History
Winning a major competition has a way of changing reputations and names forever. One such example would be a two-seater High Speed model car built by Frazer-Nash. Aesthetically intriguing and pleasing, the life of the High Speed would change with one race on the 5th and 6th of June in 1949.
During the Second World War, Archibald Frazer-Nash's company, which at the time was known as AFN and owned by H.J. Aldington, would be utilized in building gun turrets for Avro Lancaster and Vickers Wellington bombers. Just prior to the start of the war, Aldington's had positioned AFN to become an importer of BWMs to England. This would lead Aldington to make a flying trip to Munich immediately following the end of the war. His destination was the BWM factor. His sought-after prize was one of the Model 328s that had taken the sportscar world by storm just prior to the start of hostilities.
Having brought one of the Model 328s home, Aldington would set about tooling car bodies, engines, and chassis around the BMW example. Supplied by Bristol engines, also based upon the Model 328's BMW engine, Aldington would set about designing a number of sportscars.
Getting their feet back under them, Aldington would set about directing the Frazer-Nash company into a direction that was, invariably, an evolution of the work that had already been established in the immediate post-war years.
The result would be one of the most iconic and most easily recognizable periods in Frazer-Nash history. Noted for the 'classic' cycle-style fenders, the High Speed two-seater would begin production in the years leading up to the 1950s and would blend, masterfully, the old with the new.
Flanked on all four corners with beautifully rounded cycle fenders, the High Speed would be a truly beautiful sight to behold from any angle. The car started out with an incredibly narrow and beautifully sculpted nose barely wide enough to house the car's radiator. The chrome grill would wonderfully accent the character and design of the nose as it swept back along the top heading aft. The narrow nose meant the entire front suspension would be exposed and available for close inspection.
Sporting a tubular main body and subsidiary framework, the entire would be welded to the chassis offering superior strength and rigidity. Completed with a 2.0-liter, 6-cylinder Bristol engine producing around 120bhp, the High Speed would be an instant choice for sportscar races all throughout England the Europe.
Completed with leather bucket seats and a body that widened sharply from the nose aft, the High Speed would be advertised as providing 'ample room for driver and passenger'. And, on the 5th and 6th of June, two passengers would give the comfort and the performance of the High Speed its greatest workout.
Frazer-Nash automobiles had always been produced in relatively low numbers, but, they remained popular. The High Speed model, however, would take Frazer-Nash to a whole different level.
This new model by Frazer-Nash would be the one in which Normah Culpan wouldn't just make his Le Mans debut. In fact, Culpan would be relying upon the performance and the reliability of the Frazer-Nash to carry him through his first-ever sportscar race, the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Culpan wouldn't be doing the whole race by himself. But, given Culpan's inexperience, he certainly needed to think long and hard about hiring a co-driver that had the kind of experience needed to be able to carry through such an arduous event as Le Mans. Culpan could not have chosen any better than when he hired Aldington to drive alongside him.
The partnership would prove to be a successful one. Halfway through the race the number 26 Frazer-Nash High Speed would be all the way up to 4th place overall. It seemed the High Speed was both fast and stable as Culpan looked comfortable behind the wheel hour after hour. But all of that would end around 8 am on the morning of the 6th.
Going along, Culpan would suddenly find that his clutch was practically frozen giving him little to no movement. This was an arduous test for any driver, but for one making his racing debut, it was near as impossible. But he had the owner of Frazer-Nash as his co-driver. He certainly had the experience racing, and he certainly had the experience when it came to driving Frazer-Nash automobiles.
But the decision to hand the car over to Aldington was far from an obvious decision. There were still some 8 hours remaining in the race. Driving solo for a period of 8 hours was by no means a task to be taken lightly. However, Aldington would agree with what had to be done. The decision would be made a little easier given the reality the car was running high in the running order and that it would have been a real shame to drop out after such an amazing effort.
So Aldington took to the wheel as Culpan stood back and watched. Over the course of the remaining eight hours, Culpan would witness a piece of driving perfection. In spite of the clutch issues, Aldington would barely lose any average speed over the course of a lap and would remain right up there in the running order. And, when the race headed into its final moments, it would become obvious the racing genius of Aldington had enabled the Frazer-Nash to move up to 3rd overall and 2nd in class.
Despite finishing 11 laps behind, the performance by Culpan/Aldington and the Frazer-Nash would be nothing short of amazing. Aldington's performance over the course of the final 8 hours would help to change the course of life for the High Speed.
Upon finishing Le Mans in 3rd place overall, the High Speed's life would forever change. It was obvious the car had outpaced its given name. A new name was needed. This would give rise to a couple of names actually. Though it had started out life as a High Speed, the model would soon earn the name Competition, or, Le Mans Replica.
The name change would be fitting for the car as it would characterize the real purpose, the true heart and soul of the car. Following its 3rd place overall finish at Le Mans in 1949, the Frazer-Nash Competition/Le Mans Replica would go on score victories in other long-distance endurance events. In 1951, at the Targa Florio, Franco Cortese would drive a Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica to victory. Then, in 1952, at the very first 12 Hours of Sebring, a Le Mans Replica would win in the hands of Larry Kulok and Harry Gray.
