Napier History

Founded in 1808, D. Napier & Son Limited was a British precision engineering company best known through the early to mid-20th century for its luxury motor cars and aero engines. The company manufactured a diverse range of engine types before introducing the world's first commercially successful six cylinder engine in 1904 and then moving into the luxury car market. They swiftly forged a formidable reputation thanks to their racing and record breaking exploits.

Napier manufactured just under 10,000 vehicles between 1900 and 1924. Out of this total production only 100 or so vehicles are known to survive mainly in Australia and the UK.

Napier was successful in the early days of motor racing and competed in the Tourist Trophy and the French Grand Prix. It’s Lion aero engine was later used by several land speed record heroes including Malcolm Campbell's Napier-Campbell Blue Bird of 1927 and Campbell-Napier-Railton Blue Bird of 1931, Segrave's Golden Arrow of 1929, and John Cobb's Napier-Railton and Railton Mobil Special, which held the record from 1939–64.

Outside the racing program, 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 Tours, covered 3,536 miles from Boston to Vancouver.

Napier Restoration Projects by Finch Restorations

Napier car restoration projects performed by Finch Restorations in recent times are shown below.