1908 Napier Type 23A 45HP Touring Car

This 1908 Napier 45 Horsepower Type 23A Seven Seater Touring Car was offered for sale at the 2007 Christie's Auction of 'Exceptional Motor Cars at the Monterey Jet Center.' This is a very rare and unique automobile, formerly in the care of Rod Blood, the President of the Veteran Motor Car Club of America from 1942 - 1944. It is powered by a 377 cubic-inch six-cylinder engine and has a three-speed plus reverse transmission. The chassis has a wheelbase that measures 11 feet and 2 inches. When new, it sold for 915 British Pounds.

The Type 23A was introduced near the close of 1908. Its predecessor, the 40HP car, had a square engine, meaning its bore and stroke were both 4 inches. An extra inch to the stroke provided an additional five horsepower and more torque at low speeds.

The Napier marque was popular with royalty and nobility, thanks in part, to the engineering brilliance of Montague Napier and, in the early days, the marketing genius of Selwyn F. Edge, who brought the marque to prominence at the turn of the nineteenth century. Edge recognized the importance of successful competition in motorsports and entered a prototype model in the 1,000 Miles Trial in 1900. The company would go on to claim many firsts, building the first British racing car for the Gordon Bennett Race of 1901 and winning that prestigious event in 1902, the car wearing for the first time the British Racing Green livery. They also claimed to be the first manufacturer to offer a six-cylinder car in a production model - the 18-horsepower car of 1903. A six-cylinder model, this time a 60hp racer, set a new record at the newly opened Brooklands track in 1907, driving at an average speed of 65.9 mph for 24 hours. In 1908, a five-liter L-head six with a three-speed gearbox and shaft drive was introduced. Colonial models with a raised chassis offered greater ground clearance for customers in less-developed Commonwealth countries.

This example shown was one of the earliest Type 23A's constructed. It left the Acton works on October 30th, 1908. No records exist of its original owners. Little is known of its early life; the body appears to be a factory touring body. It is believed to have been directly exported to the United States. In the 1960s, the car returned to England and into the collection of a European resident.

This car is mostly original and in good condition. The seat leather has been replaced, the paint is believed to have been refurbished, and the full-length canopy top has been replaced. The car has Lucas King of the Road headlights, Wynford scuttle mounted side and twin Lucas tail lights, a bulb horn, running board mounted spare, and various brightwork with nickel finish. The Napier Sparkplugs are original to the car and still in working condition.

At the auction, this car was estimated to sell for $400,000 - $500,000. It was among the more rare and more intriguing cars of the auction, and it shattered the estimates by selling for $682,000, including the buyer's premium.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2014