Editing D. Napier & Son (section)

==History==

===Early years and precision engineering===
[[File:Maquina vapor Watt ETSIIM.jpg|thumb|Steam engine built by D. Napier & Son in 1859]]
[[File:1909 Napier T23 Roadster 6.6 ltr IMG 2869.jpg|thumb|1909 Napier T23 Roadster]]
[[David Napier (precision engineer)|David Napier]], second son of the [[blacksmith]] to the [[Duke of Argyll]], was born in 1785. While cousins became [[shipbuilder]]s, he took engineering training in [[Scotland]] before coming to London. There in 1808 he founded the firm that was to become D. Napier & Son in [[Lloyds Court]], [[St Giles, London]].<ref name="W&R">Wilson & Reader (1958).</ref> He designed a [[steam-powered]] [[printing press]], some of which went to [[Hansard]] (the printer and publisher of proceedings of the [[Houses of Parliament]]), as well as newspapers. The company moved to [[Lambeth]], South London, in 1830.

Between 1840 and 1860, Napier was prosperous, with a well-outfitted factory and between 200 and 300 workers. Napier made a wide variety of products, including a [[centrifuge]] for sugar manufacturing, lathes and drills, [[ammunition]]-making equipment for the [[Royal Arsenal]], [[Woolwich]], and railway cranes.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1483" >[[#Hull (1974)|Hull (1974)]], p.&nbsp;1438</ref> David's younger son [[James Murdoch Napier (engineer)|James Murdoch Napier]], born 1823, joined the firm in 1837 and became a partner in 1847, resulting in a change in the private company's name to D. Napier & Son.<ref name="W&R" />

James succeeded his father as head of the firm in 1867, and after his father's death in 1873, specialized in crafted precision machinery for making [[coin]]s, and printing stamps and banknotes. James proved an excellent engineer, but a poor businessman, considering salesmanship undignified. His company's fortunes went so bad that there were as few as seven employees in 1895, and James attempted to sell the business, but failed.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1483" /><ref name="Hull, Napier, 1484" >[[#Hull (1974)|Hull (1974)]], p.&nbsp;1484</ref>

===Montague Napier and high-performance vehicles===
James' son [[Montague Napier|Montague]], born 1870,<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1483" /> inherited the business in 1895, along with his father's engineering talents.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1483" /> Montague was a hobby [[bicycle racing|racing cyclist]], and at the Bath Road Club, he met "ebullient Australian" [[Selwyn Edge|S. F. Edge]] (then a manager at [[Dunlop Rubber]] and colleague of [[Harry John Lawson|H. J. Lawson]] in London, and amateur racer of [[motorcycle|motor tricycle]]s.) Edge persuaded Napier to improve his [[Panhard]] "Old Number 8" (which had won the [[1896 Paris–Marseille–Paris]]), converting from a [[tiller]] to a [[steering wheel]] and improving the [[lubrication|oiling]].<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1484" />

Dissatisfied, Napier offered to fit an engine of his own design, an 8 [[tax horsepower|hp]]<!--tax horsepower does not convert to other units --> [[Straight-twin engine|vertical twin]], with [[sparkplug|electric ignition]], superior to the Panhard's hot tube type.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1485" >[[#Hull (1974)|Hull (1974)]], p.&nbsp;1485</ref> Edge was sufficiently impressed to encourage Napier to make his own car and collaborated with [[Harvey du Cros]], his former boss at Dunlop, to form the [[Motor Power Company]], based in London,<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1485" /> which agreed to buy Napier's entire output. The first of an initial order of six, three each two-cylinder 8&nbsp;hp and four-cylinder 16&nbsp;hp, all with aluminum bodies by [[Arthur Mulliner]] of [[Northampton]] and [[chain drive]], was delivered 31 March 1900; Edge paid [[Pound sterling|£]]400 and sold at £500.

