Singer Owners' Club History
In December 1950 Keith McDowell placed an advertisement in the motoring press proposing the formation of a club for Singer enthusiasts anxious to exploit the sporting nature of their cars. On March 4th 1951 the inaugural meeting of the Club took place at the Salisbury Arms Hotel in Hertford. Forty five people attended with a mixture of pre-war Le Mans cars and the then current 9hp and 1500cc Singer Roadster and SM models.
Recognition by the RAC soon followed and regular competitive and social events were organised. By January 1952 membership had passed 150 and the Club was firmly established. At first the accent was very much on competition, and one of the highlights in the 1950s was the Six Hour Relay Race at Silverstone. In 1952 this event was won by the Singer Owners’ Club, at their first attempt, beating 27 other teams into first place.
1951 Inaugural meeting at Hertford
2011 Diamond Jubilee meeting at Hertford
The Club was active in most spheres of competition and regularly entered teams of Singers in the classic MCC Lands End and Exeter sporting trials. The 1500cc Roadster model gave a good account of itself in international rallies and Singer Hunters competed in the RAC rally.
The 1950s
The Club has always been open to all motoring enthusiasts. The later 1950s saw more diversification in Club activities. The emphasis was still on competitive events, but members were starting to restore the older cars, in particular, the 9hp and 1½ Litre Le Mans. To support these restorations Registrars and a Historian were appointed, and at the same time the Singer Owners’ Club was one of the founder members of the Combined One Make Car Club an association of clubs who banded together to look after the interests of the more esoteric motor cars.
Ripe for restoration
The 1960s
The 1960s saw a spares service started and the expansion of the number of Registrars to cater for all the models produced by Singer Motors. The Club continued to support an active competition calendar of at least ten events each year, from sprint meetings to navigational and economy rallies and production car trials, which had been the forte of the 9hp cars of the 1930s. From the start the Club produced its own magazine. The ‘Singer Owner’ has always been highly thought of, it is now a full colour, illustrated, glossy, bi-monthly publication distributed world-wide and has twice been judged the best car club magazine in the country.
(Left) 1961 magazine, (Right) The recent 2023 edition
The 1970s
The 1970s saw further expansion of Singer activities on a world-wide basis to support the significant increase in enthusiasm shown for the preservation of all Singer cars, bicycles and motorcycles. Associated clubs became active in Holland, Australia and North America and the Singer Owners' Club membership increased to around 800 world-wide.
The Club continued to take part in and organised many competitive events.
Club members hillclimbing in their Roadster
The 1980s
In the 1980s Gazelles and Vogues emerged as collectors cars and for the Club this was a period of consolidation and improvement of all the services available to members. In particular considerable effort was put into developing spares availability for all Singers by appointing Spares Registrars dedicated to specific model families. The Club became a Limited company to protect all members and to ensure that the finances were professionally audited. The technical library was expanded to cover as many models as possible.
The Club continued to take part in many multi-make car shows including the prestigious Alexandra Palace Show. It was also at the very first NEC Classic Motor Show in 1984 where the Club stand won third place.
1984 NEC Classic Motor Show
The 1990s
World-wide membership stabilised at around 850 during this period and associated clubs started in New Zealand, France and Belgium. Spares availability significantly improved for all popular models and there was a revival of interest in vintage Singer models. ‘The Singer Story’ was published - the definitive history of the marque, the Club produced its first book, 'Singer Cars of the Rootes Group', and colour became a regular feature of the 'Singer Owner'.
The Club was accredited by DVLA to participate in the scheme to enable vehicles not on their computer system to be registered, with most retaining their original registration number. To date over 130 Singers have been inspected, the applications to DVLA approved and the cars returned to the road.
The 2000s
In 2001 the Club celebrated its Diamond Jubilee with a series of events culminating in a four day anniversary rally which was attended by members and their families from many parts of the world. The Club has regularly supported classic car shows, but the premier event for Singer Owners is Singer National Weekend which has been held annually since 1967 and regularly attracts large numbers of Singers from the UK and the continent.
The Club purchased over 18,000 Singer factory production cards covering many of the vehicles produced between 1932 and 1937, which are invaluable reference material. In addition, the ‘SingerFlash’ email system was introduced as a quick means of circulating information on events, items for sale or wanted and technical help.
Singer National Day at Dover Castle 2014
Present Day
By 2020 the Club was still growing, with membership exceeding 900 during the COVID period. The restoration, maintenance and enjoyment of our cars has become a valued hobby. Specialist Registrars have been much in demand, especially for the Rootes cars as more of these vehicles have been found and are ripe for restoration. The Club continues to support all cars, commercials, motorcycles and bicycles and is always looking at ways we can provide more services for members and help them to keep their cars on the road – as well as having fun!
The dinner at Singer National Weekend in Cheshire June 2024