1927 Sandford S Grand Sport

Mr. Stuart Sanford built cars from 1923 to 1936 in a facility near Paris, France. 12 workers produced one car per fortnight. The car is powered by a Ruby 1098cc, 35 horsepower, water-cooled engine, three-speed manual transmission chain-driven rear wheel, and a top speed of 85 MPH.

The Sanford has numerous first place and first-in-class race wins. Mr. Rex purchased the car in 2006 from Paul Karassik, who brought the car to the US in 1969.

When Englishman Stewart Sandford moved to Paris, he found a job selling Morgan automobiles. The Morgans had a price advantage over many other 'automobiles' of the time, since they were taxed at a motorcycle rate. The Morgan's had three wheels and a two-cylinder engine which allowed them to fall in the motorcycle tax-code category. When customers began requesting 'cycle cars' with a more powerful engine, Sandford saw an opportunity to meet their demands. Sandford's four-cylinder, three-wheeled cycle car arrived on the market in 1922 and drew its design inspiration from the Morgans. There were differences, such as Sandford's steel frame instead of the wood frame of Morgan.

The four-cylinder engine, created by Ruby, was available in both naturally aspirated and supercharged form. The power produced by the engine was sent to the rear wheel via a two-chain system. Shifting is done with the left hand; a lever is located on the right side of the driver which operates a brake. A foot brake is also available to help keep the car in the driver's control.

The interior has room for a driver and a passenger. In the pre-War era, the second seat was usually occupied by a driving mechanic who served double duties as a counterweight, keeping the car from flipping over in the corners. Top speeds were reported to be over 100 mph and nearing the 115 to 120 mph range, which made this a very dangerous machine in corners.

By Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2007