In 1903 the manufacturing business moved from Lambeth to larger premises in [[Acton, London|Acton]] and in 1906 it became a limited liability company, D. Napier & Son Limited, although it remained in effect a private company for the next few years.

Outside the racing programme, Napier also gained fame in 1904 by being the first car to cross the [[Canadian Rockies]]: Mr and Mrs [[Charles Glidden]], sponsors of the [[Glidden Tour]]s, covered {{convert|3536|mi|km}} from Boston to [[Vancouver, British Columbia|Vancouver]].<ref>Clymer, Floyd. ''Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925'' (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p. 30.</ref>

====Racing====
[[File:Napier 8 hp car in the Thousand Miles Trial of the Automobile Club in 1900.png|thumb|right|200px|Napier car in the Thousand Miles Trial of the Automobile Club]]

Recognizing the value of publicity gained from [[auto racing|racing]], which no other British marque did,<ref name="Wise589">Wise (1974) p. 589.</ref> in spring, Edge entered an {{convert|8|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Napier in the Thousand Miles (1,600&nbsp;km) [[Classic Trials|Trial]] of the [[Royal Automobile Club|Automobile Club]] on behalf of [[Mary Eliza Kennard]]; driven by Edge, with Kennard along, on a circuit from Newbury to Edinburgh and back, it won its class, being one of only thirty-five finishers (of sixty-four starters<ref>Wise (1974) {{Page needed|date=July 2011}}</ref>) and one of just twelve to average the requisite {{convert|12|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in England and {{convert|10|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in Scotland.<ref>Wise (1974) p. 1486.</ref>

By June 1900, eight "16 hp"s had been ordered, and Edge entered one in the {{convert|837|mi|km|abbr=on}} Paris-[[Toulouse]]-Paris race, with [[Charles Rolls|Charles S. Rolls]] (co-founder of Rolls-Royce) as [[riding mechanic]]. The {{convert|301.6|cuin|L|abbr=on}} ({{convert|101.6|x|152.4|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) [[sidevalve]] suffered problems with its ignition coils and cooling system, and failed to finish.<ref>Wise (1974) {{Page needed|date=July 2011}}</ref>

For 1901, Montague designed a car sure not to lack speed, having a {{convert|16.3|L|cuin|order=flip}} ({{convert|165.1|x|190.5|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=comma}}) sidevalve four capable of {{convert|103|bhp|abbr=on}} at 800 rpm, on a wheelbase of {{convert|115|in|m}}<ref name="Wise">Wise (1974)</ref> with four-speed [[gearbox]] and chain drive. Called the "50 hp", only two or three were completed, including one for Rolls.<ref name="Wise"/> Edge entered one in the 1901 [[Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing|Gordon Bennett Cup]], only able to test it ''en route'' (it was completed 25 May, only four days before the event), Montague serving as his riding mechanic; it overpowered its Dunlops, and fitting new (French) tyres led to disqualification, since they were not of the same nation of origin.<ref>Wise (1974) pp. 1486–7.</ref> In the concurrent [[Paris-Bordeaux rally]], it retired with clutch trouble.<ref>Hull (1974), p. 1487.</ref>

For the [[1902 Gordon Bennett Cup|1902 Gordon Bennett]], three entrants (the Charron-Girardot-Voigt, a [[Mors (automobile)|Mors]] and a [[Panhard]]) contested for France, with Edge in a Napier and two Wolseleys. The Napier was a three-speed, shaft-drive 6.44-litre (392.7&nbsp;cu&nbsp;in) four ({{convert|127|x|127|mm|in|abbr=on}} of {{convert|44.5|hp|kW|abbr=on}} (though described as a 30&nbsp;hp). Piloted by Edge and his cousin, Cecil, it wore what would become known as [[British racing green]], and won at an average {{convert|31.8|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}; although by default, since all other entrants retired during the race. It was the first British victory in international motorsport, and would not be repeated until [[Henry Segrave]] took the [[French Grand Prix]] in 1923.<ref name="Wise"/>

