Lot Ended
Description
Olympia Motor Show car; believed to be the only surviving Planet in
roadworthy condition; current owner 54 years; restored in the early 1980s and
lovingly maintained since; powerful 3.2 straight-six which still hits
the national speed limit with ease; a gorgeous example of this
exceedingly elegant sports saloon; super rare; super desirable
A near neighbour
of Sunbeam and the maker of equally high-grade and expensive machines, Star had
been making a wide range of fine cars in Wolverhampton since 1898 under
the exacting leadership of the Lisle family but ran into financial
difficulties in 1927.
Edward Lisle’s refusal to
compromise on quality, or to embrace what he saw as the retrograde step to
Ford-style production line techniques, made him increasingly vulnerable to the
‘pile em high, sell ‘em cheap’ philosophy of his
competitors.
A craftsman to the core, Lisle
obstinately declared: “I would rather produce one good car per day than commit
us to mass production”, a misjudgement that would ultimately cost him dearly. In
1928 he was forced to sell his firm to fast-growing local rival, Guy Motors, a
Wolverhampton firm famed for its commercial vehicles. Keen to get their hands
on Lisle's advanced Star Flyer lorry, they also saw an opportunity to enter
the luxury car market.
Under Guy, Star Motors
moved from Frederick Street to a new factory in Bushbury and the range was
narrowed to focus on fast cars with big engines and spacious interiors. Capt.
Jack Irving, Sunbeam's brilliant Chief Engineer who led the
team developing their race cars, including the 1,000hp Sunbeam that broke
the Land Speed Record in 1927, was brought in to extract the
best performance from the engines. Despite this, Star continued to struggle
and a loss was made on every car sold.
The 1929
Wall Street Crash had a crippling effect on industry and the ensuing recession
rendered these fine cars simply too expensive in an era which favoured
mass-produced economy cars. Star production came to an end in March 1932,
although Guy’s fortunes subsequently soared when they won a major contract to
supply armoured cars to the War Office under the re-armament programme, and
another to supply over 2,000 Star-derived double-deckers to replace civilian
buses damaged, destroyed or simply worn out during the war.
Launched
in 1931, the Planet 20/60 Saloon had a powerful 3.2-litre overhead-valve
straight-six with a cast iron block and aluminium alloy crankcase. The
crankshaft was made from a nickel steel drop-forging, dynamically balanced and
heat-treated for maximum smoothness and strength. It was carried in seven main
bearings, the handbook stating that: ‘These bearings are bronze backed and lined
with a high grade of white anti-friction metal usually only employed in racing
engines on account of its cost’. Both flywheel and clutch were also dynamically
balanced, Capt Jack Irving no doubt bringing his race experience into play with
the engineering.
Guaranteed to exceed 70mph, each
Planet chassis did two runs from the Bushbury works to Much Wenlock via
Coalbrookdale and then back again via Bridgnorth and had to reach 80mph in top
gear on both laps of the 60-mile test route before being passed fit for
sale.
The
elegance of the coachwork was on a par with the finest saloons of the
era, as was the level of equipment with built-in jacks, Lanchester Patent
four-wheel brakes, reversing lights, individual aero screens atop all the side
windows, acres of cabin space and foldaway picnic tables.
The list price for the Planet Saloon was £695,
this at a time when the trimmers in the Star factory earned £2.50 per week and a
typical middle-class family house cost around £850.
Buying a Star was thus a major financial commitment and customers
were anticipated to own the car for life. It was not uncommon for clients to
visit the works while their car was being built, not only to observe progress,
but also to be measured for the seats and to incorporate any special
modifications they might request: cigar humidor; smoker’s hatch; cocktail
cabinet; glass vases for flowers; vanity set for the ladies – whatever took
their fancy.
The distinguished client base
included customers like Sir Malcolm Campbell who was a great admirer
of the Star marque, lapping Brooklands at 79.5mph while racing a 12/40 1,795cc
in the 1920s and treating himself to a new Star Comet 18/50 Sports Saloon after
breaking the Land Speed Record in Bluebird at Daytona Beach in
1932.
Exact production figures are uncertain, but
according to the Star Register it is believed that around 14,250 Stars were made
in total of which only 169 are known to survive today, 77 in the UK and the rest
in Australia and New Zealand.
