Napier 1900-1924 - a competitor for Rolls-Royce
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.
Estimated reading time: 3min
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) became acquainted with 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 bought a Napier with a 16.3 L engine himself in 1901. In 1902, Edge drove a Napier 40 hp with a 6.45-liter four-valve engine to the first international British victory in the Gordon Bennett race; and with this green Napier, British Racing Green was born!
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