An article from the Sydney Morning Herald comments on this years racing cars 1906 and notes the 6 cylinder Napier car.

Sydney Morning Herald (NSW, Australia)
19 April 1906
Page 10

THIS YEAR’S RACING MOTOR CARS.

According to the latest files to hand, this year’s
racing motor cars will present fewer novelties than
ever before. Transmission by propeller-shaft is gain-
ing in favour every day over chain drive, and all the
machines are being built with their centre of gravity
placed very low. One peculiarity which the new regu-
lations at home have engendered is that all cars will
have a large fuel capacity, provision being made for
as much as 45 gallons of petrol, and a proportionately
large oil supply, in order to cover the six rounds of
the circuit without stopping to fill tanks. Excepting
the Mercedes, and of course the six-cylinder Napier, it
is probable that all the starters will have four-cylinder
engines. The Richard Brasier cars, with four cylinders
of 165-m.m. bore, and 104 h.p., will have transmission
by cardon shaft. The Mercedes six-cylinder have 150-
m.m. bore, and 140-m.m. stroke, giving 135 h.p., four
speeds, with direct drive on the high, and ball bear-
ings throughout. Several of the French drivers have
already made acquaintance with the circuit, Hemery
visiting it on a 1905 racer immediately before his
triumphal return from Florida.

Reference: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14766140

Another Napier Speed Record at Brooklands is mentioned in this article from The Advertiser in August 1908.

The Advertiser (Adelaide, S.A., Australia)
5th August 1908
Page 8

DEMON MOTORING.

A THIRTY-MILE RECORD.
LONDON, August 3.

A 60-horsepower Napier motor car won
the 30-mile race on the Brooklands track
on Saturday at a speed of 101 miles an
hour. A new record was created. A Mer-
cedes car of 75 horsepower was beaten by
only 60 yards. Although the speed of the
Napier car is a record for 30 miles, it is
not the highest yet produced, Nazzarro, the
“Demon motorist,” having on June 8 on the
same track covered three miles at 111 miles
an hour. At times he travelled much
faster. On other tracks even greater speeds
have been attained.
To judge from the speed of 121.6 miles an
hour, reached by Mr. A. Lee Guinness dur-
ing the recent, motor car trials on Salt-
burn Sands, this course is little Iess speedy
than the world-famous beach track on the
east coast of Florida, on which so many
sensational speed feats have been per-
formed. It was on this course, which
runs for 100 miles by the side of the sea
and is almost as hard and smooth as a
billiard table, that Mr. W. K. Vanderbilt.
jun., covered, in January, 1904, a rale in
39 sec. (over 92 miles an hour). Since
this feat, which was considered phenomenal
at the time, records have had a bad time
in Florida. A year later, on January 30,
1905, Mr. Arthur Macdonald travelled a
mile in 34 2-5 sec., more than 104 miles
an hour. In the following January Mr.
Stanley, on a steam car, brought the time
down to 31 4-5 sec.; and three days later,
a speed of two miles a minute was exceeded
for the first time, when Mr. Marriott, on
a Darracq car, placed the record at the
starting figure 28 1-5 sec., representing a
speed of 127 2-3 miles an hour.

Reference: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/5169435

Another article from the Sydney Daily Telegraph newspaper dated 20th December 1909.

Referenced from http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/238239139

THE 15-H.P. “NAPIER.”
The motoring representative of “The Daily Telegraph”
was taken out on Saturday by Mr. Peter M’lntosh, of
Alick M’Neil and M’lntosh, Ltd. (agents for the “Na-
pier” cars), for a trial run in a new 15-h.p. 4-cylinder
noiseless “Napier.” The car was only landed on Thurs-
day afternoon. The run was through the congested
traffic of the city, thence along Oxford-street, to the
Centennial Park and out to Coogee. Through the traf-
fic the flexibility of the engine was demonstrated. After
leaving Coogee, the long hill towards Long Bay was
taken in good style with, four passengers aboard. The
hill, with its two turns, was negotiated in 1min.
40sec. on top speed, to within 50 yards of the summit.
After negotiating the hills to La Perouse a return
was made to the city, via Bunnerong-road, where a
turn of speed up to 45 miles an hour was shown. The
easiness of control was very marked. The car has a
splendid lock, allowing it to be turned in a very short
space (a necessary point in our narrow streets). It
has an excellent clearance, and is well tyred, also
fitted with an English touring body to seat five people.
Yesterday’s run in every way demonstrated the reputa-
tion of the car as the noiseless “Napier.” Messrs,
Alick M’Neil and M’lntosh, Ltd., have several 15-h.p.
cars to arrive shortly, .and also have in stock a 30-h.p.
6-cylinder “Napier” car.

The following is from the Trove archive of the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper dated 19th February 1910. Ref: http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/15144106

The small article was presented in a column titled “New Motor Car – Trial on a 15-H.P. Napier”

The content has been copied here after I corrected the scanned text. I have retained the column format with the hyphenation as it originally appeared.

Sat 19 Feb 1910
Page 19

NEW MOTOR CAR.
TRIAL ON A 15-H.P. NAPIER
Now that there is talk of 300 new taxis arriving in
Sydney and corresponding numbers to be landed shortly
in the principal Australian cities, it is interesting to
note that the coming vehicles are of British manufac-
ture. The Napier Company, the maker, is one of the
oldest English firms, and its cars have, owing to the
enterprise of a Sydney man, Mr S T Edge, who is
the managing director, attained world-wide reputa-
tion. Although the Napier taxis will not reach Syd-
ney until April, several chassis for touring cars have
been landed. At the invitation of Messrs. Alick McNeil
and Mcintosh, Ltd., of Market and Castlereagh streets,
the local agents for this make, the “Herald” repre-
sentatlve had an opportunity of testing the latest
15- h.p. Colonial Noiseless Napier. The recent importa-
tion has many noteworthy features. The large radiat-
ing surfaces and water capacity, the svstem of forced
lubrication to ensure equal flow to all bearing sur-
faces, the good road clearance, almost complete sil-
ence of engine, powerful brakes, great flexibility and
ease of control-all will appeal to anyone wanting a
reliable and up to date motor. The chassis itself is of
special deep channel steel, and the axles are excep-
tionally strong. The springing is almost perfect, and
there is a complete absence of jarring or jolting even
over fairly rough roads.
On Wednesday aftemoon, with Mr. J. McNeil at the
wheel a party of four made a delightful trip of about
30 miles, the route being via Kensington, turning off
to Cook’s River-road, then to Rockdale, down to
Brighton, along a beautiful run to Sandringham and
home by Tom Ugly’s Point. Throughout the trip the
car behaved in an exemplary manner. Its silence, speed
on the level and up hills, and great power over stiff
pinches were most apparent. Even in the densest traf-
fic the flexibility of the engine was wonderful.

The interesting point for me are that this article suggests that many of the Napiers were imported as taxi’s. I also note the reference to Mr. S.T. Edge when Mr. S.F. Edge is more commonly associated with Napier. Possibly a typo from the author, or was there a relative linked to the agency in Australia ?

I have an interest in Napier motor vehicles from the period 1900 to 1920(ish).

The company started making cars in the UK in 1900 and continued until sometime in the 1920’s.

This is only my first post on this topic but if you are reading this and have any information on Napier motor cars imported from the UK or the USA to Australia in the early 1900’s, I would be grateful if you would contact me.

I’ve started my research by reviewing, and listing, newspaper articles that refer to Napier motor vehicles and spending some time helping to clean up the text scanning on the National Library Trove website.

Thanks.