SingerBantam

01

Origins

The Bantam of 1936 was Singer's contender in the small-car war ruled by the Austin Seven's successors and the Morris Eight: a modest saloon distinguished by what none of its rivals offered — an overhead-camshaft engine, in a class where side valves were universal. The 972cc unit gave the little car an eagerness and a mechanical refinement above its station, and Singer's radiator badge still carried sporting credit from the Le Mans Nines. Commercially it fought uphill; Singer lacked the dealer muscle and pricing power of the big two, and the company entered the war years financially frail. The Bantam's engine thinking, though, persisted — post-war Singers kept overhead camshafts to the end, a point of pride maintained until the Rootes takeover in 1956 finally closed the independent story.