Frazer Nash
Encyclopedia
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash
Archibald Frazer-Nash
Archibald Goodman Frazer Nash , was an early English motor car designer and engineer, who specialised in manufacturer of light and sports cars in England....
in 1922. It produced sports cars incorporating a unique multi-chain transmission before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and also imported BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
cars to the UK. After the war it continued producing sports cars with conventional transmission until 1957. It also continued selling BMW cars and motorcycles and finally in 1956 became the official importer of Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
cars.
History
The company was founded in 1922 by Archibald Frazer-NashArchibald Frazer-Nash
Archibald Goodman Frazer Nash , was an early English motor car designer and engineer, who specialised in manufacturer of light and sports cars in England....
who had, with Henry Ronald Godfrey founded and run the GN cyclecar company
GN (car)
thumb|right|200px|Richard Scaldwell's JAP-engined GN Grand Prix special at the VSCC SeeRed race meeting, Donington Park, September 2007. The GN has a 5.1 litre V8 aero-engine shoehorned into its lightweight cyclecar frame....
. The company was established in Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames
Kingston upon Thames is the principal settlement of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames in southwest London. It was the ancient market town where Saxon kings were crowned and is now a suburb situated south west of Charing Cross. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, moving to Isleworth
Isleworth
Isleworth is a small town of Saxon origin sited within the London Borough of Hounslow in west London, England. It lies immediately east of the town of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane. Isleworth's original area of settlement, alongside the Thames, is known as...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
in 1929. The company entered receivership in 1927 and re-emerged as AFN Limited. The majority of AFN was acquired by H. J. ("Aldy") Aldington in 1929 and run by the three Aldington brothers, H.J., Donald A. and William H. Aldy's son, John Taylor ("JT") Aldington was the last of the family owners/directors until AFN Ltd was sold to Porsche GB. The company produced around 400 of the famous chain drive
Chain drive
Chain drive is a way of transmitting mechanical power from one place to another. It is often used to convey power to the wheels of a vehicle, particularly bicycles and motorcycles...
models between 1924 and 1939.
AFN, Ltd became importers and assemblers of BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
cars in 1934 and sold them as Frazer Nash-BMW. They were the official British BMW importer until the outbreak of war in 1939. In 1954 the company started to sell Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
cars, becoming the official importer for Great Britain in 1956. This lasted until 1965 when Porsche Cars Great Britain was set up; Aldington family members remained on the board of this company until John Adlington sold out to Porsche in 1987, Nash & Thompson was formed in 1929 by Archibald Frazer-Nash and E. Grattan Thompson to develop the Frazer-Nash hydraulic aircraft gun turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Nash & Thompson was involved in armaments production with its turrets in use on British bombers such as the Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
and Vickers Wellington. There are several successor companies still (as of 2011) active in engineering consultancy (Frazer-Nash Consultancy
Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd
Frazer-Nash Consultancy is a professional services firm providing engineering, project management, and procurement advice. The company is based in Dorking, United Kingdom, and has six other office locations around the country. It was founded in 1971 within the now-defunct Frazer-Nash Group, and...
), engineering (Frazer-Nash (Midhurst) Ltd. and electric & hybrid vehicle technology (Frazer-Nash Research, owned by the Kamkorp
KamKorp
Kamkorp is a British-Swiss holding company owned by UK-based Indian businessman Kamal Siddiqi.It owns Frazer-Nash Research, a UK-based company that develops electric and hybrid vehicle powertrain technologies...
Group, which also owns Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars
Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year...
).
AFN Ltd produced about 85 more cars from 1948 to 1957. These cars were entirely unrelated to the chain-drive pre-war Frazer Nash, but were largely a direct evolution of the sporting BMW 328, mentioned above. AFN, as owners of the UK rights to the 328 engine licensed Bristol to make it against an agreement for its supply to them. Models include the Le Mans Replica, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, the Le Mans Coupé and the Sebring. Competition successes included a third place at Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
(1949) and wins in the Targa Florio
Targa Florio
The Targa Florio was an open road endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near Palermo. Founded in 1906, it was the oldest sports car racing event, part of the World Sportscar Championship between 1955 and 1973...
