# Vauxhall A-Type

The Vauxhall 20 h.p. chassis code A, was a four-cylinder medium-sized car manufactured by Vauxhall from 1908 to 1914 with one more built in 1920. It was 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).

## Genesis

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 prototype, a development of Vauxhall's 12-16 and named Y1, had outstanding success 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. His 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). It went on to win class E of the Trial. That design was put into production in 1908 as Vauxhall's 20 hp offering. Four distinct variations were produced between 27 October 1908 and the end of production in 1914. One last car was put together in 1920.

## The four distinct versions - A09, A11, A12 and 16-20
### Engine

The 3-litre side-valve monobloc engine was provided with forced lubrication . The camshaft and magneto were gear-driven until the 16-20 when it was changed to chain drive.
Reviewing the exhibits at the North of England Motor Show at the beginning of 1912 the Manchester Guardian reported that the 20 h.p. engine had been given for 1912 new light connecting rods of very high grade steel and pistons reduced in weight to give smooth running.

### Gearbox

The A09 and A11 were supplied with a four-speed gearbox though some of the earliest cars retained the three-speed gearboxes of the 12-16 and at least 70 of the first cars also retained the sheet copper sump of their predecessor. There was a major revision of the chassis for the A12 and for the 16-20 both engine and chassis underwent major redesign.
| A12 3½-litre, 1912 | Sutherland cabriolet 1912 |

### Range for 1913

In November 1912 immediately before the opening of the Olympia Show Vauxhall announced their full range for 1913 would be four chassis:
* 16-20 hp 4-cylinder 90 x 120 mm chassis £395
* 25 hp 4-cylinder 95 x 140 mm chassis £465 (replaces the 20 hp)
* 25 hp Prince Henry chassis £495
* 35 hp six-cylinder 95 x 120 mm chassis £625
all were to have 4-speed gearboxes
See the table below for more information.
| | 20 hp A09 | 20 hp A11 | 20 hp A12 | 22 hp A12 | 16-20 hp A12 |
| Production run: | 253 cars | 359 cars | 57 cars | 21 cars | 271 cars |
| Period: | Oct 1908 - Oct 1910 | Oct 1910 - Jun 1912 | Jun 1912 - Nov 1912 | | Nov 1912 - 1915 Oct 1920 (one car) |
| Work Orders: | 1770–1778 | 1803–1811 | 1811 & 1812 | | 1813–1818 |
| Engine: Capacity Bore x Stroke | - 3 Litre 90 x120 | - 3 Litre 90 x120 | - 3 Litre 90 x120 | - 3½ Litre 95 x120 | - 3 Litre 90 x120 |
| Carburettor: White & Poppe Zenith Claudel Hobson | - 30 mm - - | - 30 mm - - | - 30 mm 36 mm - | | - 30 mm 36 mm 26 mm |
| Fuel supply: | gravity | gravity | gravity a few forced feed | | forced feed |
| Cam drive: | gear | gear | gear | | chain |
| Magneto: | Bosch D | Bosch D | Bosch D | | Bosch D or Eisman EK4 |
| Clutch: | cone | cone or multi-plate | multi-plate | | multi-plate |
| 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 |
| King pins: | vertical | vertical | inclined | | inclined |
| Std Wheel size: | 875 x105 mm | 875 x105 mm | 880 x120 mm | | 815 x105 mm |
| Sub frame | U section | U section | angle iron | | angle iron |
| 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) |
| 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) |
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 Vauxhalls.
Fewer than two dozen survive today out of the 950 produced.

## Basic chassis changes during production

| Model | Date Range | Chassis Change Work Order | Car Number / Range of Car Numbers | Change |
| 16-20 | 21 Nov 1912 to 2 Oct 1920 | 1813–1818 | | 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 Aug1913 | 1814 | | For the 1814 work order the chassis was redesigned again to |
| | 20 Sep 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. |

## Engine changes during production

| Model | Date Range | Engine Change Work Order | Engine Number / Range of Engine Numbers | Change |
| A09 | xx xxx 1908 | 1770–1778 | | The A09... |
| | 24 Nov 1908 to 25 Jun 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 xxx 1908 | 1803–1811 | | The A11... |
| A12 | xx xxx 1908 | 1811–1812 | | The A12... |
| 16-20 | 21 Nov 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. |
| | 6 Mar 1913 to 26 Jun 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 Jun 1913 to 12 Mar 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 Jun 1913 to 12 Mar 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 Sep 1913 to 12 Mar 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 an oil gallery integral to the crank case. |
| | 12 Mar 1914 to 5 May 1914 | 1816–1817 | A100-A151 | Sometime between Engine Numbers A100 and A151 the number of securing bolts holding the radiator inlet on top of the engine block increased from 4 bolts to 6 bolts. |
| | 12 Mar 1914 to 5 May 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. |

## Surviving cars

| 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 | Body Type |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | Ascot 2 seat (original) |
| 16-20 | 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 | 1914 | A170 | 1818 | A186 | 704 | N/A | 1601 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Claudel Hobson 26mm | 9" | 880x120 | 15-62 | 01-12-1914 | Australia | Restored |
| 16-20 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |