The A-Type Vauxhall was a car manufactured by Vauxhall Motors from 1908 to 1915 with one more built in 1920. This was to be the first production Vauxhall designed by Laurence Pomeroy: it became a highly acclaimed 3 litre of its day and at Brooklands on 26 October 1910, it became the first 20 hp car to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h) of any make in the world.
Laurence Pomeroy had joined Vauxhall in 1907 as an assistant draughtsman at the age of twenty-two. He first made his mark at the 1908 RAC and Scottish Reliability Trial, held in June of that year. His first design, the Y-Type Y1, had outstanding success at the 1908 RAC and Scottish 2000 Mile Reliability Trials. Showing excellent hill climbing ability with an aggregate of 37 seconds less time in the hill climbs than any other car in its class and unparalleled speeds around the Brooklands circuit, the Vauxhall was so far ahead of all cars whatever class that the driver could relax, accomplishing the 200 miles (320 km) at an average speed of 46 mph (74 km/h), when the car was capable of 55 mph (89 km/h). The Y-Type went on to win class E of the Trial.
Such a success that the Y-Type was, that it was decided to put the car into production as the A09 car. This spawned the A-Type Vauxhall.
There were 4 distinct types produced between 27 October 1908 up to when mass production halted in 1914. One last A-Type was put together in 1920.
The A09 and A11 were basically developments of the X Type with the Y Type Motor and converted to a four speed gearbox though some of the earliest A-Types had three Speed gearboxes from the X-Type. At least 70 of the first A-Types also retained the sheet copper sump from the X Type Engine. For the A12 there was a major revision of the chassis and for the 16/20 hp A-Type both Engine and chassis underwent major redesign.
The A Type featured a 3-litre forced lubrication side-valve monobloc engine. The camshaft and magneto were driven by gear on the A09, A11, A12 and then for the 16/20 hp A-Type it was changed to a chain drive.
See the table below for more information.
| A09
Oct 1908 - Oct 1910 |
A11
Oct 1910 - Jun 1912 |
A12
Jun 1912 - Nov 1912 |
16/20 hp
Nov 1912 - Oct 1920 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine Size: |
3 Litre 90x120 |
3 Litre 90x120 |
3 Litre 90x120 Some 3.5 Litre 95x120 |
3 Litre 90x120 |
| Cam drive: | gear | gear | gear | chain |
| Carburettor:
White & Poppe Zenith Claudel Hobson |
30 mm - - |
30 mm - - |
30 mm 36 mm - |
30 mm 36 mm 26 mm |
| Magneto: | Bosch D | Bosch D | Bosch D | Bosch D or Eisman EK4 |
| Clutch: | cone | cone or multi-plate | multi-plate | multi-plate |
| Fuel supply: | gravity | gravity | gravity a few forced feed | forced feed |
| Brake drums: | 12 inches (300 mm) | 12 inches (300 mm) | 12 inches (300 mm) | 9 inches (230 mm) |
| Rear axle ratio: | 1:2.95 to 1:4.13 | 1:3.65 or 1:3.875 | 1:3.65 or 1:3.875 | 1:3.875 |
| Chassis length: | 9 ft 7 in (2,920 mm) or 10 ft 3 in (3,120 mm) | 9 ft 7 in (2,920 mm) or 10 ft 3 in (3,120 mm) | 9 ft 7 in (2,920 mm) or 10 ft 3 in (3,120 mm) | 9 ft 9 in (2,970 mm) |
| Std Wheel size: | 875x105 | 875x105 | 880x120 | 815x105 |
| Chassis width:
Front: Rear: |
30 inches (760 mm) 36 inches (910 mm) |
30 inches (760 mm) 36 inches (910 mm) |
30 inches (760 mm) 36 inches (910 mm) |
28 inches (710 mm) 34 inches (860 mm) |
| Sub frame | U section | U section | angle iron | angle iron |
| King pins: | vertical | vertical | inclined | inclined |
| Work Orders: | 1770–1778 | 1803–1811 | 1811 & 1812 | 1813–1818 |
| Production run: | 253 cars | 359 cars | 57 cars and 21 as 3.5 litre | 271 cars |
Capable of up to 100 mph (160 km/h) the A-Type Vauxhall was one of the most acclaimed 3-litre cars of its day, achieving many records for out-right speed and high speed endurance, within the 21 hp limit, as well as having had some parental involvement in the conception of both the Prince Henry and the 30-98 hp Vauxhalls.
Less than two dozen survive today out of the 950 produced.