[[File:Glidden in London.jpg|thumb|[[Charles J. Glidden]] on his world tour of 1902]]
Napiers also inspired [[Charles J. Glidden]] to create the [[Glidden Tours]] in upstate [[New York state|New York]], which in turn persuaded Napier to build a factory in Boston. It, along with the [[Genoa]] factory (managed by [[Arthur McDonald]]), which built Napiers under licence as San Giorgios from 1906 to 1909, was not a success.<ref>Wise (1974), p.1488.</ref>

Annual production reached 250 cars in 1903, overwhelming the Lambeth factory, so a move was made to a new {{convert|3.75|acre|ha|adj=on|lk=out}} plant at [[Acton, London|Acton]], in west London. On 16 October of that year, Napier announced a six-cylinder car for 1904 and became the first manufacturer to make a commercially successful six, a "remarkably smooth and flexible" vehicle<ref name="Wise"/> 18&nbsp;hp 301&nbsp;cu&nbsp;in (4.9-litre) ({{convert|101.6|x|101.6|mm|in|abbr=on}} with a three-speed gearbox and chain drive.<ref name="Wise"/> Within five years, there were 62 makers of six-cylinder cars in Britain alone, including the [[Ford Motor Company]]'s 1906 [[Ford Model K|Model K]].<ref>[[G. N. Georgano]] ''Cars: Early and Vintage, 1886–1930''. (London: Grange-Universal, 1985)</ref>

[[File:1904 Six Cylinder Napier Race Car.jpg|thumb|right|1904 Napier 6-cylinder racing car]]
Napier's 1902 win brought the Gordon Bennett hosting duties to the United Kingdom, and the 1903 event was held south of [[Dublin]], with three shaft-driven Napiers defending the British honour, all in the (later famous) racing green: two 470 cubic inch (7708&nbsp;cc) {{convert|45|hp|kW|abbr=on}} fours for [[Charles Jarrott (racing driver)|Charles Jarrott]] and [[J. W. Stocks]], with McDonald, the Genoa plant manager, his riding mechanic, and an 80-horsepower (838 cubic inch, 13,726&nbsp;cc), the Type K5, for Edge. Jarrott and Stocks crashed, and Edge was disqualified.<ref name="Hull 1974">Hull (1974)</ref> It was a bad year for Napier's racing programme; a 35&nbsp;hp in the hands of Colonel [[Mark Mayhew]] in the [[Paris–Madrid rally]] lost its steering and hit a tree. Edge, again with McDonald, fared no better with the K5 in the 1904 Gordon Bennett in Germany, but a new 920 cubic inch (15-litre; 158.7&nbsp;× 127&nbsp;mm, 6.25&nbsp;× 5-inch) six, the L48, with an external radiator reminiscent of the [[Cord 810]], set the fastest time at the Velvet Strand speed trials at [[Portmarnock]], Ireland, in September, piloted by McDonald.<ref>Wise (1974) p. 1,489</ref>

In January 1905, the L48, again with McDonald in the seat, took the mile (1.6&nbsp;km) record at [[Daytona Beach|Ormonde Beach]] at {{convert|104.65|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}; although this was shortly broken by Bowden's [[Mercedes (car)|Mercedes]], the run was disallowed. The versatile McDonald ran the L48 in the 1905 Gordon Bennett qualifying event at the [[Isle of Man]], taken over for the race by works driver [[Clifford Earp]], who placed ninth.

