• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Help required to identify a car.

Share this page

A

artificer356

Freshman Member
Offline
As my first post on British Car Forum I would like to pose an identification problem. Can anyone identify the car in the following photograph. The photograph was taken at Bulford Army Camp circa 1939.
Mysterycar.jpg
 
Welcome - great first post - a challenge! I like it!

Don't have an answer, but an observation and a question:

Looks like left-hand drive.

Would this be a family picture?
 
Thank you. It is a family picture, the exact date I am not sure of, the baby was born begining of May 1939 and looks to be about 2 to three months old when the photograph was taken.The baby's father was in the Army with the RHA. As you say the car looks to be left-hand drive.I understand the Regiment deployed to France in October 1939 but judging by the dress of the people in the photograph it would appear to have been taken in the summer possibly August.
 
I am going out on a limb here, but the roofline suggests that the car is a Standard. It could be a left hand drive car but the angle is deceptive, and these cars had very narrow cabins and very large diameter steering wheels.
 
Great photo. It's a family pic, Are you by chance in it.
I like that spoke wheel.
 
My best guess is that it is a Crossley. I say this because of the shape of the roof and because the roof overhangs the windscreen in the photo you posted.
Have a look at this Crossley 10 hp. car.....

Edit: I just noticed that the rear door on the Crossley is a suicide door NOT like the one you have pictured. Otherwise......?
 
Thanks for your help.
BabaKahawa. I am the baby in the photograph.
Steve. I am not sure about it being a Standard, I have looked at the Standard website but there appears to be nothing in the 1930s to match it.
Gliderman. The Crossley certainly seems to match the photograph but as you say the doors are hinged differently and the slope of the rear of the car is not a vertical as the drawing you attached.
Mel.
 
Artificer356-
Check out this site:
https://www.crossley-motors.org.uk/history/1930.html
It will show you Crossley's of the 1930's. It may indeed be a different model Crossley than the one I have above.
The one below for instance has the identical doors. As for the back of the car, it may be hard to tell if the back is straight or sloped due to the angle at which the original photo was taken. Maybe some of our resident photographers on the forum can comment on that aspect.
 
It's too small to be a Crossley, I think. They were all pretty big cars and somewhat rare, too
This looks to be a 9 / 10 hp size car with, I'm pretty sure, a fabric body, of late 1920s / early 30s. Riley 9 Monaco Fabric Saloon is my guess, and the wheels look like Riley wheels, too.
 
I think Roger's got it. The unbroken line at the rear from the top down is the same, as the fenders (sorry - wings!) seem to be.

Whadja win, Roger? :jester:

Mickey
 
I shout a "BINGO!" for Roger as well. Good eye!
 
:iagree:
 
Yes, Yes, Yes......
 
<span style="font-weight: bold">GREAT </span>Many thanks Roger. The only prize I am afraid is my sincere graditude in solving the mystery. Thanks to all who helped.
You will be pleased to know at least I took after my father's love of cars,this my first car was a MG 'Y' type similar to this one:-
MG.jpg

Mel
 
I was going to say that this car has a fabric body, but Roger beat me to it. I was also convinced that the car is a 1920's or latest early thirties vintage, and I really like Roger's suggestion of the Riley 9 Monaco. The slope of the roof on the rear three-quarter looks right to me as well. Looks like he ID'ed your mystery car!!!
 
Back
Top