The Fifty Years of the Light Sports Roadster 1910 to 1960 Introduction

Mainly For Fun The Fifty Years of the light sports roadster 1910 to 1960

Introduction Light Sports Roadster. Looking up these three words in the my dictionary, I find, of light weight, amusement, fun, diversion, outdoor pastime, for sport and use on the road. All the above apply to the type of car, the history of which I wish to relate to you. But to define it further, I look back to a term commonly used throughout the first half of the twentieth century to describe cars with an engine capacity up to 1500c.c. Light car. This serves very well to define the size of car I will be describing. "Sports car" as it is used today, is a very broad term, that is why I have chosen to use "sports roadster" to describe the two seat, open, sporting car that was once universally seen as the sports car, in this study. There are various other names to describe this type of car, iE Speedster, spyder, and others I am sure you will be able to think of, but to me sports roadster, is the most suitable. The MG T series of cars is to many people the quintessential light sports roadster, usually associated with young men of spirit, but loved by the young at heart of both sexes. These cars were not the first lightauto.com Page 1 of 102 and fortunately not the last of the breed, as I will describe in this and following volumes. Early motoring was always an adventure, never being sure when you would break down, or reach your destination successfully. It was novel, with speeds only matched or exceeded by express trains. By the turn of the century, motoring became a more predictable and reliable form of transport and therefore a less exiting pastime. The earliest sporting cars, were created by enthusiasts, lightening and tuning cars so that they may compete against other touring cars with an advantage, in the often illegal and clandestine hill climbs, speed trials and other sporting events that were staged whenever motoring enthusiasts got together. The open tourer was the most common type of body mounted on cars for the first thirty years of the motorcar, and the two seater tourer usually the lightest. The two seat open tourer, or roadster, in time provided the basis for the sports roadster. These didn't appear as a separate type until the beginning of the nineteen twenties. Previously special models of standard designs with tuned engines had to sufce. Some of these standard designs were very sporting, and if not termed "sports," were sporting in spirit. Voiturette Around the turn of the century as mainstream cars got bigger, the "voiturette" type was conceived, a simpler, smaller and cheaper to run light vehicle, mostly with single or twin cylinder engines. By 1912 the type had almost disappeared. Cyclecars. This was a motoring side track that started around 1910 and finally expired in the late thirties. The engineering was a hybrid, part motorcycle part car, and cycle cars were produced with three and four wheels. Mostly economy cars but some outstanding sporting machines were made. Light cars. The light car of the period shared the technology of the mainstream cars of the day, only smaller, lighter and with smaller capacity engines.In its roadster form, this was the type that was developed throughout the next sixty years, as the classic sports car. lightauto.com Page 2 of 102 Abbreviations used in the text.

Engine description. 4. Number of cylinders. IL Inline conﬁguration. "V"twin 2 cylinders in a vee. WC Water cooled. AC Air cooled. SV Side valve. OHV Overhead valve. IoE Inlet over exhaust valve. SOHC Single overhead camshaft. DOHC Double overhead camshaft.

Chassis description. 1/4 Elliptic. Quarter elliptic leaf springs. 1/2 Elliptic. Half elliptic leaf spring. Cantilever. Cantilever leaf spring. IFS Independent front suspension. FWD Front wheel drive.

Performance. MPH Miles per hour. BHP Brake horse power. RPM Revolutions per minute. KPH Kilometres per hour.

The Beginning 1910 to1920

The period 1910 to 1920 was a time of transition, when the voiturette type, the earliest form of light car,( The title was used again in the nineteen thirties on a class of racing cars.) Was giving way to the" light car". It wasn't just a change of name but a change in engineering, as signiﬁcant as the advent of the "mini," and its afect on car design. There was another development that started about this time, the cycle car. lightauto.com Page 3 of 102 Sizaire Naudin 12h.p. 1912 Voiturette France

Perhaps the unconventional Sizaire Naudin was intended to be an economy car, but the"poke" of it's unusual single cylinder engine gave it no mean urge, particularly in the larger sizes, and the controls were sufciently complicated to make the driving of it a sporting occupation! The speciﬁcation embraced a long-stroke single cylinder engine, the speed of which was controlled by altering valve lift, in a wooden frame with the distinction of i.f.s. by transverse leaf spring and vertical sliding members carrying the stub axles,( this several years prior to the ﬁrst world war ) while there was an exceedingly ingenious change-speed mechanism incorporating a means of pinion sideways and back and fore to mesh with a special multiple crown wheel. Petrol was carried in a cylindrical tank over the engine, and on all grounds the Sizaire Naudin must be accepted as a sports car, apart altogether from it's successes in voiturette contests.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Wooden ladder frame. Engine. single cylinder, 1,584cc. Transmission. 3 Forward speeds. Suspension front. ifs coils. Suspension rear. Live axle with gearbox. Weight. 500 kg. Wheelbase. 8ft 9in. Engine output.@ r.p.m. 2400. Max speed. 50 mph.

lightauto.com Page 4 of 102 Bugatti Type 13. 1910-1920 Germany/France

The Type 13 of 1910, the first car to carry the Bugatti name but not the first of his design as he had designed cars for other people starting in 1900 was very much a representative of the new breed of light cars. While most people think of grand prix cars or what today would be called super cars when the name Bugatti is mentioned, he also produced an outstanding series of light cars, from 1910 until the beginning of the 1930s, all with that unmistakable style and quality expected of him. It was also the first car to be produced in his new factory at Molsheim in Alsace then part of Germany, becoming part of France after the first world war. It was of conventional layout with a four cylinder water cooled engine at the front, this drove a multi-disc clutch running in oil and parafn, a separate four speed gearbox with a foot operated transmission brake at the rear of the box, then a propeller shaft and a live axle. The chassis frame was of pressed steel with semi-elliptic springs all round and brakes only on the back wheels. What made the car special was the rest of the specification, an engine with an overhead camshaft with curved tappets operating the valves in the eight valve cylinder head. The camshaft was driven by a vertical shaft and bevel gears. It was free revving for it's time and was built to the exacting standards that became expected of a Bugatti. By lightauto.com Page 5 of 102 1913 the rear springing was changed to the reversed quarter- elliptic layout that was used on all Bugatti's from then on.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 1327cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam, 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. None. Brakes rear. Drum & transmission brake. Weight. Wheelbase. 2 metres. Engine output. 20 bhp.@ r.p.m. Max speed. 100 kph.

lightauto.com Page 6 of 102 "GN" Grand Prix 1913 Cycle car England

Out of the many cycle car manufacturers, one of those that made an outstanding sporting car was "GN". It was the creation of H.R.Godfrey and A. Fraser Nash, who had opened a factory at Hendon in 1911 to produce economy cycle cars. By 1913 now in a new factory they had discovered the formula, that if you use a very lightweight form of construction with an engine of normal output, high performance is bound to follow. This was the secret of sporting cycle cars and can be found today with the "Caterham Super Seven" and the "Lotus Elise". They had moved on from using motorcycle engines to producing their own cycle car type engines. It was an air- cooled "v" twin, set across the wooden chassis frame, with the exhaust valves facing forward to assist cooling. The dry single plate clutch was incorporated in the external flywheel and the primary drive was taken through a shaft and bevel gearing to a cross shaft. Twin chains running on diferent diameter sprockets to provide two gear ratios, took the drive to a second cross shaft which carried the pulleys for the final drive to the rear wheels by belts. Some of the 1913-14 models had four chains providing three forward speeds and reverse or four forward speeds. This model was the type used in the 1913 Cycle car Grand Prix at Amiens and was capable of 60 m.p.h. Apart from the standard production model, in 1914 two special high performance models, known as "Kim" and Bluebottle", which had various advanced features such as bronze cylinder heads with inclined valves of large diameter, a hemispherical combustion chamber and ball bearings for the main shaft. This type of engine developed 30 h.p. at 3400 lightauto.com Page 7 of 102 r.p.m. and gave the GN cycle car a maximum speed of 80m.p.h. The model which was designed for the 1914 Cycle car Grand Prix had a developed standard engine with deep cylinder fins, and was capable of 55 m.p.h. Production stopped during the first world war, and the only car work carried out during the time was the design and building of the chain driven prototype which was to become the post war model.

Layout. Front engine /rear wheel drive. Chassis. Wooden ladder frame. Engine."V" twin. AC. IoE 1087cc. Transmission. Shaft. Chain gang. Belts. Suspension front. Tubular beam 1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Axle shaft & 1/4 elliptic. Steering. Brakes front.None. Brakes rear.Drums. Weight. 230 kg. Wheelbase. Engine output. Unknown Max speed. 55 mph.

lightauto.com Page 8 of 102 Morgan Aero 1913-1930 Three wheeled cycle car England

The other cycle car manufacturer to make an outstanding sporting car, or to be correct, an outstanding line of sporting cars still with us today, was “Morgan”. Starting with a three wheeled cycle car, the”Grand Prix”, “Aero” of 1913 that was evolved from his economy cars by H.F.S. Morgan, from the beginning based in Malvern Links, just south west of Worcester. “V” twin cylinder air and water cooled J.A.P. engines of 996c.c. capacity were initially ﬁtted, but soon other units of the same general type were also used including the M.A.G. Precision and Green designs. The chassis consisted of a single central propeller tube acting as a backbone, a tubular front frame with the sliding pillar and coil springs front suspension. From the engine that was set across the frame and the clutch, a propeller shaft inside the frame tube led to a bevel gear and cross shaft and two secondary chain drives, providing two forward gear ratios which were selected by dog clutches, transmitting the power to the sprung rear wheel. In addition to proving itself to be an excellent touring cycle car, as was shown by its successes in long distance trails such as the London-Edinburgh and London-Exeter, it was also very successful in sprint races, hill climbs and track and road racing. In December, 1912, H.S.F.Morgan established a cycle lightauto.com Page 9 of 102 car record by covering nearly 60 miles an hour at Brooklands, for which he gained the Cycle car trophy. The three-wheeled class of the Cycle car Grand Prix race at Amiens in June, 1913, was won by WG MacMinnes on a Morgan at an average speed of 42 m.p.h. against a strong ﬁeld of continental competitors. Although essentially simple, particularly when compared with the later light cars of the 1920s, the Morgan continued in favour for some forty years, during which time about 20,000 were built.