Edge's secretary, [[Dorothy Levitt]], drove a {{convert|100|hp|kW|abbr=on}} development of the K5 at the [[Blackpool Speed Trials|Blackpool]] and [[Brighton Speed Trials]] in 1905, and the next year ran the L48 at the Blackpool Speed Trials, showing talent by equalling Edge's speed and setting a women's record in the [[flying kilometre]] of {{convert|90.88|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Wise"/>

By 1907, 1200&nbsp;people were employed by Napier and were making about a hundred cars a year, aided by continuing racing success. [[Brooklands]] opened that year, where Napier engineer [[H. C. Tryon]] won the first ever event in a {{convert|40|hp|abbr=on}}, and Edge made a famous 24-hour run in June, covering {{convert|1,581|mi|km}} at an average {{convert|65.905|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in a 60-horsepower 589 cubic inch (9,652&nbsp;cc) (127&nbsp;× 127&nbsp;mm, 5&nbsp;× 5-inch) six, a record which stood for 18&nbsp;years.<ref>Hull (1974), p. 1,489.</ref> The L48, nicknamed ''Samson'', became famous there in the venue's first two years; in 1908, Napier's [[Frank Newton (racing driver)|Frank Newton]] covered {{convert|1/2|mi|m|spell=in}} at {{convert|119.34|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} in a stroked (178&nbsp;mm, 7-inch) L48.<ref name="Hull 1974"/>

The company's last race win was with a four-cylinder at the 1908 [[RAC Tourist Trophy|Tourist Trophy]], using an alias, Hutton, to preserve the reputation of the sixes, in the hands of [[William Watson (motoring pioneer)|Willy Watson]].<ref>Hull (1974), p. 1490.</ref> At the [[French Grand Prix]], officials showed the perverse reasoning for which they later became notorious by claiming that removable wire wheels were an unfair advantage.<ref name="Wise589"/>

When Napier was no longer in racing, its Lion aero engine was used by several [[:Category:Vehicles powered by Napier Lion engines|land speed record contestant]]s: [[Malcolm Campbell]]'s [[Napier-Campbell Blue Bird]] of 1927 and [[Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird]] of 1931, Segrave's [[Golden Arrow (car)|''Golden Arrow'']] of 1929, and [[John Cobb (motorist)|John Cobb]]'s [[Napier-Railton]] and [[Railton Special|Railton Mobil Special]], which held the record from 1939 to 1964.

[[File:Dorothy Levitt driving the Napier motor yacht 1903.jpg|thumb|right|Dorothy Levitt driving the Napier motor yacht 1903]]
[[File:Napier racing motor launch (Rankin Kennedy, Modern Engines, Vol V).jpg|thumb|Napier racing motor launch of 1905]]

====Motor yachting====
Napier expanded into marine engines and launches. In 1903 a S. F. Edge's Napier launch won the inaugural British International [[Harmsworth Trophy]] for speedboats at [[Cork Harbour]] in Ireland, driven by [[Dorothy Levitt]]. She achieved {{convert|19.3|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on}} in a {{convert|40|ft|m|adj=on}} steel-hulled, speedboat fitted with a 3-blade propeller. As both the owner and entrant of the boat, "S. F. Edge" is engraved on the trophy as the winner. The third crew member, Campbell Muir, may also have taken the controls.

On 8 August 1903 Levitt drove the Napier at [[Cowes]] and won the race. She was then commanded to the [[HMY Britannia (Royal Cutter Yacht)|royal yacht]] by [[King Edward VII]] where he congratulated her on her pluck and skill, and they discussed the performance of the boat and its potential for British government despatch work.<ref name="PIP Nov 1906">"The Sensational Adventures of Miss Dorothy Levitt, – Champion Lady Motorist of the World", ''[[The Penny Illustrated Paper and Illustrated Times]]'' (London, England), Saturday, 17 November 1906; p. 309; Issue 2373.[https://archive.today/20130102010433/http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=106579&st=40&start=40 Autosport, The Nostalgia Forum, Historical Research, Dorothy Levitt – early motoring]</ref>

Later in August Levitt won the [[Menier Chocolate|Gaston Menier Cup]] at Trouville, France. This was described as the "five-mile world's championship of the sea" and the prize was $1,750.<ref name="Chatty p8-9">''The Woman and the Car – a Chatty Little Handbook for All Women Who Motor Or Who Want to Motor'' by Dorothy Levitt. pages 8–9.</ref>

In October 1903 Levitt won the Championship of the Seas at Trouville, and the French government bought the boat for £1,000.<ref name="PIP Nov 1906"/><ref name="Chatty p8-9"/>

The 1905 boat ''Napier II'' set the world [[water speed record]] for a mile at almost 30 [[knot (unit)|knot]]s (56&nbsp;km/h).