Copies of factory
records show that this Planet 20/60 left the Wolverhampton factory in October
1931 finished in Twin Tone Maroon with a Maroon leather interior and a ‘Ladies
Companion’ fitted to the nearside of the rear seat.
Displayed on Star’s
stand at the Olympia Motor Show, it was then sold via G Stevenson (Kent and
Sussex Garage) - whose brass plaque is still on the dash - to first owner Mr J
Clark Esq of Ridgewells, Forest Road, Tunbridge Wells and registered as KJ 3665
in November 1931.
By 1969 it was owned by a Mr C
Heath of Finchley, London N3, a letter from the Star Register stating that it
was an extremely rare model, being one of few made and only three known to
survive at that date.
Our vendor acquired the
Planet in August 1971 from The Vintage Motor Carriage Co. of Highgate, London N2
as an unrestored MOT failure (‘front kingpin bushes worn’). He packed the
kingpins with heavy grease and it sailed through the MOT, proving to be a
reliable daily driver for the next five years.
By
1976 it was beginning to look a little tired so he sent it to George Ginn of
Essex to go right through the car and fix any faults. This ultimately cost over
£5,300 (a major sum at the time) and included an engine and gearbox overhaul;
brakes, steering and suspension all rebuilt as required; Jackall system rebuilt;
one-shot chassis lubrication system overhauled; new wiring with armoured cables
etc. plus much else besides.
The interior was
also completely retrimmed with beige Connolly hide on the seats and door cards,
new Wilton carpets, West of England wool headlining and all the woodwork
refurbished.
In 1991 it went back to George Ginn
to have another major service and tune-up, the wings also being stripped to bare
metal and repainted, the mileage at this point being c.54,700 which was believed
to be correct. In 1995 it had another major bout of expenditure including a
repaint; new big end and small end bearings; brakes relined; 21” wire wheels
rebuilt by MWS with new tyres and inner tubes.
The new tyres had
slightly higher side-walls which caused the speedo to be inaccurate so
the vendor had it recalibrated and set to zero. It now shows 5,159 miles so the
car has actually covered around 60,000 miles in its 94 years to
date.
Other work of note includes: magneto
and starter Bendix rebuilt in 1999; new crown-wheel and pinion in 2010; Autovac
rebuilt in 2013.
As you can see in the photos,
this is a fantastically elegant motorcar with a wonderfully spacious and airy
interior. The engineering is superb and offers refinement and performance not
far short of a Bentley.
Our vendor, who also
owns the magnificent Star Stella elsewhere in this catalogue (Lot 19) has used
it regularly for over half-a-century, including a memorable tour around Northern
France on a Bean Car Club event during which it performed admirably. He has
kept it in tip-top running order, reporting that it still hits the national
speed limit with ease.
It has been starting promptly and
running beautifully as we have driven it around on site, with light
and direct steering, an oily smooth gearchange, effective brakes and oodles of
low-down grunt - it takes off in 3rd gear easily and picks up speed remarkably
well for a car that is almost 100 years old.
It
comes with a large and interesting history file including correspondence from
the Star Register and from the current and previous owners; press cuttings;
photos; factory record sheet confirming the 1931 Olympia Motor Show provenance
and a large amount of valuable technical literature including original
instruction manuals and a rare copy of Mark Cotton’s book ‘Star Car – A
Wolverhampton Legend’ published in 1996.
Believed to be the only surviving Planet in roadworthy condition, it
also retains its original (transferable) Kent-issue number plate, KJ 3665, plus
original 1930 AA badge (no. 54185A). An indoor car cover is also included and if
you are wondering if it will fit in your garage, it is 14ft 6" long x 6ft wide x
5ft 10" high.
A much-loved family member, our vendor has enjoyed owning this car
immensely: “It has been a part of my life for 54 years and has bought much
happiness and pleasure during these years. Now the time has come for a new owner
to enjoy this very special motorcar”.
Over the
20 years that we have been hosting these auctions we have seen a great many
wonderful Vintage cars. This fine Planet, along with its spectacular Stella
stablemate, are undoubtedly among the ones we would most like to own for
ourselves.
Both are on offer at no reserve and
it will be an enormous wrench for our vendor to part with them. You will
probably never get the chance to buy another so this really is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We only hope that they will both go to
equally devoted new custodians who will continue to cherish them for future
generations to admire.
Consigned by James
Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com