Layout. Front engine /rear wheel drive. Chassis. Tubular backbone. Engine. “V” twin various. Transmission. Shaft & chain ﬁnal drive. Suspension front. Sliding pillar & coil springs I.f.s. Suspension rear. Trailing fork & 1/4 elliptic. Steering. Direct. Brakes front. None. Brakes rear. Contracting band, hand & foot. Max speed. 60 mph.

lightauto.com Page 10 of 102 Roaring Twenties 1920-1930

At the beginning of the decade it was only Bugatti with the “Brescia”,a development of the type”13”, a light sports roadster First seen in 1920, with GN, and Morgan producing sporting cycle cars, all developments of their prewar cars, introducing new ideas learnt in the hard school of motor racing. They didn’t have their own way for long, as other motor manufacturers were soon to discover the light sports roadster. In 1921 Wolseley joined them with the “Sports 10”, then in 1922 there were three more, with the “Bamford & Martin” , the beginning of the Aston Martin line, the “Riley Redwing”, the start of another great line of sporting roadsters and the “Horstman Sports” a single model venture made up the trio. The Alvis “12/50” made an appearance in 1923. Another one model venture was the Rhode” sports model of 1924. The Fraser Nash series of cars started in 1925 with the “Anzani”, after the GN team went their separate ways. This year saw another one model venture into sports roadsters, the “ABC Supersports”.1926 brought a batch of second and third generation models,, Aston Martin with series of cars including the “Inter Le Mans”and the Ulster, and Bugatti with the “Type 37”. With the notable exception of the Bugatti’s, so far all the cars had come from Great Britain, but now the Bugatti was joined in France by the “Senecal T53 Sports”and the Amilcar “Six”. The year 1927, saw two other entries from France into the fray, the Amilcar “Grand Sports and the Salmson Grand Prix. The Alvis “12/75” from England, a front wheel drive car, also appeared in 1928 as did the Singer “Porlock”, and the Vernon Derby. A complete round up of the years new models, was completed by the Lea Francis “1 1/2 litre Hyper”, the Alfa Romeo “6C 1500”, and the Standard “Sports”. 1929 the year that saw the first of a line of “MG” light sports roadsters, the “M type Midget”, that continued with only a break in world war two, for over fifty years, until the Healey designed” Midget”, was dropped in 1979. A strong competitor to the “Midget” on the road and in competition, was the Austin7” Ulster” which lightauto.com Page 11 of 102 appeared in the previous year, finally Riley joined in with the Brooklands.

lightauto.com Page 12 of 102 Brescia Bugatti 1920-1926 Light Sports Roadster France

In 1920, Bugatti introduced the sixteen valve head on the “Type 27”, engine, seventy years before it was the in thing in the nineteen nineties. The “Type 13”, cars ﬁtted with that engine became known as the “Brescia”, after a great racing success in 1921. Due to it’s potential the “Brescia” was very successful in competition, and forty of the two thousand made were racing versions, driven by among others Henry Segrave and Raymond Mays, the ﬁrst later to become holder of the world land speed record and the other, founder of “ERA”. The “Brescia was steadily improved, getting four wheel brakes by 1925 and better electrical equipment by the time production stopped in 1926. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 16 valve. 1368cc/1453cc/ 1496cc. Transmission.4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam,1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, reversed 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 2 metres. Engine output. 40 to 50 bhp.@ r.p.m. Max speed. 100 to 120 kph. lightauto.com Page 13 of 102 Wolseley Sports 10 1921 Light Sports Roadster England

One of the oldest English motor-car manufacturers, the Woleley Company did not produce a sports car for public sale until 1921 when, through the auspices of Captain (later Sir) Alastair Miller, who was managing their competition department at the time, they brought out a sports version of the o.h.c. Ten, the engine of which owed a good deal to the Hispano Suiza airplane engines which Wolseley had built during the war. This sports Ten had an attractive aluminium body with vee windscreen and ﬂowing wings and an airship- like tail. They probably did 70 mph. but very few were sold. One of them covered over 71 miles in an hour at Brooklands, driven by Mrs Knox. In 1923 the Price was £695.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4 IL WC. SOHC 1261cc. Transmission. 3 speed reverse. Weight. Wheelbase. 8ft 3inches. Max speed. 70 mph.

lightauto.com Page 14 of 102 “GN” Vitesse 1922 Sport Cycle car England

After the war the Vitesse model, which had formerly been the G.P. model with tuned engine and steel pistons, was revived with alloy pistons and both valves in the head. Much more exiting was the later Vitesse version with a camshaft above each cylinder operating inclined valves, these camshafts being driven by a long exposed chain at the back of the engine, so that the intrepid pilot not only left a ﬁne aroma of burnt caster oil in his wake but had his face and chest liberally spattered with unburned lubricant. This engine is not to be confused with the racing Akela with separate shafts up each “pot” to drive the overhead camshafts. Had it’s makers pursued these sporting lines of thought the G N might have survived. As it was they tried to enter the Rover Eight market by adding a dash of reﬁnement, the additional weight killed performance, and the Austin Seven dealt the G N its knock-out blow. After trying a terribly dreary shaft drive version on the public, a sporting 4 cylinder Anzani engined G.N was introduced, but the old magic was gone and the initials lapsed, to be revived in spirit under the name Frazer-Nash.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel ladder. Engine. 2 V AC SOHC 1087cc. Transmission. 3 speed lightauto.com Page 15 of 102 chain & dog clutch. Suspension. Tubular beam, 1/4 elliptic. Suspension. Axle shaft, 1/4 elliptic. Steering. Crown wheel & bevel pinion. Brakes front. None. Brakes rear. Drum. Engine output. 35 bhp.@ r.p.m.

lightauto.com Page 16 of 102 Bamford & Martin 1922 Light Sports Roadster England

One of the greatest of all sports cars, the Aston Martin was scarcely ever made in any other form. The car originated as aside valve 1 1/2 litre machine very carefully built in Kensington by Bamford and Martin; in those days the names were hyphenated and a minimum speed of 65 mph. was guaranteed for a full lap of Brooklands track. The side valve was the production model, but ventures with o.h.c. engines were made and twin cam racing cars were built with money paid into the company by Count Zborowski, who used the cars to break into road racing. When Zborowski was killed at Monza in 1924 while driving for Mercedes the ﬁnancial death knell sounded for the Bamford and Martin cars, but the ﬁrm was resuscitated in 1926 by Renwich and Bertelli. Layout.Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel frame. Engine.4 IL SV WC 1496cc. Transmission.4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front.Drum. Brakes rear.Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 8 ft 7 1/2 inches. Max speed. 65 mph plus.

lightauto.com Page 17 of 102 Riley Redwing 1922 Light Sports Roadster England

The ﬁrst sports Riley was the husky side valve Redwing, preferably in polished aluminium form with outside copper exhaust pipe and ﬂowing wings, but also available as a comfortable and smart 4 seater, the type name derived from the red painted mudguards.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel frame. Engine. 4 IL WC SV 1498cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. None. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 9ft.

lightauto.com Page 18 of 102 Horstman Sports 1922 Light Sports Roadster England

The Horstman light car, prodigy of Mr Sydney Horstmann of Bath, exhibited more initiative than was the case with many such small cars. It had Daimler ﬂuting to it’s pointed radiator, could be commenced from the cockpit if you could master the kick starting mechanism found therein, and later models had an early and ingenious system of hydraulic four wheel braking. Horstmans were entered for the 200 Mile Race at Brooklands, for which purpose pioneer experiments were conducted with supercharging the side valve Anzani engine. In this form the car driven by Major Coe was faster than most. Inevitably, from a ﬁrm with such advanced ideas, a sports model was amongst the catalogued cars, one of which was virtually the racing job with sketchy road equipment. However, there was also a normal sports version, less exiting but more practical and perhaps aided by an anti roll device applied to the cantilever suspension.Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4 IL WC SV 1440cc Anzani. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle cantilever springs with anti roll device. Brakes front. None. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 9ft 4inches. lightauto.com Page 19 of 102 Alvis 12/50 1923 Light Sports Roadster England

The sports Alvis belongs largely to the vintage period, the 12/50, which appeared in 1923 in polished aluminium “duck back” style with short stroke big port 11/2 litre engine with duralumin con rods, sparked it of. A racing version won that years J.C.C. 200 mile race at Brooklands convincingly after both Fiats had retired, and those who could aford some £550 for a light sports car found plenty of performance in the 12/50, even if ﬁnes had to be allowed for in the motoring budget due to police interest in its straight through outside copper exhaust pipe. Later came the “beetle back” version, sometimes with exhaust underneath, where it wasn’t so obvious. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel ladder. Engine. 4 IL. WC SV 1440cc Anzani. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle/1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle/cantilever. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 9ft 4inches.

lightauto.com Page 20 of 102 Rhode Sports Model 1924 Light Sports Roadster England

The Birmingham built Rhode was a rather crudely constructed light car of the vintage era which had a single o.h. c. engine with dynamo magneto mounted to form a vee at it’s front end. Lubrication of the rather casual rocker gear was contrived by letting the ﬂywheel scoop up the lubricant and hurl it through a vertical tunnel into the valve chamber. A solid back axle assisted the mildly sporting tendencies.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4IL WC SOHC 1232cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 8ft 6inches.

lightauto.com Page 21 of 102 Frazer Nash Anzani/Boulogne/Ulster 1925-1932 Light Sports Roadster England

One of the greatest of all the genuine sports cars, the Frazer Nash, like the Aston Martin, was made in scarcely any other form. The Frazer Nash went on when the GN cycle car entered the doldrums, Archie Frazer Nash having been a successful GN racing driver and, indeed the “N” of GN The car of his name retained the famous dog and chain transmission and a slightly reﬁned version of GN suspension, wherein the front shock- absorbers were mounted below the 1/4 elliptic springs to act as radios arms for the tubular front axle. Because it was very light and the all chain transmission was efcient, with speeds that swapped almost instantaneously, the vintage Frazer Nash was a fast car, capable of motoring almost as quickly in third as in top after it had been indeed with four forward speeds. Historians will argue ﬁercely as to whether the original Frazer Nash had a Ruby, DFP or Powerplus engine, but by the time the car was established it made very good use of a 40 b.h.p. side valve Anzani power unit to propel it’s 13cwt., and any undergraduate unable to aford a 3 litre Bentley was happy with an Anzani Nash, which went nearly as well and was a quite eye catching afair in polished aluminium, even the wings and running boards being of this material. In 1927 these delectable sports cars cost under £300 and a racing bodied Boulogne model was listed for serious minded speed men. lightauto.com Page 22 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel frame. Engine. 4 IL WC SV 1496cc. (Anzani). Transmission. 3 speed & reverse, chain & dog clutch. Suspension front. Tubular axle 1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Axle shaft 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 13cwt. Wheelbase. 9ft 9inches. Engine output. 40 bhp.@ r.p.m. Max speed. 75 mph.