| Model | Year | Chassis Number | Work Order | Engine Number | Gearbox Number | Steering Box Number | Radiator Number | Cooling | Petrol Supply G.Gravity F.Force | Magneto | Carburettor | Hand Brake Dia | Size of Tyre | Rear Axle Ratio | Date of Manufacture | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A09 | 1908 | A09.1 | 1770 | A09.1 | Thermo Syphon | G | Bosch D | W+P 30mm | 12" | 875x105 | 15-62 | 24-11-1908 | Australia | Restored | |||
| A09 | 1909 | A09.73 | 1771 | A09.73 | Thermo Syphon | G | Bosch D | W+P 30mm | 12" | 875x105 | 17-56 | 25-06-1909 | England | Restored | |||
| A11 | 1911 | A11.455 | 1808 | A11.455 | Thermo Syphon | F | Bosch D | W+P 30mm | 12" | 875x105 | 16-62 | 29-09-1911 | Spain | Restored | |||
| A11 | 1911 | A11.487 | 1808 | A11.471 | Thermo Syphon | G | Bosch D | W+P 30mm (Current Engine from A11.471 had Zenith 36mm) | 12" | 880x120 | 16-62 | 7-11-1911 | Australia | Restored | |||
| A11 | 1911 | A11.596 | 1811 | A11.440 | Thermo Syphon | F | Bosch D | W+P 30mm | 12" | 875x105 | 16-62 | 5-02-1912 | Australia | Restored | |||
| A12 | 1912 | A12.670 | 1812 | A12.670 | Thermo Syphon | G | Bosch D | Zenith 36mm | 12" | 875x105 | 16-62 | 23-08-1912 | Australia | Restored | |||
| A12 | 1912 | England | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 16/20 hp | 1913 | A13 | 1813 | A8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Thermo Syphon | F | Eiseman EK4 | Zenith 36mm | 9" | 815x105 | 16-62 | 6-03-1913 | New Zealand | Unrestored |
| 16/20 hp | 1913 | A35 | 1813 | A31 | 121 | 1517 | 31 | Pump | F | Eiseman EK4 | Zenith 36mm | 9" | 880x120 | 16-62 | 26-06-1913 | Australia | Under Restoration |
| 16/20 hp | 1913 | A58 | 1814 | A151 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Thermo Syphon | F | Eiseman EK4 | Zenith 36mm | 9" | 880x120 | 16-62 | 20-09-1913 | Australia | Restored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | A104 | 1816 | A100 | 380 | N/A | N/A | Thermo Syphon | F | Bosch ZR4 | Zenith 36mm | 9" | 815x105 | 16-62 | 12-3-1914 | New Zealand | Unrestored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | A170 | 1818 | A186 | 704 | N/A | 1601 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Claudel Hobson 26mm | 9" | N/A | 15-62 | 01-12-1914 | Australia | Restored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | A198 | 1817 | A192 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Bosch ZR4 | Claudel Hobson 26mm | 9" | 815x105 | 16-62 | 24-11-1914 | England | Restored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | A207 | 1817 | A197 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Thermo Syphon | F | Eiseman EK4 | Claudel Hobson 26mm | 9" | 880x120 | 16-62 | 8-12-1914 | Australia | Unrestored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | A210 | 1817 | A207 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Thermo Syphon | F | Bosch ZU4 | Claudel Hobson 26mm | 9" | 875x105 | 16-62 | 23-10-1914 | Australia | Restored |
| 16/20 hp | 1914 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Vauxhall Basic Chassis changes 1908-1914 - The following list outlines some changes seen thoughout the A09, A11, A12 and 16/20 Production
| Type | Date Range | Chassis Change Work Order | Car Number / Range of Car Numbers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16/20 | 21-11-1912 - 02-10-1920 | 1813-1818 | The 16/20...
For the 16/20 A-Type Laurence Pomeroy introduced a completely new chassis design. With the first work order for 16/20 cars 1813 the chassis had changed quite considerably. The 16/20 A-Type Work Order 1813 Chassis was drawn up in May 1912 Drawing Number: No663-664 Drawing Date: 19-05-1912. The chassis narrowed at the front and rear to Front: 28 inches Rear: 34 inches. |
|
| 1813-1818 | Sometime in 1913 the clutch, transmission brake and accelerator pedal design changed somewhat. | |||
| 16/20 | 16-08-1913 | 1814 | For the 1814 work order the chassis was redesigned again to | |
| 20-09-1913 - onwards | 1814 | A58-A104 | Sometime between A58 and A104 the support brackets for the running boards changed from a bracket secured by 2 large dome headed bolts to a bracket fixed with 4 smaller bolts. The newly designed brackets slowly were fitted as stocks diminished of the 2 bolt type. | |
Vauxhall Engine changes 1908-1914 - The following list outlines some changes seen thoughout the A09, A11, A12 and 16/20 Production
| Type | Date Range | Engine Change Work Order | Engine Number / Range of Engine Numbers | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A09 | xx-xx-1908 | 1770-1778 | The A09... | ||
| 24-11-1908 - 25-06-1909 | 1770-1771 | A09.01-A09.73 | Sometime between A09.1 and A09.73 the engine sump was changed from a sheet copper sump carried over from the X Type Engine to a Cast Alloy sump. | ||
| A11 | xx-xx-1908 | 1803-1811 | The A11... | ||
| A12 | xx-xx-1908 | 1811-1812 | The A12... | ||
| 16/20 | 21-11-1912 | 1813-1818 | The 16/20...
For the 16/20 A-Type Laurence Pomeroy introduced a completely new engine design with a silent chain drive for the cam-shaft and magneto. The inlet manifold is now cast en bloc with the radiator cooling outlet pipe located at the front where the fan bolts on this was to allow a waterpump to be fitted if required. |
||
| 06-03-1913 - 26-06-1913 | 1813-1813 | A8-A31 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A8 and A31 the exhaust manifold gained cooling fins located along the top of the manifold. | ||
| 26-06-1913 - 12-03-1914 | 1813-1814 | A31-A41 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A41 and A100 the external oil level pot located on the side of the engine sump carried over from A09-A12 Production was deleted in favour of a redesigned sump integrating this feature. | ||
| 26-06-1913 - 12-03-1914 | 1813-1816 | A31-A100 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A31 and A100 the radiator outlet located around the fan on the engine block was relocated to the side of the block near the front under the inlet manifold. | ||
| 29-09-1913 - 12-03-1914 | 1813-1816 | A41-A100 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A41 and A100 the external oil feed line going to each main bearing in the crank case was deleted in favor of a oil gallery integral to the crank case. | ||
| 12-03-1914 - 05-05-1914 | 1816-1817 | A100-A151 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A100 and A151 the number of securing bolts holding the radiator inlet ontop of the engine block increased from 4 bolts to 6 bolts. | ||
| 12-03-1914 - 05-05-1914 | 1816-1817 | A100-A151 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A100-A151 the steel baffles located under the cylinders in the engine block were deleted from production. | ||
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