It is ironic that the best and most handsome of all Armstrong-Siddeley saloons was also the last car it ever made. In the UK, the market for large, middle class machines was increasingly dominated by Jaguar, and though the Sapphire and Star Sapphire types had fine engines and attractive styles, they could not compete on price.

An entirely new model, the 3.4 litre Sapphire saloon, was introduced by Armstrong-Siddeley late in 1952 for sale in 1953. The engine was of advanced design having hemispherical combustion chambers and developing 120bhp in the first instance and to 150bhp with the optional twin carburetors, which was capable of a genuine 100mph. The Sapphire was introduced with a choice of preselector and synchromesh gearboxes. It became available in an automatic version (Rolls Royce four-speed) with the introduction of the Mark II in 1954. From 1953 to 1960, 8,568 cars in this family were produced, before the company's move to the manufacture of aircraft engines.

Without reserve