lightauto.com Page 23 of 102 ABC Super Sports 1925 Light Sports Roadster England

The air cooled ﬂat twin ABC, with it’s reliable rugged back axle and unusual vertical gear gate, steered like a good sports car but was really an economy light car. But this Granville Bradshaw designed Surrey built small car made a fairly decent pretence of being a sports car when it came out in Super Sports guise with airship tail in 1924-25. With enlarged cylinder bores and twin carburettors hung on a common manifold, power output and speed were enhanced by approximately ten, to 40 bhp and 70 mph., respectively (0-55mph. occupied 14.2 seconds). S. C. H Davis had an early ABC called “Grandpa” which he drove in MCC trails, but the Super Sports model, apart from it’s special body, used the later engine with enclosed push rods and rockers, which obviated the distressing tendency these cars had originally of shedding push-rods, which were apt to leave in their wake mysterious examples of apparent hooliganism such as shattered shop windows. Gordon England used to race an ABC at Brooklands, using a diversity of bodywork but ending up with a fully streamlined 2-seater. When he found the ABC engine unsuitable he was not against installing a Bristol Cherub light aeroplane power unit, which was also an air- cooled ﬂat-twin.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 2 Flat twin. AC OHV 1326cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. lightauto.com Page 24 of 102 Wheelbase. 8ft 6inches. Engine output. 40 bhp.@ r.p.m. Max speed. 70 mph.

lightauto.com Page 25 of 102 Bugatti Type 37 and 37A 1926-1930 Light Sports Roadster France

The Bugatti Type 37, the replacement for the Brescia, was the simpler of the two cars based on the Type 35 Grand Prix car, introduced in 1925 and 1926, the ﬁrst was the Type 35A with an eight cylinder engine, the other the Type 37 was ﬁtted with a four cylinder engine. It had coil ignition, plain main bearings, a single overhead camshaft and three valves per cylinder, two inlet and one exhaust. Being based on the Type 35, it inherited that cars outstanding handling and a similar beautifully proportioned body but with wire wheels. With a top speed of 95 M.P.H. and price in Britain in 1927 of £550 it was in a class of it’s own. The Type 37A was a supercharged development of the Type 37. Introduced in 1928 and made until 1930, it was raced successfully at Brooklands and in the Voiturette class at other venues.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4.IL WC SOHC 1496cc. (37A supercharged.) lightauto.com Page 26 of 102 Transmission. Multi plate wet clutch, 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Forged tubular axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, reversed 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum with cable operation. Brakes rear. Drum with cable operation. Wheelbase. 2.4 metres. Engine output. Type 37, 60 bhp. / Type 37A. 80-90bhp.@ R.P.M. Max speed. Type 37. 95 mph. / Type 37A. 100+ mph .

lightauto.com Page 27 of 102 Aston Martin Series One to Ulster 1926-1935 Light Sports Roadsters England

Renwick and Bartelli were engine builders with their ﬁrst engine, designed by Claude Hill one of their employees. This they used in the new Aston Martin designed by A Bartelli, soon after taking over the company. A 1500cc unit, it is the common feature of the following car, “Series One & Two”, “International”, “Le Mans”, “Mark two” and “Ulster”. The four cylinder engine had inline inclined valves operated by a single overhead camshaft and eccentrically mounted rockers the camshaft was chain driven and the head could be removed without disturbing the timing.Cooling was by pump to the cylinder head but thermos siphon to the block. The new car, the “Series One”, was made in a new factory at Feltham, and ﬁrst seem at the 1927 London Motor Show. Early cars had an underslung worm drive back axle but with the introduction of the “International” in 1930 this was changed to a spiral bevel drive, a separate gearbox completed the transmission all made in house. You could buy an “International”, for £598 in 1929, it was made until 1932 and around 150 were produced The “Series Two”, was introduced in 1932 using many proprietary components in an efort to reduce production costs. This and other design changes allowed the price to be reduced to £475. The “Series two International”, was soon superseded by the “Le Mans”, this had a lower body line than the “International and a lightauto.com Page 28 of 102 70 bhp engine, the “International”, being 60 bhp 130 were make of these models. The next step the “Mark 2”, came along in 1934, it had a deeper stifer chassis and other detailed changes to improve roadholding. Power output was increased to 73 bhp at 5200 rpm The high performance version of this was the “Ulster”, which had a 80 bhp engine, could reach 100 mph and cost £750. A replica of the team cars that competed in the 1934 Ulster TT, they had a narrow body a full length under tray and a boat tail enclosing the spare wheel. 21 were made out of a total of 166 “Mark 2” cars. The last of the 1 1/2 litre cars this was one of the best pre-war Ashton Martins. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 1494cc. Transmission. 4 Speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Le Mans, 19cwt. Wheelbase. Various. Engine output. Series One, 56 bhp. Inter, 60 bhp. Series Two, 60bhp. Le Mans, 70 bhp. Mark Two, 73 bhp. Ulster, 85 bhp.@ R.P.M. 4250 to 5250. Max speed. Series One & Series Two, 80 mph. Le Mans, 85 mph. Mark Two, 84 mph. Ulster, 100 mph.

lightauto.com Page 29 of 102 Senechal TS 1926 Light Sports Roadster France

The Senechal, called after the would be racing driver who jumped over the railings and ofered to replace a team driver when the GP Delage racers were frying the feet of the occupants, a gesture which earned the bearded Frenchman a place in the works team, can be said to complete the trio of successful small French sports cars which were well known in England in vintage times, the other two being the Amilcar and the Salmson. In fact, the Senechal, which was evolved by its designer to enable him to race in the Bol d’Or endurance race, was of more simple design than the others. The chassis employed transverse leaf spring front suspension, 1/4 elliptic tat the back and was content with a tube radiator. The engine came between Amilcar and the Salmson, inasmuch as it was a push rod OHV unit which drove through a cone clutch to a solid back axle. The beret hatted sportsman of 1926 could buy a 3 seater pointed tail Senechal for a mere £255, or £270 if he deemed front brakes desirable to curb the top speed of something in the region of 70 m.p.h. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4IL WC OHV 1094cc. Suspension front.Beam axle transverse elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/4 elliptic. Steering. Brakes front. Drum (optional) Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 8ft 2inches. Max speed. 70mph. lightauto.com Page 30 of 102 Amilcar Six 1926 Sports Light Roadster France

Another version of the Amilcar was the beautiful little twin- cam 6-cylinder Roots-supercharged model, it was much more exciting than the Grand Sports, It appeared in 1926 and was a pure racing car, which you could buy for £695. The 1,094cc. engine possessed dry-sump lubrication but relied on plain bearings. The Amilcar Six looked like a small GP Bugatti but it was another half-dozen years before Bugatti went over to a twin-cam engine! An out-and-out small racing car which was soon in demand amongst British amateurs, and in the hands of professional drivers was dominating the 1,100cc. class, the Amilcar Six could be had with sketchy sports equipment, and even before this was freely available Vernon Balls evolved a means of endowing these very rapid little cars with a dynamo and starter. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 6 IL WC DOHC 1096cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Wheelbase. 7ft. Engine output.@ r.p.m.

lightauto.com Page 31 of 102 Amilcar Grand Sport 1927 Light Sports Roadster France

The sports Amilcar belongs entirely to the vintage era and is of two quite distinct versions. This fast little French car started life as a lively small car with splash lubricated 4 cylinder engine of 55X95mm. and a skif body. This soon developed into a real small sports model with larger engine (60X95mm.) which in spite of side valves gave a very reasonable supply of power, and a typically French, pointed tail, door less sports body enhanced by long combined wings and step boards. Road holding was of a high order, aided by stif 1/2 elliptic front springs mounted outboard of the frame and a 1/4 elliptic sprung back axle which eschewed a diferential. In it’s later CGS “Grand Sports” form with cowled radiator and cycle type wings the 1100cc. Amilcar found considerable favour with young sportsmen in England until ousted by national products such as the Riley Nine and M.G. Midget. Vernon Balls was an agent who achieved much success with Amilcar in races, and Boon and Porter did a brisk trade in them. A Ricardo head gave the game little engine even more power and the speciﬁcation included front brakes with ribbed drums, applied through the unusual medium of steel strips on the later “Surbaisse” cars, lightauto.com Page 32 of 102 the engine now having full pressure lubrication. The young bloods of the 1920s could do some 70-75mph. in his light and rakish Amilcar and still obtain nearly 40 mpg.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4 IL WC SV 1074cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/4 elliptic. Steering. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Wheelbase. 7ft 7inches. Max speed. 75mph.

lightauto.com Page 33 of 102 Salmson Grand Prix Special 927 Light Sports Roadster France

Commencing shortly after the armistice as a French 2-cylinder GN built under licence, the Salmson soon developed into one of the first production twin-o.h.c. cars, with a splendid racing background. For a time a small car was made with 4 push- rods to actuate it’s 8 overhead valves, which the uninitiated find terribly bafing. But soon all production was concentrated on the 1,100 c.c. twin-cam cars. Of these, the GP model with its long racing tail appealed to sportsmen in England as well as in France who were prepared to overlook the rapid tyre wear caused by a diferential-less back axle and limitations of a 3-speed gearbox. The light weight of the car, with it’s staggered-seat body, the occupants in which were protected by a vee windscreen, gave very good performance for the English price of only £265 in 1927. The maximum speed was 70-75 m.p.h. and the appearance was enhanced by a cowled radiator with X-motif and long flowing mudguards. There were rather dubiously secured centre-lock wire wheels. Later models were given pressure lubrication and the Grand Prix Special had tubular con-rods and a 4-speed gearbox. The best version was the San Sebastian, with two plugs per cylinder, which could be obtained with a Cozette supercharger. All manner of drivers raced Salmsons at Brooklands before the lightauto.com Page 34 of 102 end of the vintage period and the works cars continued to build up victories at Le Mans, Montlhery, in the. 200 Miles Race, and elsewhere.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC DOHC 1087cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear.Live axle 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase.8ft 6inches. Engine output.@ r.p.m. Max speed.70-75 mph.

lightauto.com Page 35 of 102 Singer Porlock 1928-1930 Light Sports Roadster England

The pre-1914 Singer Ten was an economy car with a typically Edwardian engine and its’ gearbox incorporated in the back axle. Lionel Martin tuned up these little Singers to good efect before he thought of making the Aston Martin and the Singer Sporting Model was listed by the makers after the Armistice, one being entered in stripped form for the 1921 Mile Race at Brooklands. However, the ﬁrst true Singer sports car was the Porlock, which was a 2-seater edition of the 850cc. Singer Junior which had been introduced as an economy car in 1927. The engine had slightly inclined overhead valves operated by a chain-driven overhead camshaft, which was well suited to development with enhanced performance in mind. The Porlock was so called because a publicity stunt consisting of 100 ascents of Porlock Hill in a day was staged in 1928, the year of its’ inception. The Porlock had only a small performance advantage over the normal Singer Junior; it remained virtually unchanged, except for a slightly altered body line, while it was in production, but it paved the way for a sports Nine in 1930. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 848cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. lightauto.com Page 36 of 102 Vernon Derby 1928 Light Sports Roadster England

The Vernon Derby was yet another of the small French sports cars which possessed racing-type bodywork and no means performance. It was rather better ﬁnished than some of these sports voiturette’s and could be had with various power units, of which the Chapuis-Dornier, Ruby or S.C.A.P. were popular. Suspension was by 1/2-elliptic front, and 1/4-elliptic back, springs and no diferential was used. Although it was more handsome than many of it’s counter-parts and had the advantage of a 4-speed gearbox, the Vernon Derby never achieved the acclaim of the Amilcar and Salmson. In 1928 the 2-seater was priced in England at a modest £275.

