At the 1955 London Motor Show Armstrong Siddeley expanded its 'Sapphire' model line with the addition of two lower-priced models of brand new designs, The Sapphire 234 was given a 4-cylinder version of the larger Sapphire 346 engine, and this twin carb 2290cc engine was good for 120bhp in a lightweight aluminium bodied sleek saloon with good suspension. At the same time the 236 was announced sharing all the body and mechanics of the 234 but inheriting a version of the 6-cylinder 2310cc 85bhp engine from the outgoing Hurricane models. The 'modern' styling of these cars were not liked, even though Jaguar would soon launch its own lowline Jaguar MkI. Just 803 of the 234 version and 603 of the 236s version were sold before production ended in 1958.