mans with an in-line six-cylinder engine in 1934. It achieved a very good result in its very first outing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and production sports cars of this configuration were subsequently also sold. This vehicle report portrays a late Singer 1.5 Litre Le Mans model from 1936 and shows it in current and historical pictures as well as in the sales literature.

This article contains the following chapters

The Singer Nine and its racing successes
The big "Nine"
The 1.5-liter at Le Mans
Fully equipped
On the road with the six-cylinder
Consistent history

Estimated reading time: 4min

Preview (beginning of the article)

At the end of the 1920s, Singer was the third-largest car manufacturer in the UK, behind Austin and Morris. Some nine decades later, the brand is only known to committed enthusiasts. Few people know that Singer built one of the best cycle cars of its time with the Ten and was a trendsetter in automotive engineering with technical concepts such as hydraulic brakes and overhead camshafts. From 1932, the Singer Nine with a four-cylinder engine and 972 cm3 was offered as an attractive sports car that also went far in motor racing. In 1933, it competed in Le Mans and achieved 13th place, and was also the first British sports car under 1000 cm3 without a supercharger to qualify for the Rudge Cup.

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