Layout.Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Engine. 4 IL WC OHV 1100cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Wheelbase.7ft 8inches.

lightauto.com Page 37 of 102 Lea-Francis 1 1/2 Litre Hyper 1928-1931 Light Sports Roadster England

After making good motor cycles, Lea-Francis of Coventry built a better than average light car, the Meadows powered 11/22. The late F.L.M. Harris, when he was editor of the Light Car magazine, enthused over a special car with Meadows 4ED power unit in this light chassis, and thus the ﬁrst sports Lea- Francis was born.With the power of a later-day Frazer Nash and the low weight of the 1924 small car, aided by a diferential-less back axle, the performance can well be imagined. When the makers adopted the 1 1/2 litre Meadows engine in production models they, too,Produced some worthy sports cars. The Cozette supercharged Hyper model with fabric or metal 2-seater body was a very rapid car in spite of the width and height of the bodywork and ensured a permanent niche in the hall of fame by winning the ﬁrst Ulster T.T. race with Kaye Don at the wheel. There was also a rather more slender Brooklands model.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Engine. 4 IL OHV WC 1496cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Wheelbase. 9ft 3inches. lightauto.com Page 38 of 102 Max speed. 85 mph.

lightauto.com Page 39 of 102 Standard Sports 1928 Light Sports Roadster England

The worm-drive Nine which saved the day for the Standard Company in 1927 was available in sports 2-seater form in 1928 for £225. A Gordon England fabric body with aluminium top decking was used and, greatly daring, the makers spoke of a supercharged version capable of 15 mph. above the 60 mph. top speed of the unblown Sports Standard. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Engine. 4 IL SV WC 1155cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 7ft 8inches. Max speed. 60 mph unblown 75 mph blown.

lightauto.com Page 40 of 102 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Sports & Super Sports 1928-29 Light Sports Roadster Italy

The 6C 1500 Sports and Super Sports were created because Alfa Romeo needed new cars to continue their involvement in motor sport after the 2 litre P2 Grand Prix car became obsolete with the change to the 1 !/2 litre GP formula. The answer was to develop cars for sports car racing from the current 6C 1500 touring cars. The six cylinder SOHC engine of the 6C 1500 owed a lot to the eight cylinder 2 litre P2 Grand Prix engine, having the same designer Vittorio Jano and layout. With the substitution of a DOHC for a SOHC arrangement and increased compression ratio, the power was increased from 44 bhp to 54 bhp a reduction in weight of 40 Kg for an open touring body, gave a top speed of 78mph Introduced in 1928, one hundred and fifty-seven sports were sold that year. This was in no small part due to the highly developed road holding qualities and finger light steering. In 1929 came the 6C 1500 Super Sports with a raised compression ratio and a power output of 60 bhp with a shortened chassis and weight reduced by 110Kg acceleration was improved. The next step was the fitting of a Roots supercharger, bringing the power to 76 bhp with a top speed of 87mph. Alfa Romeo used the cars to good efect in motor racing, taking first and second places in the 1927 Circuit of Modena and winning the Mille Miglia with a 84 lightauto.com Page 41 of 102 bhp far from standard supercharged car driven by Campari, and second in the Targa Florio. Production for 1929 was only thirty-nine for all the 1500 sports models as the next development took this line out of this study with the creation of one of the greatest sports cars of all time the 6C 1750.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 6 I.L W.C DOHC 1487cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. Sports 960kg. Super Sports 860kg. Wheelbase. 2.92 metre. Engine output. Sports 54 bhp Super Sports 60 bhp. @ r.p.m. 4500 & 4800. Max speed. 79 & 99 mph.

lightauto.com Page 42 of 102 Alvis 12/75 1928-30 Light Sports Roadster England

The 12/50 engine was used as a basis in a pioneering front wheel drive car the 12/75, it had all independent suspension using four transverse leaf springs at the front in a “Wishbone” configuration, behind the front mounted radiator was the final drive with the brakes mounted inboard, then the four speed gearbox and finally the engine, mounted back to front by contemporary standards, this necessitated a long bonnet. When a Roots supercharger was fitted, speeds of 85 mph. were attained. Being a pioneering venture, the transmission was noisy and the handling difcult.

Layout. Front engine/front wheel drive.Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 1481cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Independent 4x 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear.Independent 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum . Brakes rear. Drum. Max speed. 85 mph.

lightauto.com Page 43 of 102 Austin 7 Ulster 1928-32 Light Sports Roadster England

Introduced in 1928, the Ulster was the ﬁrst production sports roadster made by Austin on the Seven chassis. Before that a two-seater tourer the Chummy, and a few specially tuned and light weight cars were made by Gordon England. The Seven chassis was lowered by three inches for the Ulster, with the aid of a drop front axle that had the usual transverse leaf spring but this was bound with cord to increase stifness, two quarter elliptic leaf springs at the rear to the live axle. Four wheel drum brakes as on the basic Seven and a close ratio gearbox were ﬁtted, also a pointed tail body and an outside exhaust system. The 747c.c. four cylinder water cooled side valve two bearing engine produced 24 bhp. or with a Cozette supercharger 33 bhp. with the latter the Ulster was capable of 75 mph. 168 were made before production ceased in 1932.

lightauto.com Page 44 of 102 Layout. Front engine/front wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SV.747cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle, transverse 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 6ft 3inches. Engine output. 24bhp. or blown 33 bhp. Max speed. mph. Blown 75 mph.

lightauto.com Page 45 of 102 Riley 9 Brooklands & Speed Model 1929 Light Sports Roadster England

The sensational advent of the Riley Nine in 1926 paved the way for a sports version of this advanced little car with its inclined overhead valves operated by high-set camshafts and short, light push-rods, one each side of the cylinder block. Parry Thomas became interested and, aided by Reid Railton, shortened and drastically lowered the chassis and incorporated other modiﬁcations, to form the exceptionally low-slung “Brooklands” Riley Nine, from the cockpit of which the occupants could easily touch the ground with their hands. Indeed, low build was a keynote of the car, for a tiny radiator kept the body line and the long tail very low. Thomson and Taylor commenced production at Brooklands after Railton had won the ﬁrst race there which the car was entered, a victory which, alas Thomas did not live to see. The Riley Company took over manufacture and as the “Speed Model” this exiting British sports car competed in many important races, such as the T.T. It is a matter of history that many famous drivers raced the Nine, which was developed to an extent not required of production sports cars. Freddie Dixon was perhaps the most successful of all the Riley exponents.

lightauto.com Page 46 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4.I.L WC OHV 1089cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front Drum. Brakes rear Drum. Wheelbase. 8ft. .

lightauto.com Page 47 of 102 MG M Type Midget 1929-1932 Light Sports Roadster England

The “M “ Type was the ﬁrst of the “Midgets” and was a lowered mildly tuned version of the “Morris Minor”, the roadster model having a simple wood and fabric body with a pointed tail. The “Minor “ engine, a water cooled four of 849cc, was based on the single overhead camshaft six of the “Wolseley 10”. It used the vertically mounted dynamo to drive the camshaft through a bevel gear and had two main bearings. Producing 20bhp at 4000rpm, the “M type Midget” could reach 65mph. With a dry plate clutch and three speed gearbox, a four speed being optional in 1930, conventional beam and live axles with half lightauto.com Page 48 of 102 elliptic springs all round and four wheel cable operated brakes, they were the beginning of a popular line of at £175 an inexpensive sports cars. Production of 3235 including coupes, showing that the right car at the right price was a winning formula.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 847cc. Transmission. 3 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum, cable operated. Brakes rear. Drum, cable operated. Wheelbase. 6ft 6inches. Engine output. 20 bhp. @ r.p.m. 4000. Max speed. 65 mph.

lightauto.com Page 49 of 102 Part Three The Glory Years 1930 1940

This was a time when the British sports car came of age and flourished, when there was always a selection of light sports roadsters available to the young man of comfortable means to enjoy the almost trafc free country roads. MG first produced in 1931 the MG “C” type Midget also the Magna. Then the “Magnette” a parallel model in 1932.Also in 1932 the first Alta the “9HP” was produced along with a new Frazer Nash, the “TT Replica”, the Wolseley “Hornet” and an another variant of the MG “Midget” the “J2.”” In 1933 Austin introduced a new Seven roadster, the “65”, later to be the “Nippy” Singer the “Nine Le Mans” and the Vale “Special” made a appearance. Morgan produced the last variant of the sporting three wheelers, the final “Supersports”, this was produced until 1939. Nineteen thirty-four was another bumper year with another version of the Austin Seven, the “Speedy”. The only none English car available in the decade, the Fiat “508s Balilla, appeared at this time. Triumph introduced a version of their Gloria range, the “Gloria Southern Cross”, and Riley the “Imp” and the “MPH”. The HRG “1 1/2 litre” and the Squire “1 1/2 litre” came along in 1935. That was the year Morgan produced their first four wheeled car the “4/4”. Things began to get quieter after that, with the Riley “Sprite” and the MG “TA Midget” in 1936, and nothing until in 1939 when the last pre-war MG model the “TB Midget” was introduced along with the HRG “1100” and “1500”. An outstanding car from Germany was the BMW 315/1 who’s specification and handling was a sign of the future. With the coming of the war all car production stopped until 1945.

