1959 Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire For Sale by Auction (2024)

Vehicle Overview

This 1959 example is believed to be one of the top three original Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphires with documented mileage out of approximately 60 surviving vehicles. The Star Sapphire is reported to have never been restored; it has had some minor areas of paintwork, but it has never had a complete respray.

The car was initially purchased by an elderly gentleman who owned it for over 30 years. The second owner was an ASOC member and cherished the car before passing it on to another ASOC member who cared for it meticulously until the summer of 2023 when it became an estate sale, whereupon aclose friend and fellow Armstrong enthusiast took on handling the sale of the car. The owner had a huge interest in quality classic cars from this era, including Hooper Daimlers, Bentleys, and Jaguars, but his main passion lay with the Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, owning a number of Armstrong Siddeleys since the age of 15 and being a life member of the Armstrong Siddeley Owners Club. After seeing the promotional literature, it was always his intention to own one of each of the cars as illustrated, one in Carriage Brown and Ivory and the other, which you see here, in Corinthian Green over Starlight Green.

Exterior

Finished in Corinthian Green over Starlight Green, the Star Sapphire presents very well indeed. There are some odd blemishes here and there, but remember, this vehicle is said to be largely wearing its original coat of paint.

Starting at the front of the car, the chrome is 65 years old, so there is some very minor patina showing in places, but not excessive by any stretch of the imagination. The previous keeper upgraded the headlights in 2014 to a set of rare Lucas 700/770 units with Sphinx logos in the centre. These are bright and clear, with no chips or cracks in the lenses. The Lucas spotlights and indicators are also in excellent condition with no damage. The centrepiece grille is in excellent condition with no dings or dents to the bars, which are all in line and original chrome on brass. There is a small blemish towards the bottom of the centre bar. The bonnet sits well against the wings, and following this up, the windscreen is in good condition with no chips.

Looking down the Star Sapphire’s flanks, no dings or dents are spotted, and the panel alignment looks to be equal around each door. The windows appear in good condition with no noticeable scratches; the chrome trims and door handles have some minor age-related tarnishing but nothing excessive.

The huge, smooth boot lid aligns well with the rear of the car. The paintwork has some micro blistering in certain places, and the chrome rear bumper and boot furniture, which has the Armstrong Star Sapphire name highlighted in blue, have some minor tarnishing, like the rest of the chrome work around the car, but for its age, it’s considered very good condition.

The steel wheels are painted in the body colour Starlight Green, which present well and are finished with chrome trims and Armstrong hubcaps, which are both in excellent condition. The whitewall tyres are BF Goodrich Silvertown and have plenty of tread remaining.

Interior

Opening the door of the luxury Armstrong Siddeley Star Sapphire, you are faced with high-quality Ivory leather finished with green piping. This is all in original condition and has stood the test of time well; now showing some patina, mostly on the driver's seat, but there doesn't appear to be any damage. The rear of the seats have neat pockets fitted, which are both in good order. The passenger and rear seats have a light amount of patina. The door cards appear in good condition with no real scuffs to point out. The walnut door cappings have started to split in a couple of places, but these could possibly be saved with the right restoration process.

The handcrafted deep burr walnut dashboard is in excellent condition, with no signs of splits or damage to the wood or French polished finish. The instruments are in good order and said to be working correctly; the odometer shows a reading of 53,371 miles, which is reported to be original – not bad for 65 years of motoring. All of the switchgear looks to be in very good condition, with no apparent signs of wear to the lettering, and the original radio is in place.

Sitting inside and looking around, you are treated to more deep burr walnut precision fitted around the window apertures, and neatly fitting along the edge of the roof holding the headlining in place. The headlining is also the original and sits nice and tight with no sagging. The green carpets throughout are in very good condition for their age; there is some slight fading and discolouration, which is in keeping with the Star Sapphire's age.

Inside the boot, the carpet is in the same condition as the cabin. The floor area around the spare wheel looks in excellent order. The jack and wheel brace are present, as is a full toolkit complete with spare spark plugs and a selection of bulbs. The very scarce tyre pressure gauge features the Armstrong logo.

Mechanical

The Star Sapphire's 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine produces 165bhp and can reach just over 100mph. Using a Borg Warner automatic gearbox, the steering column-mounted and illuminated indicator showing R, L, D, N, and P are selected via the column-mounted stalk.

The vehicle's engine and transmission are reported to be the low-mileage original units, which have been meticulously maintained over the years by a handful of careful and enthusiast owners. The car starts well without hesitation, and the gear selection and change are smooth, with no issues reported.

In 2013, at 50,645 miles, new polyurethane bushes were fitted to the front suspension; as this was only around 3,000 miles ago, the Star Sapphire still handles as you would expect it to, giving a smooth ride. New track rod ends were also fitted bya Rolls Royce engineer in 2019 at 52,694 miles, so the power steering directs the car exactly where you point it.

Girling servo-assisted brakes with discs at the front bring the car to a stop in good time with a reassuring feel to the pedal.

Looking at the floor area, the chassis appears to have been treated well over the years, with regular applications of waxoyl to prevent any unwanted corrosion from creeping in, and as you can see from our photographs, any surface corrosion has been kept to a minimum.

History Highlights

This Star Sapphire not only looks fantastic, but it also comes with a well-documented history file showing various invoices for parts and work carried out, including the mileage on some of them, backing up the report of it being meticulously maintained.

There are also a few advertising pictures and an all-important workshop manual. Part of the car's history includes its claim to fame as the actual car that Oxford Diecast Models used to produce the 1:76 scale model in the same colour. It even has the TBL 361 registration number.

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What We Think

This fine example of the last Armstrong Siddeley model to be produced was built approximately halfway through the 903 production run. The car remains largely in its original condition and has low mileage for its age.

With an active Owners club, support and spares are readily available, ensuring this 1959 luxury British classic will be around for many years to come.

We estimate that this desirable Star Sapphire will fetch between £18,000 - £23,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.