Paramount Cars
Encyclopedia
Paramount Cars was a British car made between 1950 and 1956. It was initially manufactured in Swadlincote
, moving shortly after to Melbourne
(again in Derbyshire
) and then to Leighton Buzzard
.
like grille and was mounted on a separate tubular steel chassis with front transverse and rear semi elliptical leaf springs. It was originally intended to have Alvis
engine and suspension but to reduce cost the production versions used Ford
10 components including the 1172 cc side valve engines, but fitted with twin SU carburettors, which resulted in poor performance. The car was however well built and equipped and was listed in both 2 and 4 seat versions.
In 1953, the company was bought by Camden Motors and production moved to Leighton Buzzard
and the Ford Consul
1500 cc engine was an option in a longer chassis as also was a Wade or Shorrocks supercharger. The price was now an uncompetitive £1009 and production ceased in 1956 after about 70 cars had been made.
After the end of car production the remaining chassis were sold off and several were fitted with Rochdale
glass fibre bodies.
There was no connection with the two separate American Paramount Car companies of Azusa
, California (1923-1924) and New York
(1927-1931).
in 1956 had a top speed of 72.4 mph (116.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 31.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 25.6 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £1013 including taxes.
Swadlincote
Swadlincote is a town and unparished area in South Derbyshire, about southeast of Burton-upon-Trent and about south of Derby. It is the main town of South Derbyshire and the seat of South Derbyshire District Council....
, moving shortly after to Melbourne
Melbourne, Derbyshire
Melbourne is a Georgian market town in South Derbyshire, England. It is about 8 miles south of Derby and 2 miles from the River Trent. In 1837 a then tiny settlement in Australia was named after William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria's first Prime Minister, and thus indirectly takes...
(again in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
) and then to Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
.
Paramount Cars History
Founded by WA Hudson and S Underwood from Derbyshire, the Paramount had an aluminium over wood frame body with BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
like grille and was mounted on a separate tubular steel chassis with front transverse and rear semi elliptical leaf springs. It was originally intended to have Alvis
Alvis Cars
Alvis Car and Engineering Company Ltd was a British manufacturing company that existed in Coventry, England from 19191967. In addition to automobiles designed for the civilian market, the company also produced racing cars, aircraft engines, armoured cars and other armoured fighting vehicles, the...
engine and suspension but to reduce cost the production versions used Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
10 components including the 1172 cc side valve engines, but fitted with twin SU carburettors, which resulted in poor performance. The car was however well built and equipped and was listed in both 2 and 4 seat versions.
In 1953, the company was bought by Camden Motors and production moved to Leighton Buzzard
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
and the Ford Consul
Ford Consul
The Ford Consul is a car manufactured by Ford in Britain.Between 1951 and 1962 the Consul was the four-cylinder base model of the three-model Ford Zephyr range, comprising Consul, Zephyr and Zephyr Zodiac...
1500 cc engine was an option in a longer chassis as also was a Wade or Shorrocks supercharger. The price was now an uncompetitive £1009 and production ceased in 1956 after about 70 cars had been made.
After the end of car production the remaining chassis were sold off and several were fitted with Rochdale
Rochdale (car)
Rochdale cars were a series of mainly glass fibre bodied British sports car made by Rochdale Motor Panels and Engineering in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England between 1948 and 1973...
glass fibre bodies.
There was no connection with the two separate American Paramount Car companies of Azusa
Azusa
Azusa is a Japanese feminine given name.Azusa may also refer to:*Azusa, California, a city in the United States*Azusa Street Revival, a Christian movement that began in Los Angeles*AZUSA - Radar interferometer*Azusa Yamamoto, a Japanese model and actress...
, California (1923-1924) and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(1927-1931).
Performance
A 1500 cc car tested by the British magazine The MotorThe Motor (magazine)
The Motor was a British weekly car magazine founded on 28 January 1903....
in 1956 had a top speed of 72.4 mph (116.5 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 31.2 seconds. A fuel consumption of 25.6 mpgimp was recorded. The test car cost £1013 including taxes.