lightauto.com Page 50 of 102 MG “C” Type Midget 1931-1932 Light Sports Roadster England

A racing sports car was developed from the “M” type Midget, the “C” type, this was ofered with a tuned 746 cc. short stroke versions of the Midget SOHC engine making it eligible for the 750 racing class. The highest output unblown version available gave 44 bhp at 6500 rpm and the Powerplus supercharged version 62.5 bhp This was mated to an ENV preselector gearbox and a special body with a radiator cowl, an undershield and fold ﬂat aero screens. The supercharged model cost £345, the simpler model £295, but this didn’t deter purchasers as a total of 44 were sold. The successors to lightauto.com Page 51 of 102 the “C”, were the “J3.” and “J4”, Both with the 746cc engine with a Powerplus supercharger, the “J4”, a larger unit with 18 lbs of boost and an output of 72BHP. They had a “J2”, type chassis frame, 12inch brakes and an ENV gearbox. Thirty-one were made in 1932 and 1933.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC746 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse preselector. Suspension front. 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight.12 cwt. Wheelbase.6ft 6 inches. Engine output. 44 to 52.5 bhp. @ r.p.m.6500.

lightauto.com Page 52 of 102 MG Magna & Magnette 1931-1936 Light Sports Roadster England

The common feature of the Magna’s and Magnette’s had been the SOHC six cylinder engine originally used in the Wolseley Hornet. Two engine capacities were used in a bewildering varieties of models, 1271cc and 1087cc. The MG Magna F 2 had been the first 2-seater of them all, fitted with a Midget body, the 1271cc engine only producing 37bhp, it was not a great performer and was made in 1931 and 32. It was superseded by the Magna, L 2 this had the 1087cc version of the engine, 12 inch brakes as used on the J2 and a top speed of 75 mph. Available only in 1933 and 1934 All Magna’s had been fitted with a 4 speed crash box. The K2 version of the Magnette of 1932 was fitted with 1087 cc engine and a 4 speed crash box or the 1271 cc engine with an output of 48.5 bhp at 5500 rpm and a 4 speed preselector gearbox. The K3 Magnette is the outstanding car of the group, fitted with a lightauto.com Page 53 of 102 supercharged version of the 1087 cc engine producing 120 bhp and an ENV preselector gearbox. Nuvolari won the 1933 TT in one. The Magnette N was next, this time fitted with a 56.6 bhp version of the 1271 cc engine, made from 1934 to1936. Finally came the NE Magnette, with a 74 bhp engine, winning the 1934 TT.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. 6 IL WC SOHC 1087cc & 1271 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. 8inch to 13inch drums. Brakes rear. 8inch to 13inch drums. Weight. NE Magnette 16 1/4 cwt. Wheelbase. 94 3/16 inches. Engine output. 37 to 120 bhp. @ R.P.M. Max speed. 75 mph minimum.

lightauto.com Page 54 of 102 Alta 9HP & 1 1/2 litre. 1932-39 Light Sports Roadster England

Produced by Geofrey Taylor in his workshop near the Kingston Bypass, Tolworth, all the cars were ﬁtted with Alta engines, which was the companies primary business. Starting with special alloy cylinder heads for Austin Sevens, Taylor went on to make an 1100cc. 2-seater car with a DOHC light alloy engine with wet cylinder liners. As it created considerable interest he decided to put it into limited production. The engine produced 49 bhp. or with the addition of a supercharger 76 bhp. With a low under slung chassis, four speed crash or preselector gearbox, 13 inch brake drums and on most cars beam axles and leaf springs, but some later cars were reputed to have all independent suspension. After 1939 car production stopped and Taylor concentrated on producing engines for HWM and Connaught racing cars, also cylinder head conversions of Morris minors. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC DOHC 1074 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front.Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear.Live axle 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front.13 inch Drum. Brakes rear.13 inch Drum. Weight. 14cwt. Wheelbase.8ft. Engine output. 49 bhp or 76 bhp blown. lightauto.com Page 55 of 102 Frazer Nash TT Replica 1932-1938 Light Sports Roadster England

More TT Replica’s had been made than all other Frazer Nash models in the 1930s ,83 in all. It was in the classic Frazer Nash mould with a tubular front axle suspended on 1/4 elliptic springs, a simple ladder frame with a chain gang transmission. Various engines were fitted during its time in production, The Meadows two port deflector head 4ED, on early cars, then the DOHC Blackburn six of 1660 cc. and from 1934 the Gough SOHC four of 1499 cc.The top speed for a TT Replica was 88 mph. Other models made during the same period, all only made in small numbers and basically similar to the T T Replica, were the Nurberg, a competition model with a short chassis and a Meadows engine. An economy model the Exeter of 1932 also had a meadows engine producing 45 bhp The Shelsley, made between 1934 and 1936 had cantilever front springs, bigger brake drums and was fitted with a twin Centric blown Gough four, giving it a maximum speed of 105 mph Unblown Gough or Blackburn engines were an option. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC .OHV1496 cc. (Meadows.) Transmission. 4 speed & reverse by chain. Suspension front. 1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 9ft. lightauto.com Page 56 of 102 MG J2 Midget 1932-1934 Light Sports Roadster England

The successor to the M type Midget in two-seater sports roadster form was the J2 of 1932. It had a twin carburettor version of the 847cc engine that produced 36 bhp. at 5500rpm. The changes to the body, a slab tank with spare wheel mounted behind, a raised scuttle and cut away doors were to be MG features for the next twenty-three years. By 1934 when production ceased 2083 had been made. It was priced at £199. 10 shillings and was capable of 65mph. In 1934 the PA came along, with a modiﬁed engine with a three bearing crankshaft, a longer wheel base, revised steering and 12 inch brake drums. It could now make 75mph. still with an engine capacity of 847cc. Production of all types including coupes reached 2000 by 1936 when it was discontinued. The PB the next model in the line, had a 939cc. Engine that produced 43bhp. at 5500 rpm. Overlapping the PA from 1935 to 1936, 526 of all types were made.

lightauto.com Page 57 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel ladder frame. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 847cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle/ 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle/ 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 7ft 2inches. Engine output. 36bhp. @ r.p.m. 5.500 rpm. Max speed. 65 mph.

lightauto.com Page 58 of 102 Wolseley Hornet Special 1932-1935 Light Sports Roadster England

Developed from the Hornet mainly because of its engine, a chain driven cylinder SOHC six. The 12 HP of 1932 a 1271cc. with twin carburettors and an oil cooler, producing 47 b.h.p. at 5000 rpm. in 1934. With a remote control 4 speed box, a top speed of 75 m.p.h. and a price of £275. 2307 made. 14 HP of 1935 with the same engine but of 1604cc. It was lighter than the 12HP.but both were not a good handlers,

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 6 IL WC SOHC 1271cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle, 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 7ft 6 1/2 inches. Engine output. 47 bhp. @ R.P.M. 5000. Max speed. 75 mph. lightauto.com Page 59 of 102 Austin Seven 65 Nippy & Speedy 1933-37 Light Sports Roadster England

In 1933 Austin added another sporting Seven to the range “65” it was diferent to the Ulster by having an engine only producing 21bhp. a round back body curved front axles and underslung rear springs. This was superseded by the Nippy after 1934, it was of the same form as the “65” but fitted with the latest specification engine with a small increase in output.The Nippy went on to be the last of the sporting Sevens, remaining in production until 1937. Between 1934 & 1935 another sports Seven was ofered the Seven Speedy. It had a pointed tail body, a “Vee” screen and a 23 bhp engine with a finned sump, pressure feed crankshaft, and a close ratio gearbox. Later Nippy’s were fitted with this engine. Never very fast, these cars were always fun to drive. Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC SV747 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front.Beam axle transverse 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 6ft 3 inches. Engine output. 21 to 23 bhp. @ r.p.m.

lightauto.com Page 60 of 102 Singer Nine Le Mans 1933-1937 Light Sports Roadster England The Nine Le Mans sports appeared in 1932 developed from the singer Nine, with a 972cc chain driven SOHC four cylinder two bearing crankshaft engine capable of high revs, with twin carburettors and a vertex magneto. The name was adopted after qualifying at Le Mans. It had Lockheed hydraulic brakes, a slab fuel tank and cycle type wings, and was useful in trials and rallies price in 1933 £185, Capable of nearly 65 m.p.h. and 0-50 in 25seconds. The 1 1/2 litre Le Mans introduced in 1934 with a 1493cc six cylinder triple carburettors, coil ignition or later a Scintilla magneto. On the same 92inch wheel base frame as the Nine Le Mans, The 1935 Le Mans Special Speed model would accelerate from 0 to 50 in 17 seconds and had a top speed of 75 mph.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Engine. 4I.L WC SOHC 972cc. Engine. 6 IL WC SOHC 1493cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drums, hydraulic. Brakes rear. Drum, hydraulic. Wheelbase. 7ft 7inches. Max speed. 65 to 90 mph.

lightauto.com Page 61 of 102 Vale Special 1933-1935 Light Sports Roadster England

The Vale Special, made in Kilburn at Maida Vale, was notable for the extremely low built of it’s chassis which was underslung close to the ground.This gave the little car, which was powered with a Triumph 832 c.c. engine and had it’s steering box and track rods set ahead of front axle in the very short frame, extraordinary road holding. It was the sponsor’s delight to take clients for a rapid run down the road and, without shutting of, slide the car round a lamp-post and back the way it had come at undiminished speed. If the customer did not collapse with a nervous breakdown he usually paid for a Vale on the spot. At the time, 1933, these little sports cars were thought to smack rather to much of the “boy’s racer” as they had large scuttle cowls, stone guards, quick-action ﬁller caps and other unnecessary adornments. But they were quite fast and, on corners, very stable. The price was below £200 and the original 8 h.p. model was followed by 10 h.p. and 12 h.p. versions, using Coventry Climax power units of the I.o.E. type used for contemporary Triumph cars.Special features included alloy ﬁreproof bulkhead, extreme accessibility of the engine, properly mounted spare wheel, clever shock-absorber anchorage's and other items not in general use. In all, 103 of these Vale Specials were made, over 3 1/2 years. A racing Vale Special with supercharged 1,500 cc Coventry Climax engine and many special features was built for Ian Connell and raced lightauto.com Page 62 of 102 by him with some satisfaction.It could exceed 130 mph. and out accelerate an ERA for the cost of £675.

