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Puzzles, Games and Name That Car => Solved AutoPuzzles => 2011 => Topic started by: Carnut on February 14, 2011, 06:08:10 AM

Title: Solved - NEH 944: Kjell Qvale's BMC Singer prototype - 1952
Post by: Carnut on February 14, 2011, 06:08:10 AM

Identify what this car is and when it dates from, for 1 point:

Title: Re: NEH 944
Post by: Carnut on March 07, 2011, 06:48:59 AM

Experts?

Title: Re: NEH 944
Post by: whcgt on March 12, 2011, 11:02:38 PM

1952 BMC Singer sports car by Kjell Qvale of Trondheim Norway. :)

Title: Re: NEH 944
Post by: Carnut on March 13, 2011, 12:19:49 PM

So that's another one solved!
I believe this was his prototype BMC Singer.
Although Norwegian by birth I believe he was a naturalised US citizen by this time, but I might be wrong!

Title: Re: Solved - NEH 944: Kjell Qvale's BMC Singer prototype - 1952
Post by: faksta on March 13, 2011, 03:15:19 PM

At least the car was surely raced in the USA.

Title: Re: Solved - NEH 944: Kjell Qvale's BMC Singer prototype - 1952
Post by: Carnut on March 14, 2011, 06:43:49 AM

Quote from: faksta on March 13, 2011, 03:15:19 PM

At least the car was surely raced in the USA.

The whole thing was American.
BMC stood for British Motor Car Distributors Ltd originally (later British Motor Car Company) and they were the San Francisco-based agent for a multitude of British makes.  It was owned by Kjell Qvale (92 this year!) who of course later went on to own Jensen in the UK for a time.

The Singer part of the name referred to the chassis, which was a British Singer chassis (at that time Singer still made the Singer Roadster, although being absorbed into the Rootes Group - later Chrysler - and then produce only badge-engineered Hillmans.)
The car was made by BMC in San Francisco, who apparently made a handful of glass fibre-bodied sports cars.

The puzzle picture actually shows Qvale himself racing the car.