(1951) and the 12 Hours of Sebring
12 Hours of Sebring
The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, a former Army Air Force base in Sebring, Florida...
, 1952. The post-war cars are very highly prized by collectors. The company participated in the 1952 Formula One season
1952 Formula One season
The 1952 Formula One season was the third season of FIA Formula One motor racing. In comparison to previous seasons, the 1952 season consisted of a relatively small number of Formula One races, following the FIA's decision to run the Grand Prix events counting towards the World Championship of...
, the cars driven by Tony Crook
Tony Crook
Anthony Crook is a former racing driver from England. He was born in Manchester. He participated in 2 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1952. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races...
and Ken Wharton
Ken Wharton
Kenneth Wharton was a British racing driver from England. He began competing in the new National 500cc Formula in his own special, later acquiring a Cooper. Ken participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952 and scored a total of 3 championship points...
.
Car models
Considering the small number of cars made, the model range is vast and the following is not entirely comprehensive. Cars were all built to order and virtually any combination was possible. Some were rebuilt at the factory as different versions.| Type | Engine | Approx Production | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frazer Nash Fast Tourer/Super Sports | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 165 in the 1920s | 1925-1930 | engines were Plus Power, but mainly Anzani Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani , which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.-Overview:... . Super Sports (from 1928) had no running boards. 105 inches (2,667 mm) wheelbase chassis on Fast Tourer and Super Sports with short 99 inches (2,515 mm) option on Super Sport. |
| Frazer Nash Interceptor/Sportop/Falcon | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 25 | 1930-1932 | Meadows engine. Sportop version was fabric bodied. Falcon had a better equipped body. Long and short chassis options. |
| Frazer Nash Boulogne I and II | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 30 | 1926-1932 | Anzani or Meadows engine. Supercharger Supercharger A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,... optional. Long and short chassis options |
| Frazer Nash Ulster | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 5 | 1929-1931 | Competition version of the road cars. Long and short chassis options. |
| Frazer Nash Nūrburg | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 3 | 1932-1933 | Competition model. Tuned Meadows engine. No doors. Short chassis only. |
| Frazer Nash Exeter | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 5 | 1932 | Single carburettor Meadows engine. Short chassis only Corsica body. |
| Frazer Nash Colmore | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder or 1660 cc in line 6 cylinder | 19 | 1932-1939 | Four seater. 105 inches (2,667 mm) or 108 inches (2,743 mm) wheelbase chassis options. Four cylinder cars used a Meadows engine, six cylinder cars a twin OHC Blackburne Blackburne (motorcycles) Blackburne was a trade name of Burney and Blackburne Limited a British manufacturer of motorcycles from 1913 to 1922 at Tongham near Farnham, Surrey... . Three or Four speed transmission. |
| Frazer Nash TT Replica | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder or 1660 cc in line 6 cylinder | 83 | 1932-1938 | Gough 4 cylinder engine used as well as the Meadows and Blackburne. 105 inches (2,667 mm) or 108 inches (2,743 mm) wheelbase chassis options |
| Frazer Nash Shelsley | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder or 1660 cc in line 6 cylinder | 8 | 1934-1936 | Gough (supercharger optional) or Blackburne engines. 108 inches (2,743 mm) wheelbase. |
| Frazer Nash Ulster 100 | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 1 | 1936-1937 | Originally Anzani powered, later replaced by Gough engine and then a Meadows. Long rounded tail to body. |
| Frazer Nash Falcon | 1.9 L in line 6 cylinder | 1 | 1937 | BMW engined. 102 inches (2,591 mm) wheelbase. |
| Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica/ Le Mans Mk II | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 34 | 1948-1953 | Originally named "High Speed" and "Competition". 96 inches (2,438 mm) wheelbase. Cycle wings. Conventional (Bristol) gearbox. |
| Frazer Nash Fast Tourer/Mille Miglia | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 12 | 1948-1953 | Full width body. |
