Editing D. Napier & Son (section)

===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).

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