Identification please - Arrol-Johnston

I came across these photos while scanning prints I had taken during the 1960s. It was a time when I was looking for a vintage vehicle to restore and was in the Beaudesert, Q area where I grew up. Unfortunately I did not note any information about this vehicle with the photos. Some time later I purchased another vintage vehicle so I didn't get this one. Can't seem to recall anything about this but I have asked my younger brother who is in one photo with our father.

Looks small and English. Morris? But oiverhead valve does not seem to match?



Morris exhaust wrong side.

This Humber looks even closer but once again exhaust is on the wrong side.

I think it's about a 1927 Arrol-Johnston.

The side of the rocker cover says -

Arrol-Johnston
Limited
Dumfries

Brett.

I should have known that. This is the Queensland Ambulance I owned back in the mid-80's for a year or so before selling it to QA for their museum. It drove easily as good as the Chevs etc of the era.

While we are on Arrol-Johnston this is a mystery.

1905. Looks like four wheel drive but a searchlight when there were only 5 aeroplanes in the entire world? I doubt the canvas blanket over the driver's legs was necessary. Firstly it was going to Sudan which gets 2 inches of rain a year and averages 35 degrees temperature. Secondly with only 16hp the same as a smallish ride-on lawnmower, it would not go fast enough for the rain to come back at an angle under the roof.

Being in the Sudan I suspect it was ordered by Kitchener to protect the Khartoum walls from night attack by disgruntled locals after he was too late to save Charlton Heston aka General Gordon being skewered on the stairs.



Love the word "uncouth" to describe the engine, sounds like the yobbo morons who drive past our house with open exhaust V8's cammed up so much they will not even run under 2.000rpm.

Solid wooden disc wheels! The Romans did better than that.

There was also a three-cylinder version of the dogcart; this was an uncouth 16 hp with the centre cylinder being of greater bore than the outer two. A 1905 Dogcart with solid wooden disc wheels still survives in Khartoum, inside the Sudan national museum, where it was supplied as a searchlight tender for the Sirdar of Egypt (Sir Reginald Wingate father of the famous General Wingate of WW2 Burma fame)

Delivered to Sudan.

Maybe they were out spotlighting camels?

1905 may be the date of manufacture but not necessarily of delivery. The front seat is for the passengers and the cover would be provided for either modesty or road dust. The wheels look to be composite ie with sheet steel holding it together.

Steve

It was Ordered in September 1904 and Delivered October 1905. It is still alive in the Khartoum National Museum and easy to google photos.

Lang

My mate up the road has an original, unrestored Arrol Johnston, about 1926. It has 4 wheel brakes and 12 volt electrics from original.
Still has a 1959 (?) rego sticker. Rides surprisingly well., but is certainly not fast.

Jarrod.