{{Clear}}

===Public limited company and WWI===
[[File:Napier Lion engine at Science Museum.jpg|thumb|[[Napier Lion]] engine]]
In 1912, following a dispute with Edge, the business was restructured. D. Napier & Son Limited went public and bought out Edge's distribution and sales company, S.F. Edge (1907) Limited. The latter soon went into voluntary liquidation and thus the manufacture and marketing of Napier cars were united under a single organization.<ref name="W&R" /> Production rose to around 700 cars a year with many supplied to the London [[Taxicab|taxi]] trade. That year, only six models were produced.

On the outbreak of war sales of private vehicles collapsed and Napier turned to military orders. Vehicle production continued for a time on this basis and 2,000 trucks and ambulances were supplied to the [[War Office]]. Montague Napier's health declined and in 1917 he moved to Cannes, France, but continued to take an active involvement in the company until his death in 1931.

Early in the war, Napier was contracted to build engines from other companies' designs: initially the model [[RAF 3]], a V-12 by [[Royal Aircraft Establishment|Royal Aircraft Factory]], and then the V-8 [[Sunbeam Arab]]. Both proved to be rather unreliable, and in 1916 Napier decided to design its own instead, an effort that led to the superb [[W12 engine|W-block]] 12-cylinder [[Napier Lion|Lion]].<ref>Gunston, W.; ''World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines'', 4th Edn., Patrick Stephens, 1998, p.121; "The result was the Lion, a masterpiece."</ref> The Lion came into service shortly before the end of the war.

During the First World War the company was also contracted to build 600 aircraft at the Acton factory (50 [[Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7]], 400 [[Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8]] and 150 [[Sopwith Snipe]]s). Together with the engine work, this required enormous expansion of the company.

===Interwar period===
[[File:Napier Type 75 TT 1920.jpg|thumb|1920 Type 75 TT]]
By the end of the war, military production had tailed off and the Lion was still barely in use.

In 1919 civilian car production was recommenced. The T75 motor car would be Napier's last. Designed by [[Arthur Rowledge|A. J. Rowledge]] (who left for [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]] in 1921), its engine was a 40–50&nbsp;hp {{convert|377|cuin|cc|0|abbr=on}} ({{convert|101.6|x|127|mm|in|abbr=on|disp=or}}) [[alloy]] six with detachable [[cylinder head]], [[overhead camshaft#Single overhead camshaft|single overhead camshaft]], seven-[[Bearing (mechanical)|bearing]] [[crankshaft]], dual [[ignition magneto|magneto]] and [[ignition coil|coil]] ignition, dual plugs, and Napier-[[SU Carburettor]]. Coachwork was by [[Cunard (coachbuilder)|Cunard]], by then a subsidiary.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1485" /> 187 were built in all by 1924, and Napier quit car production with a total of 4,258 built.<ref name="Hull, Napier, 1485" /> The car was very expensive, costing about the same as a [[Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost]] and in the early 1920s sales were slow. The last car was sold in 1924.

The Lion was by now becoming a best-seller for the company, which eventually dropped all the other aero-engines. The Lion went on to be adapted for land and water, to set the [[land speed record]] in [[Malcolm Campbell]]'s [[Napier-Campbell Blue Bird]] of 1927 and [[Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird]] of 1931 and [[Henry Segrave]]'s ''[[Golden Arrow (car)|Golden Arrow]]'' of 1931 and later in [[John Cobb (racing driver)|John Cobb]]'s [[Napier-Railton]] and [[Railton Mobil Special]], which held the record from 1939 to 1964.

