1956: Hampton Enters U.S. Market
The all-new 1956 Hampton model range, from left to right: Ferret sedan in Petrol Blue, Wayfarer sedan in Marble Red, and Nevis pick-up in Olive Green
In 1956, Hampton began selling cars in North America for the first time. They launched with three completely new cars: the compact, four-cylinder Ferret, the larger six-cylinder Valiant, and a large truck called the Nevis. All of them had all-new unibody construction (with struts up front and a coil-sprung live axle at the rear) and were powered by single-overhead-cam engines, except for the Nevis, which retained a ladder frame and an overhead-valve engine for reliability’s sake.
To distinguish the Valiant from its smaller sibling, Hampton offered it with a premium interior and AM radio as standard, in an effort to appeal to wealthier customers seeking a more upmarket car. This contrasted with the smaller Ferret, which was pitched as a cheaper economy car for those with tighter budgets. Both cars could also be optioned with a two-speed automatic gearbox - an option more popular on the Valiant due to its greater power and upmarket positioning. Also, in a first for the company, all three were fitted with radial tires as standard.
Although the Ferret and Valiant had the same underpinnings, the former used a shrunken version of the latter’s chassis, with a shorter wheelbase. This was a conscious decision undertaken by company CEO Toby Hampton to reduce production costs. Meanwhile, the Ferret’s predecessor, the Voyager, went out of production in 1960, four years after its larger sibling, the Wayfarer had been discontinued in favor of the more modern Valiant. However, even before the new range had come out, Toby secretly harbored a dream - to see a sports car powered by his engines. To realize his dream, he would either have his company develop such a car in-house, or sell the engines to another manufacturer. The story of the Hampton Motor Group would soon take an interesting turn…