Aided by the success earned by the car on the track, the Competition/Le Mans Replica would go on to be built between 1948 to 1953. In the end, the car would prove to be one of Frazer-Nash's more successful cars. Production of the Competition/Le Mans Replicas would reach a total of 34 examples being built. This would make the car the third most popular model built by Frazer-Nash behind the Fast Tourer produced in the 1920s and the TT Replica built between 1932 and 1938.
Given the relatively few number of Frazer-Nash automobiles ever built, each one is a rare piece of automotive history in its own right. However, owning a Competition/Le Mans Replica, a copy of the example to have finished so high at Le Mans, meant their lucky owners were certainly in the presence of something special.
This blend of achievement on the track and the rarity of models ever in production has made for each Frazer-Nash to be highly coveted automobile demanding large sums of money in auctions. Luckily enough for everyone, the Competition/Le Mans Replica remains a regular presence at vintage/historic automobile races and continues to provide onlookers with an opportunity to gaze upon Frazer-Nash's greatest effort in sportscar endurance racing and it rekindles memories of such special moments as Aldington nursing home one of his own at the famed Le Mans.
Sources:
'Lost Marques: Frazer Nash', (http://ucapusa.com/lost_marques_frazer_nash.htm). Ucapusa.com. http://ucapusa.com/lost_marques_frazer_nash.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'The Le Mans Replica Model', (http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASHef2b12cc075dccac15b87d). Frazer-Nash Digital Library. http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASHef2b12cc075dccac15b87d. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'The Postwar Frazer-Nash', (http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASH0170ad9b5e7e5239448979ca). Frazer-Nash Digital Library. http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASH0170ad9b5e7e5239448979ca. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'MPH Models Archive', (http://www3.clikpic.com/mphmodels/photo_3463806.html). MPH Models. http://www3.clikpic.com/mphmodels/photo_3463806.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'Le Mans 24 Hours Race Results', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
Wikipedia contributors, 'Frazer Nash', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 November 2012, 05:41 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frazer_Nash&oldid=520857734 accessed 17 December 2012 By Jeremy McMullen
During the Second World War, Archibald Frazer-Nash's company, which at the time was known as AFN and owned by H.J. Aldington, would be utilized in building gun turrets for Avro Lancaster and Vickers Wellington bombers. Just prior to the start of the war, Aldington's had positioned AFN to become an importer of BWMs to England. This would lead Aldington to make a flying trip to Munich immediately following the end of the war. His destination was the BWM factor. His sought-after prize was one of the Model 328s that had taken the sportscar world by storm just prior to the start of hostilities.
Having brought one of the Model 328s home, Aldington would set about tooling car bodies, engines, and chassis around the BMW example. Supplied by Bristol engines, also based upon the Model 328's BMW engine, Aldington would set about designing a number of sportscars.
Getting their feet back under them, Aldington would set about directing the Frazer-Nash company into a direction that was, invariably, an evolution of the work that had already been established in the immediate post-war years.
The result would be one of the most iconic and most easily recognizable periods in Frazer-Nash history. Noted for the 'classic' cycle-style fenders, the High Speed two-seater would begin production in the years leading up to the 1950s and would blend, masterfully, the old with the new.
Flanked on all four corners with beautifully rounded cycle fenders, the High Speed would be a truly beautiful sight to behold from any angle. The car started out with an incredibly narrow and beautifully sculpted nose barely wide enough to house the car's radiator. The chrome grill would wonderfully accent the character and design of the nose as it swept back along the top heading aft. The narrow nose meant the entire front suspension would be exposed and available for close inspection.
Sporting a tubular main body and subsidiary framework, the entire would be welded to the chassis offering superior strength and rigidity. Completed with a 2.0-liter, 6-cylinder Bristol engine producing around 120bhp, the High Speed would be an instant choice for sportscar races all throughout England the Europe.
Completed with leather bucket seats and a body that widened sharply from the nose aft, the High Speed would be advertised as providing 'ample room for driver and passenger'. And, on the 5th and 6th of June, two passengers would give the comfort and the performance of the High Speed its greatest workout.
Frazer-Nash automobiles had always been produced in relatively low numbers, but, they remained popular. The High Speed model, however, would take Frazer-Nash to a whole different level.
This new model by Frazer-Nash would be the one in which Normah Culpan wouldn't just make his Le Mans debut. In fact, Culpan would be relying upon the performance and the reliability of the Frazer-Nash to carry him through his first-ever sportscar race, the 1949 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Culpan wouldn't be doing the whole race by himself. But, given Culpan's inexperience, he certainly needed to think long and hard about hiring a co-driver that had the kind of experience needed to be able to carry through such an arduous event as Le Mans. Culpan could not have chosen any better than when he hired Aldington to drive alongside him.
