1936 HRG 1500

The origins of the 'HRG' company followed a decade after the dissolution of the G.N. cyclecar company in 1925 when H.R. Godfrey partnered with fellow racing driver Major Edward Halford and automaker Guy Robins. The trio adopted the name H.R.G. Engineering Company for their new firm. Their early sports cars used a primitive ladder-type chassis with alloy coachwork, a solid tubular front axle, a solid rear axle, leaf-spring suspension, and cable-operated mechanical drum rakes. Although the suspension was stiff, the HRG Roadsters excelled through the corners, making up ground their Meadows four-cylinder engine had lost to the more powerful competitors on the straightaways. The later, Singer short-stroke engined examples had significantly better performance.

The Meadows 4ED 1.5-liter engine allied to a four-speed Moss transmission provided nearly 60 horsepower, but combined with an overall weight of fewer than 730 kgs (1,600 lbs), the lightweight sportscar could reach 90 mph, with zero-to-fifty mph achieved in under ten seconds. The HRG vehicles quickly earned a reputation for their super agile handling and brisk performance. Approximately sixteen cars were built using the Meadows 1.5-liter engine.

There were many similarities between the HRG 1500 and the chain-driven Frazer Nash, understandable since Nash was a former business partner of Godfrey. Unlike Frazer Nash, however, the HRG received a conventional gearbox and differential. Approximately twenty-six examples of the HRG 1500 were built with the Meadows 1.5-liter engine between 1935 and 1939. A single 'Airline Coupe' was built in 1938 with a Triumph 1,496cc engine with dual SU side-draft carburetors.

In 1936, HRG established its own premises at Tolworth in Surrey. When development of the Meadows was nearing its end, HRG turned to Singer, using a tuned version of the overhead-camshaft engine for the new model, the 1100. It debuted in 1938 and followed in the design principles of its larger 1½ Litre sibling. Construction was exclusive, with just eight examples built by the end of 1939 and an additional 41 were built in the post-war period up to 1950.

Shortly before the onset of World War II, the twin carburetor-fed 1,074cc overhead camshaft Singer 9 engine was modified to 1,496cc, resulting in the HRG 1500. After the war, production resumed - through 1956, with approximately 111 examples built. An additional 45 'Aerodynamic' examples were built with the 1,496cc Singer 12 horsepower engine from 1945 through 1949. Four Twin Cam examples were built in 1955 and 1956 powered by an HRG-developed 1,497cc DOHC Singer engine.

The factory operated its own racing team, entitled 'Ecurie Lapin Blanc', achieving success in various events including Le Mans and Spa 24 Hour. The HRG 1500 finished 13th overall and 2nd in class in 1937 at LeMans where it was piloted by owner Archie Scott and co-driver Ted Halford.

by Daniel Vaughan | Sep 2022