Napier 1900-1924 - a competitor for Rolls-Royce

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Napier 1900-1924 - a competitor for Rolls-Royce

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Created in 2011

Text:

Roger Gloor

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Rétromobile

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Bonhams

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Martina Mäder

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Archiv

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Napier L48 (1905) - Clifford Earps on the spectacular six-cylinder Napier at the 1905 Gordon Bennet Race

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Napier Type 23 A 45 HP Seven Seater Touring Car (1908) - at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction on August 14/15, 2014 as lot 254

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Napier 100 HP Gordon Bennett Racing Car (1903) - in the Louwman Museum in The Hague

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Napier (1903) - the oldest surviving racing car in Great Britain, with four cylinders and a displacement of 7.7 liters, took part in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup, among others - Rétromobile Paris 2016

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Napier Double-phaeton (1900) - at the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run 2015

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Summary

There have been around 10,000 car brands and designers - most of which have disappeared. One of these vanished brands is Napier, which was Rolls-Royce's only rival in the early days. Napier became famous for its innovative vehicles, for example the first series-produced six-cylinder car was built in 1904. Many racing successes cemented the reputation of the English brand, which finally ceased to build passenger cars in 1924.

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Preview (beginning of the article)

Napier was Rolls Royce's only competitor in the early days. D. Napier & Son Ltd. produced a wide range of machines in London. As a bicycle racer, Montague Napier (the great son of company founder David) made the acquaintance of the Australian Selwyn Francis Edge. The latter had his Panhard modified by Napier and soon commissioned the construction of two- and four-cylinder cars of his own design. A first race outing with Charles S. Rolls as co-driver resulted in failure...Rolls himself purchased a Napier with a 16.3 L engine in 1901. In 1902, Edge drove a Napier 40 hp with a 6.45 L four-valve engine to the first international British victory in the Gordon Bennett race; and with this green Napier, British Racing Green was born! The American Charles J. Glidden undertook worldwide Napier races from 1901 to 1908, and there were Napier license manufacturers in Boston and Genoa.

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