Topic: Solved NIC#1330 - 1924 Aster 18/50

[nicanary]

Year make and model please. Apologies for the poor photo.

[nicanary]

Experts?

[FrontMan]

The sole surviving Arrol-Aster 18/50, 1928?  (I had a passing interest in these handsome machines, as, back in the '60s I rescued a derelict 14hp Arrol-Johnston.).

[nicanary]

The sole surviving Arrol-Aster 18/50, 1928?  (I had a passing interest in these handsome machines, as, back in the '60s I rescued a derelict 14hp Arrol-Johnston.).

I feel obliged to award the point. At this point in history the Arrol had disappeared. It's an Aster 18/50 from 1924.

One point, exceeding the UK's total in this year's Eurovision.

[FrontMan]

You're too kind. But perhaps I would have got there eventually. The car, that is, and not Eurovision. (Unless I revive my impression of Cab Calloway singing 'Blues in the Night').

[nicanary]

Just for the record, Aster didn't merge with Arrol-Johnston until 1927. I got that wrong.

[FrontMan]

Yes indeed. And my faltering memory banks were confusing the puzzle car with the later single-sleeve-valvers.  I was told by a former Arrol-Johnston agent (Unity Garage, in Altricham, Cheshire) that back in 1913, "Bombardier" Billy Wells owned an Arrol-Johnston Electric car. This was most likely a license-built Detroit Electric.
Wells, the renowned heavyweight boxer, sealed his immortality by becoming the mascot of The Rank film studios. He was the guy who struck the massive "gong" at the beginning of their films.

[Allan L]

Yes indeed. And my faltering memory banks were confusing the puzzle car with the later single-sleeve-valvers.  I was told by a former Arrol-Johnston agent (Unity Garage, in Altricham, Cheshire) that back in 1913, "Bombardier" Billy Wells owned an Arrol-Johnston Electric car. This was most likely a license-built Detroit Electric.
Wells, the renowned heavyweight boxer, sealed his immortality by becoming the mascot of The Rank film studios. He was the guy who struck the massive "gong" at the beginning of their films.

Yes and the sound of that "gong" was provided by the best-known percussionist of his time, James Blades who told us that in the course of a lecture-recital I attended!

[FrontMan]

Thanks for that, Allan;...James Blades' biography is now on my shopping list.  I was not aware that he provided the sounds for Rank. It never "struck" me before.