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• Auction House:
  Mossgreen
• Sale Name:
  The Collection of the Late Clem Smith OAM
• Sale Date:
  20 Aug 2017 ~ 2.30pm
• Lot #:
  6
• Lot Description:
  1935 RAILTON FAIRMILE ONE DROPHEAD
  Body by Coachcraft - one of a mere 150 built. Chassis No:546552. Engine No: 159571
• Notes:
  Railton cars were made by Fairmile Engineering in Cobham, Surrey, between 1933 and 1940. It was the inspiration of Australian born Noel Macklin who had recently sold his Invicta Company, in 1933. The inspired name came from Reid Railton who designed the famous John Cobb Napier-Lion engined track car, the Napier-Railton, and was responsible for re-designing Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird. Sir (Albert) Noel Campbell Macklin (1886–1946) was an innovative car maker and boat designer. He founded Eric-Campbell in 1919, Silver Hawk in 1920, Invicta in 1925 and then Railton in 1933. Following the establishment of Railton his interests settled in powerboats and he founded Fairmile Marine and supplied boats to the Royal Navy throughout World War II, for which he received a knighthood. The first Railton was fitted with a coach built body made by Ranalah and was powered by a 4010 cc, 8-cylinder Hudson Terraplane chassis. This 2-door tourer was lighter than the Hudson Terraplane and had good performance producing 0-60 mph in 13 seconds. A saloon-bodied model soon followed and priced at £499 was remarkable value for money. In 1935, the original Terraplane chassis upscaled to the Hudson Eight and the engine grew to 4,168 cc and a wider range of body designs were also available. Two special lightweight models were made in 1935 and with a 0-60 time of 8.8 seconds, were claimed to be the fastest production car at the time. In addition to the purported 1,379 Railton 8s built there were smaller cars made also. Macklin sold the Railton company to Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, who then transferred production to their Chiswick factory. The marque went out of production with the outbreak of WW2 having produced around 1,400 cars, including various prototypes which were exhibited after the war. This 1935 Railton Fairmile One three position drophead coupé by Coachcraft, believed to be one of a mere 150 built, was bought by Clem Smith from Historics at Brooklands Auctioneers in the UK, in 2012. This car represents a most discerning purchase by Clem given his enthusiasm and knowledge for the Hudson marque. His perceptive understanding of car manufacturing and the historical significance this car has to the industry, makes this Railton the most important car in his interesting collection. On its arrival in Australia, Clem assessed the car and decided to undertake necessary mechanical works and essentially rebuilt the car and comprehensively rebuilt the engine. By October 2013, the car was ready to compete in its first outing at Collingrove Hillclimb in The Barossa Valley and put in a top performance. This vehicle will be sold unregistered.
• Estimate:
  A$90,000 - 120,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Automobiles & Accessories

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.