Footnotes

• Conceived by business partners Reid Railton and Noel Macklin, Railton cars were based on Hudson mechanicals and assembled at the old Invicta works on Macklin's Fairmile estate in Cobham, Surrey. Both men already possessed considerable motor-industry experience, Macklin having founded Invicta and Railton the Arab Motor Company. Railton also designed John Cobb's Napier Railton, which took the Brooklands Outer Circuit lap record in 1933, as well as Sir Malcolm Campbell's 'Bluebird' Land Speed Record cars of 1931 to 1935. Introduced in 1933, the first Railton used a modified Terraplane Eight chassis on which was mounted British-style coachwork.
  
  The Railton weighed less than the Terraplane and with 94bhp available from the 4,010cc sidevalve straight eight, the result was a stylish car with outstanding performance for its day. Priced at £499, it also represented remarkable value for money. Tourers were offered at first, followed by saloons and dropheads. Other Hudson chassis of various wheelbase lengths were used over the years and there was also a 'baby' Railton in the late 1930s, which was based on the Standard Ten. From 1935 Railton used the Hudson Special Eight chassis and its more powerful (113bhp) 4,173cc engine, which with around 124bhp on tap was carried over to the Deluxe chassis used from 1937 to 1939. A three-speed manual gearbox was standard equipment. Seven body styles were offered: Sandown, Cobham and Stratton saloons; Claremont, Fairmile and Carrington drophead coupés; and the University limousine. The marque was effectively killed-off at the outbreak of WW2 having produced around 1,400 cars, though a handful of prototypes was exhibited post-war, by which time the Railton enterprise had been sold to Hudson Motors Ltd.
  
  Chassis number 'H745376 carries Fairmile three-position coachwork by Coachcraft Ltd of Hanwell, West London, a firm that supplied many of Railton's 'factory' bodies. The car was imported into Italy from the UK circa 2006 and comprehensively restored by the respected coachbuilder Sasselli of Cesena. Repainted in the period colour scheme of California Cream over Royal Maroon with a magnolia hide interior and black hood, it started 'on the button' for a recent test drive and is described as in generally good condition. The car is offered with Railton Owners Club confirmation of specification, a quantity of old invoices and expired MoTs, FIVA identity card, ASI certificate, current Italian registration papers and copies of the UK V5C document.
  

Auction Notices

• Please note the rolling chassis was built in 1937. It stayed in chassis form until late 1945/early '46 when University Motors commissioned Coachcraft to produce the Fairmile DHC body. 1st registered on 15.4.1946 to a Mrs Coates of Stoke. In about 1950 it had a FHC body and in 1970 went to USA. Whilst in USA it was restored back into correct Fairmile guise as it looks today. 1988 it was in the UK.

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Category: Motoring / Motor Cars

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