Classic Singer Gazelles.
Four photographs feature on this page, all of which show the Gazelle, but in different forms - saloon, estate and convertible. Firstly, the saloon:
Hear the words 'badge engineering' and many people's first thoughts turn to BMC, with their myriad of interpretations of the Farina car design from the late 1950s and early 1960s. But they weren't the only ones taking a basic saloon car platform, and re-interpreting it to suit other marques held within the fold. Rootes Group applied just this approach to their Hillman Minx, re-working the trim and panelwork of the basic car, and turning out new variants, in this case badged as the Singer Gazelle. The end result with the Gazelle was a smart, comfortable and well turned out 4 door saloon car, with a grille grafted on to appeal to prospective buyers who had been loyal to the marque, pre-Rootes takeover. This tidy model first went on sale in 1956, and would later also be available as an estate or a convertible (photos of which further down this page).
967 TMB looks to be in standard condition, bar an AA badge and a pair of wing mirrors. Early versions of this line of Gazelles still had a Singer engine under the bonnet, but this would change later as the Minx engine replaced it, bringing the Singers more into line with the lower-spec, but more economical, Hillman-powered Minx. Bumper overriders, a heater, windscreen washers, and a higher grade of PVC trim were all to be found on the Gazelle, raising it above lowlier models in the range. Walnut veneer also featured in the cabin, and those with deeper pockets could even specify an overdrive gearbox for their Gazelle, an option not given to Minx buyers. The range would soldier on, undergoing changes here and there as time went by, until 1966 when a brand new range of mid-size Rootes saloons hit the streets.
In September 2008, Alan sent me a photo of his wife and their 1963 Singer Gazelle, and agreed to it being shown here. It was taken in Co. Galway in 1968 - thanks for sending it over Alan!!
Gazelle Convertible
JD sent over some photographs of cars he owned in the 50s and 60s, including this neat low-down shot of his Gazelle IIIA convertible.
Gazelle Estate car
Perhaps rarest of all these mid-size Singer cars today is the estate version. The photograph shown below came in a bunch of old motoring photos I purchased not too long ago, it shows a two tone green Gazelle on a family holiday, with a late 60s or early 70s caravan parked alongside. The registration is 893 UPU.
Return to Old Photographs of Cars - Page 4.
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