Numbers first, because with the Vauxhall A-Type they are the story: 4-cylinder inline, 1909 38 bhp. Vauxhall built from 1908 to 1915, when a car was a rich man's adventure and every maker was a workshop. The shape is credited to Laurence Pomeroy.
Where it came from
The Vauxhall A-type, was a four-cylinder medium-sized car manufactured by Vauxhall from 1908 to 1914. It was the first production Vauxhall designed by Laurence Pomeroy.
Production was mostly the 3-litre version, producing either 38 bhp in the earlier models, or 60 bhp later, but both identified as "20hp" for the tax horsepower rating. There were also a small number with 3.5 litre engines (22 tax horsepower). It became a highly acclaimed 3 litre of its day and at Brooklands on 26 October 1910 it became the first 20 hp car to exceed 100 mph (160 km/h).
Under the skin
The engine is 4-cylinder inline; the output is 1909 38 bhp; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to depends on coachwork. Drive goes through a manual: 4-speed and reverse / (some early cars 3 speed) / clutch: early cars— cone / later cars— multi-plate in graphite. The wheelbase is 115 in / 123 in. These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
In context
In the Vauxhall line-up the Vauxhall A-Type has a clear place: the factory was Luton, Bedfordshire, England. Nearby in the Vauxhall catalogue sit the Vauxhall 10-4 and the Vauxhall 30/98.
Owning one today
MotorJury scores cars on the United States complaint and recall record, and the Vauxhall A-Type has none: too old, too rare, or never sold there. Its value today is a collector's question, decided by provenance and condition rather than by a class average.