Montague Napier English businessman, manufacturer of aircraft and automobile engines Date of Birth: 14.04.1870 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Family
2. Napier & Son
3. Automotive Venture
4. Automobile Success and Expansion
5. Aviation Engines
6. Health Decline and Death

Early Life and Family

Montague Stanley Napier, born on April 14, 1870, in London, was the youngest of four children born to James Murdoch Napier and Fanny Jemima Mackenzie. His father inherited the family business, Napier & Son, originally founded in 1836 by Montague's grandfather.

Napier & Son

James Napier's business initially produced printing machinery for the newspaper industry before diversifying into specialized coin-weighing equipment for the Royal Mint. However, by 1895, the company faced financial difficulties. Montague inherited the struggling business after his father's death and pivoted it towards machine tool manufacturing.

Automotive Venture

In 1899, Napier met Selwyn Edge, a businessman and racing driver. Napier agreed to build Edge a new car based on a Panhard-Levassor, which Edge had acquired after driving one to second place in the 1896 Paris-Marseilles race. Edge was so impressed with the car that he commissioned Napier to build six more. Napier displayed them at the London Motor Show to secure buyers.

Automobile Success and Expansion

The first car was ready in 1900, and the business took off. Napier moved his company to a larger facility in Acton, London. He focused on engineering, while Edge handled marketing and publicity. In 1902, Edge won the Gordon Bennett Cup driving a Napier, marking the first British victory in this prestigious international race. Napier's cars dominated the British luxury car market until 1906.

Aviation Engines

With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Napier's focus shifted to aviation engines. Initially, Napier & Son produced engines designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory, but Napier invested heavily in developing his own design, known as the "Lion." By 1924, approximately half of British aircraft were powered by Napier engines, and the company phased out automobile production altogether.

Health Decline and Death

Napier's health deteriorated around 1915, possibly due to cancer. He relocated to the south of France, where he continued to advise Napier & Son as a consultant. Despite efforts to develop a successor to the Lion engine, Napier was eventually overtaken by competitors like Bristol and Rolls-Royce.

Montague Napier passed away on January 22, 1931, in Cannes, at the age of 61. His estate, valued at over £1 million, was inherited by his former nurse, Nora Mary Fryer, believed to have been his mistress. A portion of the estate, after debts and bequests, was donated to cancer research. Napier had married in 1903 but divorced in 1922 and had four children.