Layout. Front engine /rear wheel drive. Engine. 4 IL WC SV 832 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle, 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle, 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum, hydraulic. Brakes rear. Drum, hydraulic. Wheelbase. 7ft. Max speed. 65 mph.

lightauto.com Page 63 of 102 Morgan Supersports 1933-1939 Three wheeled cyclecar England

The 1933 Morgan Supersports was the ultimate rendering of a concept ﬁrst seen in 1910, a three wheeled cycle car with a “V” twin engine mounted in a tubular frame out front between the two front wheels. As Morgans still do, the three wheeled Morgan had evolved rather than made leaps forward, even so the last Supersports was a long way from the original economy cycle car conceived by H.F.S. Morgan. With a Machless or JAP OHV engine, a three speed gearbox, Brakes and shock absorbers on all corners, with detachable wire wheels and electric lighting as up to date as the original concept would allow. The advantage the concept gave was light weight and with that a relatively high power to weight ratio and good all round performance for the size of engine, a maximum speed of 80mph, all for the price of £135 in 1934.

Layout.Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Tubular frame. Engine. “V” twin. WC or AC OHV 990cc or 1096cc. Transmission. 3 speed & chain ﬁnal drive. Suspension front.Sliding pillar I.f.s. coils. Suspension rear. Trail arms / 1/4 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Max speed. 80 mph lightauto.com Page 64 of 102 Fiat 508s Balilla Sports 1934-1937 Light Sports Roadster Italy

The Balilla Sports had good road holding and an excellent performance due to it’s low weight with a quite high axle ratio, a close ratio gearbox, high geared steering and Lockheed hydraulic brakes, in fact a good road car, as opposed to the British sports cars that had evolved into mainly trials orientated cars with a rear weight bias and low gear ratios. With a handsome lightweight body, Rudge knock of wheels and a price in 1936 of £238, capable of 70 mph with 60 in third it was a splendid little car.

Layout. Front engine/ rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC .O.H..995 cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight.12 cwt. Wheelbase.7ft 6 1/2 inches. Engine output. 36 bhp. @ r.p.m.4000. Max speed.70 mph.

lightauto.com Page 65 of 102 Triumph Gloria Southern Cross 1934-1937 Light Sports Roadster England

Based on the Gloria Monte Carlo tourer, the Gloria Southern Cross was the 2-seat variant in the Gloria range. We are concerned with the smaller engined version here, with the 1232 cc 4 cylinder engine of the Gloria Four Vitesse with twin carburettors, large valves and polished inlet ports producing 50bhp, the shortest version of the under slung cruciform chassis frame. A spiral bevel ﬁnal drive and hydraulic brakes. With an exposed rear mounted petrol tank and twin spare wheels mounted on the back. It was considered to have excellent roadholding, brakes and steering.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Pressed steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC IoE 1232cc. Transmission. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 96inches. Engine output. 50 bhp. lightauto.com Page 66 of 102 Riley Imp MPH & Sprite 1934-1938 Light Sports Roadster England

Introduced in 1934 the Imp had the same 4 cylinder engine layout and capacity as the Brooklands, fitted with twin-SU carburettors, magneto ignition was an option with a shorter wheelbase at 7ft 6inches, using a new frame upswept over the front axle and underslung at the rear. With the option of an ENV preselector or a close- ratio manual gearbox, A pretty 2- seater body with flowing wings and a short tail with an inset spare wheel was standard. The MPH, also introduced in 1934, is arguably the most beautiful of all the classic sports roadsters, with it’s long bonnet, flowing wings and crisp blend of style and function. This 2-seater sports car was fitted a six cylinder version of the great, high camshaft Riley engine. The smallest of the engine options available at 1458 cc make it eligible for this study. At £550 only 15 buyers were found, but that got you a chassis based on the 1933 TT cars, large finned brake drums, lots of light alloy fittings and a maximum speed of 90mph. The last of the Riley sports cars was the Sprite of 1936 used the latest version of the 4 cylinder engine at 1496cc. A maximum speed of 85 to 90 mph. The body was the main diference from the others, being more generous in cockpit width and with full flowing wings and a front grill. lightauto.com Page 67 of 102 Layout. Front engine /rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. 4 I.L W.C OHV 1089cc and 1496cc. 6 I.L W.C OHV 1459cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 7ft 6inches and 8ft 1 1/2 inches. Max speed. 75 to 90 mph. 68

lightauto.com Page 68 of 102 HRG 1 1/2 Litre 1935-1938 Light Sports Roadster England

The HRG was the logical successor to the Frazer Nash. After the demise of the Godfrey/Frazer-Nash GN H.R.Godfrey went into business repairing G.N.s and later introduced a special long wheelbase version of the Austin Seven, while Captain Frazer-Nash evolved the sports car of his name. In 1935 Godfrey re-entered the motor industry with the HRG sports car which derived its initials not from his own but because this was a venture of three me: Halford, Robins and Godfrey. The idea was to produce from a small works adjacent to the Kingston By-pass, a genuine 1 1/2 litre sports car. The HRG closely resembled the Frazer-Nash in respect to its stif, appendix-jarring suspension by the familiar 1/4 elliptic front springs and a radiator carried well behind the tubular front axle, which employed the front shock-absorber arms to locate it. However, even Godfrey was convinced that chain transmission was a thing of the past, and a Moss gearbox and conventional back axle was adopted for the new car. With this, the short knife-like central lever could be sliced through the exposed gate. A simple 2-seater body with slab tank at the back was devised and with a Meadows 4ED twin-carburettor engine, the HRG fulﬁlled many a sportsman’ dreams. Many well-known drivers began to buy the HRG, which was priced in 1937 at £395. Up to the war the no-nonsense HRG certainly found its place amongst those who had little use for the lightauto.com Page 69 of 102 contemporary trails-bred small sports car. Note. Total production 26.

Layout.Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Channel frame. Engine. 4IL WC OHV 1496cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Tubular axle /1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 8ft 6inches. Max speed. 90 mph.

lightauto.com Page 70 of 102 Squire 1 1/2 litre 1935 Light Sports Roadster England

The Squire was not made in any very great numbers, But it was a super sports car with an idealistic speciﬁcation, built at Remenham near Henley-on-Thames in the mid-1930s. The engine was a twin o.h.c. 1 1/2 litre 4-cylinder based on the R.I. Anzani and supercharged with a roots blower behind the radiator, with four extended drop exhaust pipes. Cooling was by pump and there was a ribbed oil-cooler between the dumb irons. The 105 bhp engine drove through a Wilson preselector gearbox, the bottom gear band of which constituted the clutch, and there were extremely large hydraulic brakes. The Squire would lap Brooklands comfortably at over 100 mph., being capable of 52 mph in second gear, 76 mph. in third gear and of doing 10-70 mph in 15 seconds, and was made in short-and long wheelbase form, the long chassis accommodated Vanden Plas touring bodywork. The inclined radiator enhanced the appearance of this low-build car, of which a single seater was raced at the Track. Naturally such an advanced speciﬁcation allied to production in very limited numbers necessitated high prices; the short chassis model cost £950 without bodywork in 1935, the long chassis £975.

lightauto.com Page 71 of 102 Layout.Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. ruciform braced frame. Engine. 4 IL WC DOHC 1469c.c. Transmission.4 speed & reverse, Wilson preselector. Suspension front. Beam axle /1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle /1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. 15inch drums. Brakes rear. 15inch drums. Wheelbase. 8ft 6inches. Engine output. 105 bhp.

lightauto.com Page 72 of 102 Morgan 4/4 1935 1939 Light Sports Roadster England

Morgan built a very low, rigid little sports 2-seater as their first four wheeler, retaining the same coil spring I.f.s. that they had used since 1909. The first cars had a Coventry Climax I.o.E. engine mated to a four speed Meadows gearbox, In 1939 when supplies of this engine ceased an OHV version of the Standard 1126cc engine was ofered, allied to a Moss gearbox. The 1098cc Climax unit was used in the rare Le Mans replica model, it had cycle wings and a sloping tail. The chassis was underslung at the back and rough planks laid between the side members formed the floor. A live axle and semi elliptic springs at the rear. Including the 4-seater version and the drop head coupe, eight hundred and twenty-four were made between 1936 and 1939.

Layout.Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC I.o.e. 1122 c.c./1098c.c or OHV 1126cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Sliding pillar I.f.s. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front.Drum. Brakes rear. Drum.

lightauto.com Page 73 of 102 MG TA & TB 1936-1939 Light Sports Roadster England

The TA of 1936 was a new rendering of the Midget theme, only this time without the SOHC engine, instead it had a OHV engine tuned version of the Woseley Ten unit in a new chassis frame, 9inch drum brakes and synchromesh on the top two gears. With more space and performance than the previous model and a softer ride, 3003 were made by the time it was replaced in 1939 by the TB. The TB was ﬁtted with a diferent OHV engine, this time from the Morris Ten, the 1250cc XPAG unit that became well known as the engine used in all the T’s after the war. This was the only MG sports roadster available when after only a few months and 379 cars, production stopped at the beginning of the war.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. TA .4 I.L WC OHV 1292cc. TB. 4 IL WC OHV 1250cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/2 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. 9inch Drums. Brakes rear. 9inch Drums. Wheelbase. 7ft 10inches. Engine output. TA 50bhp. TB. 54bhp. @ R.P.M. 4500. lightauto.com Page 74 of 102 HRG 100 & 1500 1939-1956 Light Sports Roadster England

Shortly before war broke out a 1,100cc model was introduced, using the well-proven Singer o.h.c. engine and gearbox in a slightly scaled-down edition of the 1 1/2-litre car and when supplies of the excellent 4ED engine dried up a 1 1/2-litre Singer power unit was used for the bigger HRG These Singer engines were stripped down in the HRG works and modified to Godfrey’s requirements, the compression-ratio being raised, twin carburettors fitted, and head and manifolding improved, while the stroke of the 1500cc unit was shortened by 2 mm To bring the capacity within the 1 1/2-litre class The power output was raised to 61, later to 65 bhp, that of the smaller engine to 44 bhp. The HRG thus remained a good sports car, but it retained cable-operated brakes that required heavy pedal pressure (although they could be adjusted from the driving seat and had a fly of hand lever) and with road springs which, like those of a Bugatti, hardly functioned, it was a tiring car on long journeys. Fourteen 1,100 cc cars were made between 1939 and 1949, and the 1500 was made until 1956. lightauto.com Page 75 of 102 Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Engine. 4 IL WC SOHC 1074/1435cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Beam axle / 1/4 elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 8ft 7 1/2 inches. Engine output. 44/65 bhp. Max speed. 75 mph plus.

