Frazer Nash
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Frazer Nash was a British automobile manufacturer and engineering company founded by Archibald Frazer-Nash in 1922. Frazer Nash should not be confused with the unrelated companies Kaiser-Frazer and Nash Motors.
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[edit] History
The company was founded in 1922 by Archibald Frazer-Nash who had, with Henry Ronald Godfrey founded and run the GN Cyclecar Company. The company was established in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, moving to Isleworth, London in 1929. The company entered receivership in 1927 and re-emerged as AFN Limited. AFN was acquired by H. J. Aldington in 1939 and run by the three Aldington brothers.
In 1929, Nash & Thomson was formed by Frazer-Nash and Godfrey to develop the Frazer-Nash hydraulic aircraft turret
The company produced around 400 cars until the mid-1930s, notably a series of famous chain drive models.
They became importers and assemblers of BMW 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 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 for some time.
During World War II, the company was involved in armaments production.
Eighty-five more cars were produced from 1948 to 1957. These cars were entirely unrelated to the pre-war Frazer Nash. In the choice of Bristol engines the cars were natural successors to the imported BMWs, the Bristol engine being a development of that of the BMW 328. Models include the Le Mans Replica, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio, the Le Mans Coupe and the Sebring. Competition successes included a third place at Le Mans (1949) and a win in the Targa Florio (1951). These post-war cars are very highly prized by collectors. The company participated in the 1952 Formula One season, the cars driven by Tony Crook and Ken Wharton.
There are several successor companies still (as of 2007) active in engineering consultancy (Frazer-Nash Consultancy) and electric vehicle design.
[edit] Products
[edit] 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 | various engines including Plus Power, Anzani and Meadows. Super Sports (from 1928) had no running boards. 105 inch wheelbase chassis on Fast Tourer and Super Sports with short 99 inch option on Super Sport. |
| Frazer Nash Interceptor/Sportop/Falcon | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 5 | 1930-1932 | Anzani or Meadows engine. Sportop version was fabric bodied. Falcon had a better equipped body. Long and short chassis options. |
| Frazer Nash Boulogne | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder | 16 | 1926-1932 | Anzani or Meadows engine. Supercharger 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 | 4 | 1932 | Single carburettor Meadows engine. Short chassis only. |
| Frazer Nash Colmore | 1.5 L in line 4 cylinder or 1660 cc in line 6 cylinder | 19 | 1932-1939 | Four seater. 105 inch or 108 inch wheelbase chassis options. Four cylinder cars used a Meadows engine, six cylinder cars a twin OHC Blackburne. 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 inch or 108 inch 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 inch 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 | 1936 | BMW engined. 102 inch wheelbase. |
| Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica | 2 L in line 6 cylinder | 34 | 1948-1953 | Bristol engined. 96 inch wheelbase. Cycle wings. Coventional (Bristol) gearbox. |
| Frazer Nash Fast Tourer/Mille Miglia | 2 L in line 6 cylinder | 12 | 1948-1952 | Full width body. |
| Frazer Nash Targa Florio | 2 L in line 6 cylinder | 14 | 1952-1954 | Turismo (100 hp) or Gran Sport (125 hp) engine options. One car fitted with Austin Atlantic engine. |
| Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé | 2 L in line 6 cylinder | 9 | 1953-1956 | 140 hp engine. |
| Frazer Nash Sebring | 2 L in line 6 cylinder | 3 | 1954 | Open version of Le Mans Coupé. |
| Frazer Nash Continental | 3.2 L V-8 | 2 | 1957 | BMW engine. Listed at £3751 at the London Motor Show. |
[edit] Grand Prix
They participated in 4 Grand Prix, entering a total of 4 cars. They scored 3 championship points;
(Note: grands prix in bold denote points scoring races.)
| Year | Main drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | K.Wharton, T.Crook | SWI | IND | BEL | FRA | GBR | DEU | DUT | ITA |
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- From Chain-Drive to Turbocharger: The A.F.N. Story by Denis Jenkinson, Patrick Stephens Limited, 1984 ISBN 0-85059-631-9