| Frazer Nash Single-Seater | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 3 | 1952 | Narrow body on Le Mans Replica chassis built to Formula 2 regulations. Also competed in GP and Formula Libre races. |
| Frazer Nash Targa Florio | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 15 | 1952-1954 | Turismo (100 hp) or Gran Sport (125 hp) Bristol engine options. One car fitted with Austin Austin Motor Company The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles. The company was founded in 1905 and merged in 1952 into the British Motor Corporation Ltd. The marque Austin was used until 1987... Atlantic engine. Last 5 cars were open versions of Le Mans Coupé. |
| Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 9 | 1953-1955 | 100 hp or 140 hp engine. |
| Frazer Nash Sebring | Bristol engine (2 L in line 6 cylinder) | 3 | 1954 | Full width body on Le Mans Replica Mk II chassis. 140 hp engine. |
| Frazer Nash Continental | BMW engine (2.6 & 3.2 L) | 2 | 1956-1957 | V8 BMW engine. Listed at £3751 at the London Motor Show. |
Grand Prix
Frazer Nash cars participated in 4 World Championship Grands PrixGrand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
. Drivers of Frazer Nash cars scored 3 World Championship points.
(key)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frazer Nash FN172 Frazer Nash FN170 |
Bristol Bristol Cars Bristol Cars is a manufacturer of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Patchway, near Bristol, United Kingdom. Bristol have always been a low-volume manufacturer; the most recent published official production figures were for 1982, which stated that 104 cars were produced in that year... Straight-6 Straight-6 The straight-six engine or inline-six engine is a six-cylinder internal combustion engine with all six cylinders mounted in a straight line along the crankcase... |
SUI 1952 Swiss Grand Prix The 1952 Swiss Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on May 18, 1952 at Bremgarten Circuit. It was the first round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :* Pole... |
500 1952 Indianapolis 500 The 1952 Indianapolis 500 was an automobile race held on Friday, May 30, 1952 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event was the second round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship. Troy Ruttman won the race, bringing the Borg-Warner Trophy home for car owner J.C. Agajanian.Bill Vukovich led... |
BEL 1952 Belgian Grand Prix The 1952 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on June 22, 1952 at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. It was the third round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:-... |
FRA 1952 French Grand Prix The 1952 French Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on July 6, 1952 at Rouen-Les-Essarts. It was the fourth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:- Notes :* Pole... |
GBR 1952 British Grand Prix The 1952 British Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on July 19, 1952 at Silverstone Circuit. It was the fifth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.-Qualifying:-Race:-Drivers'... |
GER 1952 German Grand Prix The 1952 German Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 3, 1952 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It was the sixth round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Sadly... |
NED 1952 Dutch Grand Prix The 1952 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on August 17, 1952 at the Circuit Zandvoort. It was the seventh round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Mike... |
ITA 1952 Italian Grand Prix The 1952 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula Two race held on September 7, 1952 at Monza. It was the eighth and final round of the 1952 World Drivers' Championship, which was run to Formula Two rules in 1952 and 1953, rather than the Formula One regulations normally used.- Race report :Juan Manuel... |
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| Ken Wharton Ken Wharton Kenneth Wharton was a British racing driver from England. He began competing in the new National 500cc Formula in his own special, later acquiring a Cooper. Ken participated in 15 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 18 May 1952 and scored a total of 3 championship points... |
4 | Ret | Ret | |||||||||
| Tony Crook Tony Crook Anthony Crook is a former racing driver from England. He was born in Manchester. He participated in 2 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 19 July 1952. He scored no championship points. He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races... |
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