lightauto.com Page 76 of 102 BMW 315/1 1934-1936 Light Sports Roadster Germany

The BMW 315/1 used the chassis and a developed version of the one and a half litre six cylinder engine and running gear of the 315 saloon model of 1934. It was the ﬁrst of an outstanding line of BMW sports cars who’s design was years ahead of its rivals culminating in the two litre 328 of 1937. The stif welded tubular chassis and independent front suspension gave it outstanding handling for its time. The 315/1 was used successfully in competition with two hundred and thirty produced.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Engine. 6 IL WC OHV 1490cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front.IFS with wishbones and transverse leaf spring.Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 2.4 Metres Engine output.40.6ps @ 4000rpm. Max speed. 75 mph Weight 750 Kg.

lightauto.com Page 77 of 102 Part Four Postwar Years 1946 to 1955

When the Second World War, started in 1939 only three light sports roadsters were in production in Britain, the HRG 1100/1500 the MG TB Midget and the Morgan 4/4. When production resumed after the war in 1946, that was the cars being produced, with the MG TB revised with a wider body to become the TC. The Morgan now had a side valve Standard Ten engine in place of the Coventry Climax unit, but was otherwise unchanged. The HRG's were now ﬁtted with the latest Singer engines, but otherwise unchanged. As was the case with any type of car at this time in Britain, these cars were almost unobtainable. Everything possible was being exported for much needed foreign exchange. Not that that the Morgan's and HRG's made much of a contribution as only 1084 of the 4/4 was produced between 1946 and 1950 when there was a pause in production, and under three hundred HRG's had been made between 1938 and 1956 when production of all models ceased. The MG TC was the exception, as a large proportion of the ten thousand examples made went for export, introducing the light sports roadster to the USA.

lightauto.com Page 78 of 102 MG TD Midget 1949-53 Light Sports Roadster England

The only new light sports roadster to enter series production in the nineteen forties was the MG TD Midget, if it could be classed as a new car. It replaced the TC in 1949. The big changes made in the speciﬁcation was the beam front axle and half elliptic springs were replaced by independent fronts suspension and rack and pinion steering, also disc wheels replaced the wire wheels changing the appearance of the car to go with improved ride and handling. Most were left hand drive models and were exported. Almost thirty-thousand were made by nineteen ﬁfty-three.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Engine 4 IL WC OHV 1250cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front Independent. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. 9inch Drums. Brakes rear. 9inch Drums. Wheelbase. 7ft 10inches. Engine output. 54bhp. @ R.P.M. 4500. Max speed 80 MPH.

lightauto.com Page 79 of 102 Jowett Jupiter 1950-54 Light Sports Roadster England

The only other example of the breed to be made in series and in any number until late in the next decade was the Jowett Jupiter of 1950. Jowett had been making reliable but unexciting economy cars for the last forty years. They introduced the Javelin, an advanced new saloon car in nineteen forty-seven, and the Jupiter was a sports roadster using Javelin components. The engine was a OHV ﬂat four of 1486cc, in a tubular frame with torsion bar springs for the wishbone front suspension and live rear axle. Nine hundred were made by nineteen ﬁfty-four when Jowett went out of business.

Layout. Front engine / rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. 4 Horizontally opposed WC OHV 1486cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Independent torsion bar. Suspension rear. Live axle torsion bar. Brakes front.Drums. Brakes rear. Drums. Engine output.63bhp. @ 4500R.P.M. Top speed 84mph. lightauto.com Page 80 of 102 Italian Specialists The small car sporting scene in Italy in the nineteen forties and fifties, was the preserve of the specialist manufacturers, such as Abarth, Bandini, Gilco, Grannini, Giaur, Moretti, Siata, Stanguellini and Osca. These companies made almost one of examples of their sports car, usually using Fiat components. Only Osca making models in any numbers The Osca MT4. They fitted 4 cylinder engines of their own manufacture in a various sizes and valve configurations. The MT4 was produced from 1948 to 1959, eighty examples were made. It was fitted with a variety of body types.

lightauto.com Page 81 of 102 British Specialist and Kit manufacturers

Where Italy had it's specialists, Britain also had it's small sports specialists, usually making kits of components for home assembly. This had grown out of the "Special", building movement that had been going on in Britain for decades., Some special builders produced cars that showed potential, and by popular demand found themselves car manufacturers. With cars of any kind and particular sporting cars in very limited supply there was a ready market. These new small producers took advantage of this, sometimes making complete cars and also making kits of parts. The major components were usual of humble origin, usually of Ford or Austin manufacture. As with the Italian's, series product was uncommon, but from the late forties until the early sixties about four hundred assorted Buckler's and four to five hundred Dellow’s had been produced, complete or as kits. Both began as roadsters that were suitable for Trials competitions, a popular form of motor sport in Britain in that period. Also rallies and hill climbs. The Bucklers had tubular chassis. The Buckler Ninety was an advanced sports car suitable for circuit racing as well as road use often fitted with a Coventry Climax FWA engine and de Dion rear axle. lightauto.com Page 82 of 102 Dellow mk 1/11/111 Specification 1949-57

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis.. Steel tubular. Engine. Engine 4 IL WC S.V 1172cc. Transmission. 3 Forward speeds and reverse. Suspension front.. Beam axle / transverse elliptic. Suspension rear. Live axle / 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 1344 lbs. Engine output. 30bhp @ r.p.m.4000. Max speed. 69 mph.

lightauto.com Page 83 of 102 Lotus MK 6 1952-56 Light Sports Roadster England

In the same mould as the Buckler and Dellow was Lotus. The ﬁrst model to be made in any numbers was the Mark 6. Approximately a hundred examples were made, ether complete or in kit form between 1952 and 1956. The Mark six had a multi tube chassis clothed in an aluminium body, with a swing axle front suspension and was ﬁtted with a variety of engines up to 1.5 litres, often the Ford Ten engine. It was very successful competition car that could be used on the road and was the foundation of the company.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Multi tube. Engine.various. Transmission.Various. Suspension front. i.f.s. swing axles and coils. Suspension rear. Live axle and coils. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum.

lightauto.com Page 84 of 102 Porsche 356A Speedster 1954-58 Light Sports Roadster Germany

The ﬁrst prototype of a long line of Porsche 356's, was built at Gmunde in Austria in 1948. It was a true light sports roadster. A two seater, with it's Volkswagen engine mounted ahead of the rear axle in a space frame chassis. The drop head coupes derived from the second prototype and produced from late 1948, that had the engine behind the rear axle in a steel platform chassis, were not roadsters, as they had a two plus two layout. A roadster version would not be produced until 1952, the type 540 or "America roadster". Fitted with a 1500cc engine and an aluminium body. Only sixteen examples were made and mostly used for competition in the United States. Further demand from America for a stripped down roadster, led to the Speedster of 1954. The Speedster was available with a 1300cc or 1500cc and later a 1600cc engine. Based on the 356 then 356A chassis. It was not made after 1958 by which time, 4854 examples had been made.

Layout. Rear engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Fabricated steel platform. Engine. 4 horizontally opposed AC OHV. 1300. 1290cc 44bhp @ 4200rpm. 1600. 1592cc 60bhp @ 4500rpm. Suspension front. ifs trailing arms and torsion bars. lightauto.com Page 85 of 102 Suspension rear. Swing axles and torsion bars.Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum.

Another Volkswagen based car to originate in Austria was the WD ﬁrst made in 1949 the name changed to Denzelin 1957,Wolfgang Denzil produced roadsters , making a total of 64. Denzel cars successfully competed in the top European rallies of the period. As Wolfgang Denzel developed his cars, he ultimately had his own pistons, cylinders, crankshafts, connecting rods, etc. manufactured but continued to use the VW two-piece crankcase for all his engines. He gave up car production in 1960.

MG introduced the last of the "T" type Midgets the TF in 1953. By then the concept of a channel section ladder chassis with a separate coach built body was getting very dated. The changes to the car were only cosmetic and the cars became increasingly hard to sell. The last three thousand four hundred of the nine thousand six hundred made were ﬁtted with a 1500cc version of the old MG engine. In 1955 it was replaced by the ﬁrst of the modern MG's.

lightauto.com Page 86 of 102 Part Five a Great Time 1955 to 1960

The five years from 1955 to 1960 where to see a higher concentration of significant new lights sports roadster models than any other period in history. Some of these models would form the basis for other successful models and one, the Lotus Seven would become the most copied design of any car. The second half of the nineteen fifties was a great time if you were interested in light sports roadsters and even better if you could aford to own one. The austerity of the years immediately after the Second World War was a thing of the past and motoring for pleasure had returned. The sports cars always had an enthusiastic following in Europe and particularly in Britain. The MG T series of cars and the Porsche 356 and a few other makes had given the enthusiasts in the United States a taste for motor sport and sports motoring and created a demand for light sports cars. To cater for that demand with a modern car and to replace the obsolete TF. MG introduced the MGA in 1955.

lightauto.com Page 87 of 102 MG MGA 1955-62 Light Sports Roadster England

MG's chief designer Syd Enever had produced a prototype of the car that was to become the MGA in the early nineteen ﬁfties, but the TF was produced instead. The prototype utilised the same suspension, steering gear, engine and transmission as the TF but it had a new chassis and a stunning full width body. The car that went in production was diferent to the early prototype as it had a 1500cc BMC B series engine and associated gearbox and transmission in place of the MG running gear. Over a hundred thousand MGA's had been produced in the next seven years, the majority before 1959 when the engine size was increased to 1600cc. Between 1958 and 1960 just over two thousand examples of a twin overhead camshaft engine model was produced, but due to engine defects this model was not a success. These ﬁgures include the coupe versions of the various models.

lightauto.com Page 88 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive.Chassis. Box section channel. Engine. 4 IL WC .OHV 1489cc. 1588cc.1622cc. Transmission. 4 speed & reverse. Suspension front. Independent coils. Suspension rear. Live axle, 1/2 elliptic. Brakes front. Disc. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 2015 pounds. Engine output. 1500 68 bhp. 5600 @ r.p.m. 1600 79 bhp @ 5600 r.p.m. & 86 bhp @ 5500 r.p.m. Max speed. 101 mph. Twin cam 108 bhp @ 6700 r.p.m. 113 mph.

lightauto.com Page 89 of 102 Alfa Romeo Giulietta & Giulia Spider 1955-65 Light Sports Roadster Italy

