| The Argyll was Scottish automobile manufactured from 1899 to 1932. The company was founded by Alex Govan, whose first voiturette was copied from the
contemporary Renault; this car featured a 2¾hp
De Dion engine and shaft-drive. 1901 models featured an upgraded engine of 5hp;
cars made in 1902 were upgraded even further, using 8hp units. Soon there appeared a 10hp
twin with radiator tubes forming the sides of the hood; in 1904 the company introduced a
range of front-radiatored Aster-engined cars. One of these was a 10hp of 1985cc; others were fours of 3054cc, 3686cc, and 4849cc. All cars featured
Govan's rather awkward gearbox, which had a T-shaped gate and separate reverse and
change-speed levers. Argyll had now become Scotland's biggest marque, and soon moved from its premises in Bridgeton, Glasgow to a grand terracotta factory in
the suburb of Alexandria. This was never used to capacity, and the company
began a gentle decline with Govan's death in 1907. The famed "Flying Fifteen" was
introduced in 1910, as was a six-cylinder, Rubery four-wheel brakes were available
from 1911 on, and in 1912 the single sleeve-valve engine designed by company
director Baillie P. Burt and
J. P. McCollum began
production; the entire range featured Burt-McCollum engines by 1914. Argyll changed hands that year, and
production was on a small scale throughout the 1920s (starting with the revival
pre-war 15·9hp model in 1920 and the introduction of a 1½-liter model in 1922), and
the company folded for good in 1932.
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