Pictures from the Heritage Archives

In our last jottings we showed the favoured design for the Mk 3 Star which due to aero engine priority funding in 1960 never reached possible production.

In the late fifties, apart from the work of the in house Styling department, ideas were sought from outside sources. There is evidence to suggest that a competition was held by Bristol Siddeley and the pictures below are survivors from that event.

The following pictures are by Mitchilotti design.

Bearing in mind that the 1960s were a time of prosperity in the United Kingdom and that there was a strong Trans Atlantic influence in the car styling world, especially from Vauxhall and Ford, we can expect designs perhaps somewhat more flamboyant than the traditionalists at Armstrong Siddeley could accept. One has to wonder how different matters would have been had a more adventurous style of Armstrong Siddeley reached production? Perhaps at the loss of some traditional conservative buyers or might a fresh look have attracted a new sector of the market?