In the 1930s the introduction of much larger and more powerful aero-engines from other companies ended sales of the Lion. Napier quickly started work on newer designs, building on experience gained on the [[X engine|X style]] 16-cylinder, {{convert|1,000|hp|kW|abbr=off}} [[Napier Cub|Cub]], used in the [[Blackburn Cubaroo]] single-engined bomber of the 1920s, and the resulting later 16-cylinder [[Napier Rapier|Rapier]] and 24-cylinder [[Napier Dagger|Dagger]] were both air-cooled H-block designs. Neither the Rapier nor the Dagger proved very reliable, due to poor cooling of the rearmost cylinders, and even the Dagger's {{convert|1000|hp|abbr=on}} was less than its competitors' offerings when shipped.{{Citation needed|date=July 2011}}

As Lion sales faded, an attempt was also made to buy the bankrupt [[Bentley Motors Limited|Bentley]] company in 1931 but Napier was outbid at the last minute by Rolls-Royce. The last vehicle project was a three-wheeled tractor-trailer goods vehicle, but rather than produce this itself, the design was sold to [[Scammell]], which made several thousand.

===Second World War===
[[File:Napier Sabre01.jpg|thumb|[[Napier Sabre]] engine]]
Starting from scratch, Napier decided to use the new [[sleeve valve]] design in a much larger [[H engine|H-block]] 24-cylinder engine, soon to be known as the [[Napier Sabre|Sabre]]. Designed under [[Frank Halford]], the engine was very advanced and proved to be difficult to adapt to assembly line production. Therefore, although the engine was ready by 1940, it was not until 1944 that production versions were considered reliable. At that point efforts were made to improve it, leading eventually to the Sabre VII delivering {{convert|3,500|hp|kW|abbr=on}}, making it the most powerful engine in the world, from an engine much smaller than its competition.

Napier also worked on [[Aircraft diesel engine|diesel aircraft engines]]. In the 1930s it licensed the [[Junkers Jumo 204]] for production in England, which it called the [[Napier Culverin|Culverin]]. It also planned to produce a smaller version of the same basic design as the [[Napier Cutlass|Cutlass]], but work on both was cancelled at the outbreak of war in 1939.

Napier developed a marine engine from the Lion aero engine, the petrol-driven Sea Lion, which could deliver {{convert|500|hp|abbr=on}} and was used in the [[RAF Rescue Launch|"Whaleback" Air Sea Rescue]] Launches.
[[File:Napier Deltic Engine.jpg|thumb|[[Napier Deltic]] engine, cut away for display]]
During the war (1944) Napier was asked by the [[Royal Navy]] to supply a diesel engine for use in its [[patrol boat]]s, but the Culverin's {{convert|720|hp|kW|abbr=on}} was not nearly enough for its needs. Napier then designed under the leadership of Ernest Edward Chatterton, Chief Engineer, the [[Napier Deltic|Deltic]], essentially three Culverins arranged in a large triangle. Considered one of the most complex engine designs of its day, the Deltic was nevertheless very reliable, and was taken into service after the war as a [[locomotive]] powerplant (in [[British Rail]]'s [[British Rail Class 55|Class 55]]) in addition to the [[torpedo boat]]s, [[minesweeper (ship)|minesweeper]]s and other small naval vessels for which it was designed.

Also during the Second World War a six-cylinder 300 cubic inch road-vehicle engine was commissioned by the government, but this design was sold to [[Leyland Motors]] by 1945.

