Five Classic Trials
Singer Gazelle
One glance at this Singer Gazelle convertible and its period appeal is so rich that it’s almost as if the late 1950s and early 1960s have reached out and physically dragged you into its world. Not that anyone would object to such a kidnap.
In many ways this a happy zone where highlights of the day might be an ice cream rather than an expensive fatty takeaway, No Hiding Place constituted TV crime excitement and Adam Faith songs warbled from every Ekco or HMW radio.
Long-haired louts wouldn’t be arriving for at least three years and Britain’s roads were still relatively empty, though traffic jams were not unknown. So now’s the time for us to be harsh as we put the car on trial and face the question of how the Gazelle would cope with today’s highway speeds and total gridlock.
The problem is that any attempts at rationale just get blown away by this car’s sheer beauty. Just look at its Raymond Loewy-inspired lines – even the wings are complex mass of curves. Windsor Blue with a Cloud White flash is the car’s hue, according to Rootes’ official brochure. This concern had taken the ailing Singer marque over in 1955 and decided to retain, in today’s parlance, the brand as an upmarket variant of the bread-and-butter Hillman range. Thus the Gazelle was launched in 1956, initially with a tweaked version of Singer’s own 1497cc engine, and complete with a convertible in the range.
Much more upmarket trim, a proud upright Singer grille and walnut fascia and door cappings distinguished the Gazelle from the lowlier Hillman Minx, upon which it was based. The two cars would share the same 1494cc engine from 1958, later increased to a 1592cc unit, as fitted to our test car.
Both models were subject to many changes, most notably on the MkIIIA version of 1959, which had different rear fins and a floor-mounted gearchange.
But enough history and drooling –let’s just get in the darned thing… after one more glance along those magnificent flanks. Open the wide door and let it close with the most satisfying of clunks after you’ve positioned yourself on the extremely comfortable Vynide seat.
This is glorious. Everything about the car just radiates quality, from the substantial steering wheel to the way every switch and pull-out knob feels as if it was meant to last hundreds of years.
There’s comprehensive information in well laid-out circular instruments, including oil pressure, fuel and water temperature, plus charge indicators, with the lights, wipers and choke activated by the above mentioned knobs. There are easy to use sliders for the heater, de-icer and screen demist. It’s all clearly laid out.
A churn and a half on the starter and the engine springs into life. Release the handbrake, which is hidden between the driver’s seat and door, then musical gear whine predominates as we move up through the ratios.
The car does not build up a long train of angry motorists behind it; it’s more than happy to hit 60mph on
A-roads, the 53bhp engine feeling torquey and flexible, with the gear ratios making the best of what’s available,
The car doesn’t wander on the road at all and the handling is surprisingly good, the inevitable understeer not being anything like as pronounced as it would have been in many period rivals. The brakes are excellent for a drum set-up and the clutch and steering are incredibly light. The lovely stubby gearchange is also a delight to use.
Sorry to sneak in the ‘it drives as good as it looks’ cliché, but no car sums up that sentiment better than this one!
’A churn on the starter and the engine springs into life. Musical gear whine predominates as we move up through the ratios’