Well, I haven't contributed a posting in a long time, so its about time...
mburdick@unmc.edu (Mike Burdick) Mon, 20 Sep 93 16:18 asks:
> In yesterday's Omaha paper I found the following (for you big spenders):
>
> 1937 Railton Fairmile Series III Drophead Coupe. Estate sale of a
> very rare English classic. Excellent restored condition. Serious
> inquiries only. $42,000. 308-534-3526.
>
> Can anyone supply a description or some history on this car?
I recognised the Railton name immediately... British police cars of the 1930s!
If you've ever seen old British black'n'white movies of the era containing
footage of police cars, chances are you have seen a Railton.
I looked through my "The Complete Catalogue of British Cars" (pub 1974) again
and sure enough there is an entry --- and would you believe it a photograph
of said car above... actually, three of them, all Fairmiles, all drophead
coupes; a 1935 MkI, a 1937 MkII and a 1938 MkIII. They all look very
similar. Their licence plates are MG 5981, DLY 419 and AWX 118, respectively.
Just in case someone on this list happens to know of them!
Here's what the Catalogue says:
"One of the better of the American-engined British sports cars,
the Railton took its name from Reid Railton, progenitor of World
Land Speed Record cars and formerly concerned with the Invicta.
Traditional English-style coachwork was fitted to a basically
unaltered Hudson chassis. The result was especially pleasing to
the eye, and only the road wheels, smaller than were then common-
place, gave away the car's parentage.
"The four-litre eight-cylinder engine gave a performance
which even today is spoken of with some awe, and indeed, the marque
found much favour with Scotland Yard as a police vehicle. Smaller-
engined six-cylinder models of 16.9 and 20 hp were added in due
course, mainly for fiscal reasons. A very small Railton based on
the then current Standard Ten made its appearance in 1938. The
Railton does not generally figure in lists of post-war cars but, in
fact, about a dozen were produced, the very last being made in 1951.
"The Railton was always an individualistic hand-built
motor-car, and it is rare to find two identical vehicles. But it
was perhaps this very quality, forcing the price to unfortunate
heights, which forced the Railton off the market."
Also, Railton motor-cars were produced by Railton Cars Limited, Cobham, Surrey.
Here are some of the specs given for the Straight 8s:
1933/4 1934/5 1935/6 1936/7 1938-40
No. cyls 8 8 8 8 8
Capacity 4010 4168 4168 4168 4168
bhp at 94 113 113 124 124
... rpm 3600 3800 3800 4200 4200
Coolant water water water water water
Carburation Carter Carter Carter Carter Carter
0-50 mph 7.5 7.2 7.0 8.6 10.8
mpg 18 16 14-16 15-17 15-17
Max speed 85-90 85-90 100 92 90-95
There are also photos of 1936 Railton 28.8-hp light sports (which resembles
a 1934 Aston Martin Ulster in shape) and a 1935 Railton 28.8-hp Ranelagh
saloon. All photos were supplied by the Railton Owner's Club. The last
given address (in 1974, remember) of the club is:
Railton Owner's Club
Barrie McKenzie,
"Fairmiles",
Barnes Hall Road,
Burncross,
Sheffield,
Yorkshire,
ENGLAND
(Please note, many Brits name their houses and use it on their address.
It appears Mr. McKenzie has named his house after his favourite motor-car!)
Hope this was helpful!
Garry Archer Esq. archer@hsi.com
3M Health Information Systems, Wallingford, Connecticut, U.S.A.
"An Englishman never enjoys himself, except for a noble purpose." - A.P.Herbert
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