===Post-war===

====English Electric====
Napier had been taken over by [[English Electric]] on 23 November 1942.<ref>Sharp, Dan: ''British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle'', Crécy, 2016, p.11.</ref>

Last of the great Napier internal combustion engines was the [[Napier Nomad|Nomad]], a complex "turbo-compound" design that combined a diesel engine with a [[turbine]] to recover energy otherwise lost in the exhaust. The advantage of this complex design was fuel economy: it had the best [[specific fuel consumption (shaft engine)|specific fuel consumption]] of any aircraft engine, even to this day. However, even better fuel economy could be had by flying a normal [[jet engine]] at much higher altitudes, while existing designs filled the "low end" of the market fairly well. First run in 1949, the Nomad I underwent radical redesign for the Nomad II but was largely ignored by the market and was cancelled in 1955.

Along with every major aero engine company in the post-war era, Napier turned to the jet turbine. Seeing a niche not yet adopted up by the larger vendors, Napier developed a number of [[turboshaft]] designs which saw some use, notably in [[helicopter]]s. Its first design, the [[Napier Naiad|Naiad]] and Double Naiad was developed for various Royal Navy [[Fleet Air Arm]] projects, but did not enter production. The smaller models developed later, the 3,000-hp-class [[Napier Eland|Eland]] and 1,500-hp-class [[Napier Gazelle|Gazelle]] did somewhat better, notably the Gazelle which powered several models of the popular [[Westland Wessex]] helicopter. Production ceased when a deal was struck with Rolls-Royce in 1961.

At the same time, the [[ramjet]] was showing promise for high-speed supersonic flight. From 1951 Napier developed a successful large-diameter experimental engine, the Napier Ram Jet (NRJ). Napier continued in ramjet development for several years, typically working alongside the English Electric aircraft design team.<ref>Sharp, Dan; ''British Secret Projects 5: Britain's Space Shuttle'', Crécy, 2016, pp. 18–19.</ref>

===Napier Aero Engines Limited===

In 1961 a new company ''Napier Aero Engines Limited'' was formed by D. Napier & Son and [[Rolls-Royce Limited|Rolls-Royce]], to take over the Napier aero-engine business and the Acton engine factory.<ref name="nae">{{citation |title=English Electric-Rolls Royce Napier Aero Engines Ltd. |newspaper=The Times |location=London |date=1 June 1961 |page=24 |via=The Times Digital Archive <!-- |access-date=30 August 2016 -->}}</ref> It was to continue to market the Gazelle, while the completion of existing Gazelle contracts and the Eland remained the financial responsibility of the old company. But it closed only two years later, in 1963.<ref>{{citation |title=Napier Aero Engines Ltd (closure) |date=8 March 1963 |volume=673 |at=cc921-32 |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1963/mar/08/napier-aero-engines-ltd-closure |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017100215/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1963/mar/08/napier-aero-engines-ltd-closure |archive-date=17 October 2016}}</ref>

Following the move of the aero engine business, D. Napier & Son continued as a subsidiary of English Electric.<ref name="nae" /> With the ending of Deltic sales in the 1960s it had no new modern engine designs to offer. Today Napier is no longer in the engine business.

===Napier Turbochargers===
[[General Electric Company|GEC]] bought English Electric in the late 1960s. The GEC operation, now part of [[Ruston & Hornsby|Ruston Gas Turbines]], later moved to [[GEC-Alsthom]] and then [[Alstom]], before being sold to [[Siemens]] in March 2003.

''Napier Turbochargers'' was bought from Siemens in June 2008 in a [[management buyout]]. The buyout was funded by the private equity company Primary Capital for around £100&nbsp;million.<ref>{{citation |title=Siemens sells Napier Turbos |magazine=[[Professional Engineering Magazine]] |volume=21 |issue=11 |date= 25 June 2008 |via=[[The Free Library]] |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Siemens+sells+Napier+Turbos.-a0186270392}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/2791200/Primary-turbocharged-after-moving-on-Napier.html |title=Primary turbocharged after moving on Napier |work=The Telegraph |date=6 June 2008}}</ref>

Early in 2013 Napier Turbochargers became part of [[Wabtec]]. Napier Turbochargers currently produces turbochargers for the marine, power, and rail industries, employing around 150 people.