The partnership would prove to be a successful one. Halfway through the race the number 26 Frazer-Nash High Speed would be all the way up to 4th place overall. It seemed the High Speed was both fast and stable as Culpan looked comfortable behind the wheel hour after hour. But all of that would end around 8 am on the morning of the 6th.
Going along, Culpan would suddenly find that his clutch was practically frozen giving him little to no movement. This was an arduous test for any driver, but for one making his racing debut, it was near as impossible. But he had the owner of Frazer-Nash as his co-driver. He certainly had the experience racing, and he certainly had the experience when it came to driving Frazer-Nash automobiles.
But the decision to hand the car over to Aldington was far from an obvious decision. There were still some 8 hours remaining in the race. Driving solo for a period of 8 hours was by no means a task to be taken lightly. However, Aldington would agree with what had to be done. The decision would be made a little easier given the reality the car was running high in the running order and that it would have been a real shame to drop out after such an amazing effort.
So Aldington took to the wheel as Culpan stood back and watched. Over the course of the remaining eight hours, Culpan would witness a piece of driving perfection. In spite of the clutch issues, Aldington would barely lose any average speed over the course of a lap and would remain right up there in the running order. And, when the race headed into its final moments, it would become obvious the racing genius of Aldington had enabled the Frazer-Nash to move up to 3rd overall and 2nd in class.
Despite finishing 11 laps behind, the performance by Culpan/Aldington and the Frazer-Nash would be nothing short of amazing. Aldington's performance over the course of the final 8 hours would help to change the course of life for the High Speed.
Upon finishing Le Mans in 3rd place overall, the High Speed's life would forever change. It was obvious the car had outpaced its given name. A new name was needed. This would give rise to a couple of names actually. Though it had started out life as a High Speed, the model would soon earn the name Competition, or, Le Mans Replica.
The name change would be fitting for the car as it would characterize the real purpose, the true heart and soul of the car. Following its 3rd place overall finish at Le Mans in 1949, the Frazer-Nash Competition/Le Mans Replica would go on score victories in other long-distance endurance events. In 1951, at the Targa Florio, Franco Cortese would drive a Frazer-Nash Le Mans Replica to victory. Then, in 1952, at the very first 12 Hours of Sebring, a Le Mans Replica would win in the hands of Larry Kulok and Harry Gray.
Aided by the success earned by the car on the track, the Competition/Le Mans Replica would go on to be built between 1948 to 1953. In the end, the car would prove to be one of Frazer-Nash's more successful cars. Production of the Competition/Le Mans Replicas would reach a total of 34 examples being built. This would make the car the third most popular model built by Frazer-Nash behind the Fast Tourer produced in the 1920s and the TT Replica built between 1932 and 1938.
Given the relatively few number of Frazer-Nash automobiles ever built, each one is a rare piece of automotive history in its own right. However, owning a Competition/Le Mans Replica, a copy of the example to have finished so high at Le Mans, meant their lucky owners were certainly in the presence of something special.
This blend of achievement on the track and the rarity of models ever in production has made for each Frazer-Nash to be highly coveted automobile demanding large sums of money in auctions. Luckily enough for everyone, the Competition/Le Mans Replica remains a regular presence at vintage/historic automobile races and continues to provide onlookers with an opportunity to gaze upon Frazer-Nash's greatest effort in sportscar endurance racing and it rekindles memories of such special moments as Aldington nursing home one of his own at the famed Le Mans.
Sources:
'Lost Marques: Frazer Nash', (http://ucapusa.com/lost_marques_frazer_nash.htm). Ucapusa.com. http://ucapusa.com/lost_marques_frazer_nash.htm. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'The Le Mans Replica Model', (http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASHef2b12cc075dccac15b87d). Frazer-Nash Digital Library. http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASHef2b12cc075dccac15b87d. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'The Postwar Frazer-Nash', (http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASH0170ad9b5e7e5239448979ca). Frazer-Nash Digital Library. http://99.90.2.160/greenstone/cgi-bin/library.cgi?e=q-01000-00---off-0frazernash--00-1----0-10-0---0---0direct-10-TX--4-------0-1l--11-en-50---20-about-FrazerZz-Nash+High+Speed--00-3-1-00-0--4--0--0-0-11-10-0utfZz-8-00&a=d&c=frazernash&srp=0&srn=0&cl=search&d=HASH0170ad9b5e7e5239448979ca. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'MPH Models Archive', (http://www3.clikpic.com/mphmodels/photo_3463806.html). MPH Models. http://www3.clikpic.com/mphmodels/photo_3463806.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
'Le Mans 24 Hours Race Results', (http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html). Racing Sports Cars. http://www.racingsportscars.com/results/Le_Mans-1949-06-26.html. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
Wikipedia contributors, 'Frazer Nash', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 1 November 2012, 05:41 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frazer_Nash&oldid=520857734 accessed 17 December 2012 By Jeremy McMullen
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