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Frazer-Nash TT Rep

Frazer-Nash TT Rep

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Frazer-Nash TT RepFrazer-Nash TT RepFrazer-Nash TT RepFrazer-Nash TT Rep
Lot number 149
Hammer value N/S (est. £120,000 - £140,000)
Description Frazer-Nash TT Rep
Registration HTU 255
Year 1935
Colour Black
Engine size 1,975 cc
Chassis No. 9371022
Engine No. 36973
Documents V5C; eight old MOTs; bills and invoices

The demise of cyclecar maker GN in 1922 forced its co-founder, Archie Frazer-Nash, to develop his own cars, marketing them under his own name.

A keen and successful competitor in a variety of GN-based ‘specials’, Frazer-Nash was well aware of the performance potential offered by the rudimentary transmission system from the GN, opting to sell his new cars as out and out sports cars rather than budget cyclecars.

Using the unconventional GN chain-drive transmission in a very basic chassis, his new lightweight models had a near instant gear change and highly effective and entertaining handling, a fact obvious to all those who have witnessed the controlled 'Nash power slide'. A simple system of dog clutches was used to engage a range of sprockets giving different gear ratios to a solid back axle. So simple and rudimentary was its design, that it's no surprise that many GNs were updated to resemble later Frazer-Nash models.

Early cars were fitted with Plus Power engines, these quickly giving way to the light and effective 1.5-litre side-valve Anzani. In September 1929 the first car appeared with an ohv Meadows 4ED engine, a heavier unit, but one which offered another 15bhp in standard form with potential for a great deal more – 140bhp+ is not uncommon these days! For a brief period a customer could choose a Blackburn six-cylinder twin-ohc engine, or Frazer-Nash’s own engine designed by a man called Albert Gough, which had an ohc and water-cooled main bearings which proved to be its Achilles heel.

As a final tryout, Frazer-Nash listed a BMW 55 six-cylinder unit, although only one such car, a Falcon of 1937, was produced to display at the Motorshow that year. Referred to in the works as ‘The Reply’, it was thought a good response to the numerous BMWs that were being sold through AFN Ltd at the time, production of the chain-drive models having dwindled to virtually nothing, the company having considerable success as importers of BMWs.

Boulogne, Colmore, and Ulster models were named after particular racing achievements, with the Falcons and Interceptors adding to the bewildering range of cars offered. At the end of the 1931 season the works introduced a new model called the Boulogne II which also went by the name of TT Replica – the latter name sticking with the car until the last cars were to leave the Isleworth factory.

Contemporary road testers loved the performance, with an 85mph maximum speed and rapid acceleration along with exemplary road manners. The fact that a company which produced just 348 chain-drive cars became such a well-known marque was due to the extensive use of its products in competition, the works supporting an active racing programme through the efforts of their enthusiastic owners keen to join in the fun.

This example is typical of many of the active Nashes on the road today, being a mixture of pre- and post-war parts. Emerging in the 1980s from the garage of Jan Bullinski, it is known to have an original bevel box (3.5:1 final drive), rear radius arms, front axle (no longer fitted but supplied with the car) and a BMW 55 ohv engine has been fitted which has been bored to 1,975cc.

As there is no gearbox to speak of in a chain-drive Nash, this leaves the chassis, clutch, steering and bodywork as post-war items, the car being built on a short 8’6” chassis similar to the early TT Reps which were the most nimble of all, the car being registered with the DVLA as a GN, its VSCC Buff form declaring it a 'Special' from 1935.

With one ‘Bolzano Raid’ under its belt, it has certainly proved quick on both road and track, an older rolling road printout showing a healthy 89bhp at the flywheel. It is fitted with triple SUs and a nice six-into-two-into-one exhaust system, the current owner having recently fitted a rebuilt starter, Blockley tyres and had the car computer tracked all round at a cost of £1,577.

This very nicely finished, well-known TT Rep is offered at a mere fraction of the cost of a more historic example, its BMW power making it particularly tractable on the road, yet effective on the track where it is a well-known competitor.

Few cars have the entertainment value of a Frazer-Nash, let alone the spares backup, camaraderie and active social scene which no doubt makes them one of the ‘hot tickets’ to have in the world of pre-war cars. Here's your invitation to join in!

AMENDMENT: The exhaust is a "six into two".

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