In Italy an equally exiting new model was to make an entrance in 1955. The Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider with a body by Pinin Farina it was a stunning new addition to the ranks of the sports roadsters. Using the same version of the 1290cc double overhead camshaft engine as the Giulietta Sprint coupe it was lively performer. In 1962 the car was given a 1570cc engine becoming the Giulia Spider. Both the Giulietta and Giulia Spiders had been available in the higher performance Veloce version.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Integral. Engine. 4 IL WC DOHC 1290cc. 1570cc. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coils. Suspension rear. live axle coils. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. drum. Weight. 860 Kg. Wheelbase. 2.2 metres. Engine output. 80 bhp @ 6300r.p.m. Max speed. 112 mph.

lightauto.com Page 90 of 102 Turner Sports 1955-66 Light Sports Roadster England

The demand for small relatively inexpensive roadsters in Britain in the nineteen ﬁfties encouraged a few new companies to produced cars, with various degrees of success. Jack Turner had built an assortment of specials or one of cars for himself and friends. In 1955 he began producing a small sports car using Austin A30 components in conjunction with a tubular chassis frame with a GRP (Glass reinforced plastic) body. Ninety of these original cars named the A30 Sports were produced by 1957. From 1957 the car had a 950cc engine instead of the original 803cc unit and a Coventry Climax engine option was available. Based on the original chassis frame the car was developed with small body changes and Triumph suspension parts used from 1960. A grand total of 667 Turner roadsters were produced by 1966 when production ceased due to ﬁnancial problems when Jack Turner became ill. Turner cars were excellent cars that showed the way to others.

lightauto.com Page 91 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Ladder. Engine. 4 IL WC OHV 948cc. 60 bhp @ 5800 rpm. & 4 IL WC SOHC 1216cc. 75 bhp @ 6000 rpm. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coil. Suspension rear. Live axle coil & torsion bar. Brakes front. Drum or Disc. Brakes rear. Drum. Wheelbase. 6ft 8 1/2 inches. Max speed. 94 & 99 mph.

lightauto.com Page 92 of 102 Morgan 4/4 1955-68 Light Sports Roadster England

Morgan again made a small roadster in 1955, the 4/4 series 2. This model was fitted with Ford 1172cc engine and three- speed gearbox; not an exiting set up. The rest was traditional Morgan. They managed to sell Three hundred and eighty-five by 1960 when the series 3 was introduced. The series 3 cars were made for one year and fitted with Ford's new small engine the 105E. Originally of 997cc, that engine was still manufactured in the twenty-first Century for use in the Ford kA. The 4/4 was produced until 1968 with Ford engine of increasing size up to 1600cc and a total twelve hundred and eighty-eight of series 3 to the 1600 were produced.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel channel. Engine. 4 IL WC S.V . 1172cc. 36 bhp @ 4400 rpm. & 997cc. 39 bhp @ 5000 rpm & 1340 cc 54 bhp @ 4900 rpm &1498 cc. 60 bhp @ 4600 rpm. Transmission. 3 speed reverse. 4 speed. Suspension front. Sliding pillar coils. Suspension rear. Live axle & half elliptic. Brakes front. Drum or Disc. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 1428 pounds. Wheelbase. 8ft. Max speed. 75 to 95 mph.

lightauto.com Page 93 of 102 Berkeley 1956-61 Light Sports Roadster England

Berkeley manufactured caravans in GRP at their factory in Biggleswade England. The company decided to enter car production with an unorthodox roadster designed Laurie Bond. Bond had designed a number of unusual micro cars that were produced in Britain. The Berkeley car had a GRP monocoque chassis/body, front wheel drive using motorcycle components and at first a 322cc two-stroke engine. Between 1956 and 1961 other engine options were available up to a 692cc four-stroke twin. Production ceased due to financial problems in 1961 after almost four thousand examples of all models including a three-wheeled version of the first model were produced.

Layout. Front engine/front wheel drive. Chassis. GRP monocoque. Engine. 2 IL AC 2stk 322cc. 15 bhp @5000 rpm. & 492 cc. 30 bhp @ 5500 rpm. & 2I.L A.C O’H V. 692cc 50 bhp @ 6250 rpm. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coil. Suspension rear. Independent coil. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 700 to 850 pounds. Max speed 60 to 83 mph.

lightauto.com Page 94 of 102 Fairthorpe Electron & Electron Minor 1956-73 Light Sports Roadster England

Another British Company Fairthorpe, which had started out making micro-cars in 1954, began producing a sports roadster in 1956. The Electron had a GRP body mounted on a backbone chassis and 1098cc and 1216cc Coventry Climax engines were ﬁtted. The Coventry Climax engine was a proprietary engine available to small constructors and was used by amongst others, Cooper and Lotus in their sports and racing cars with great afect. Only thirty Electron's had been produced in ten years. It was the Electron Minor that used Standard and Triumph components that was the car that the company going, with seven hundred examples produced between 1957 and 1973.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. ladder frame. Engine. 4 IL WC OHV 948cc. 1147cc. 1300cc. 50 to75bhp. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. independent coil.Suspension rear. Independent coil. Brakes front. Dum & Disc Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 1000 lbs. Max speed. 75 to 90 mph.

lightauto.com Page 95 of 102 Lotus Seven Light 1957-73 Sports Roadster England

One of the most enduring concepts in the world of sports cars is that of the Lotus Seven. From the beginning in 1957 it was the ultimate lightweight sports car that attained a good performance with a relatively modest power unit. With the Seven, Colin Chapman built a car combining features from the Lotus Six and his Formula Two cars and his competition experience to produce a car that would do well in competitions of for fun motoring. The Ford 100E side-valve engine that only produced 40 BHP was initially the only engine option. The Seven was available in kit form and could be built for just over £500 or purchased complete for £1,036. It wasn't long before a BMC A series engine option was available and a Coventry Climax FWA engine option. With the latter the car became a Super Seven. Over the next thirteen years the car evolved from the original Seven S1 to the Seven S2, Super Seven S2, Seven and S3 with wide range of engine options and almost two thousand examples had been produced. In 1970 Lotus produced the Seven S4, a car that was not quite in the spirit of the original Seven. It was larger with a GRP body instead of the GRP and aluminium panels of the previous cars and was a civilised car with a 1599cc Ford or 1558cc Lotus DOHC engine and a 100mph top speed, this with aerodynamics of a brick. But maximum speed has never been lightauto.com Page 96 of 102 what the Seven's attraction. By 1973 when Lotus ceased production of the Seven, a thousand S4's had been made.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Multi- tube.Transmission. 3 & 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coils. Suspension rear. Live axle coils. Brakes front. Drum &Disc. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 960 lbs. Max speed. 76 to 100 mph. .

lightauto.com Page 97 of 102 Elva Courier 1958-69 Light Sports Roadster England

Elva was another small British manufacturer that had grown out of the Special, kit car, racing car movement and in 1958 produced the Courier. The Courier had a GRP body on a tubular chassis frame and BMC B series engines as used in the MGA were ﬁtted. For the ﬁrst two years of production all Couriers were exported, mainly to the USA. Estimates of between four hundred and seven hundred of the Mk1 and Mk2 Couriers were produced by 1961 when the project was sold and larger engined versions were produced. By 1965 the Courier was no more

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Tubular steel. Engine. 4 IL WC OHV 1489cc. 72 bhp @5000rpm to 1798cc. 95 bhp @ 5400rpm. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coils. Suspension rear. Live axle &coils.Brakes front. Disc. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 1554 pounds. Max speed. 98 to 110 mph.

lightauto.com Page 98 of 102 Austin Healy Sprite 1 1958-61 Light Sports Roadster England

When the British Motor Corporation management invited Donald Healey Motors to design a small sports car for them using as many components from BMC's small cars as possible, they couldn't have imagined that over a third of a million cars would be produced in twenty-one years, based on that initial design. Healey designed the car and MG part of BMC, developed and produced the car at the MG factory at Abingdon. This was in 1958 and the car was the Austin Healey Sprite. The Sprite was a simple no frills cars with a steel unitary chassis/body. The performance of the car was modest, as it's BMC A series engine only produced 43bhp. With atop speed of 86mph and a 0 to 60 time of 20.5 second. The Sprite was the essence of the light sports roadster; fun to drive even thought performance was modest. By 1961 when this original model was replaced forty-nine thousand had been produced.

lightauto.com Page 99 of 102 Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Steel unitary. Engine. 4 IL WC .OHV 948cc. Transmission. 4 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coils. Suspension rear. Live axle 1/4 Elliptic. Brakes front. Drum. Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 1328 pounds. Engine output. 43 bhp @ r.p.m. Max speed. 86 mph.

lightauto.com Page 100 of 102 Sunbeam Alpine 1959-68 Light Sports Roadster England

A Sunbeam car had once held the absolute land speed record, driven by Sir Henry Segrave in the 1920's. By 1959 Sunbeam was just a name, a part of the British Rootes group of companies. Rootes produced a sports roadster the Sunbeam Alpine based on the floorpan of one of their more mundane vehicles and at first fitted a 1494cc OHV four-cylinder engine that produced 83bhp. The Alpine was heavy car and therefore not a lively performer but over sixty-nine thousand had been made by 1968 when production stopped.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive.Chassis. Unitary. Engine. 4 IL WC OHV 1494cc.Transmission. 3 speed reverse.Suspension front. Independent coils.Suspension rear. Live axle half elliptic. Brakes front. Disc. Brakes. rear. Drum. Weight. 2135 pounds. Engine output. 78 bhp. @ 5300 r.p.m. Max speed. 98 mph.

lightauto.com Page 101 of 102 Fiat 1500S 1959-66 Light Sports Roadster Italy

Fiat had made a small number of a roadster versions of their 1100TV between 1955 and 1959 named the Transformabile and obviously the car was not a success. When in 1959 they commissioned Pinin Farina to design and build the bodies of a roadster and coupe version of their 1200 model, they had a winner. By 1966 approximately forty-three thousand of the various versions of the basic car were produced. At ﬁrst there was the 1200 Cabriolet and the 1500S that had an Osca designed DOHC engine. In 1963 the 1200 gave way to the 1500 and the 1500S to the 1600S.

Layout. Front engine/rear wheel drive. Chassis. Platform. Engine. 4 IL WC DOHC 1491cc. 80bhp @ 6000 rpm & 1598cc. 90 bhp @6000 rpm.Transmission. 4 &5 speed reverse. Suspension front. Independent coil. Suspension rear. Live axle half elliptic.Brakes front. Disc.Brakes rear. Drum. Weight. 2182 pounds. Max speed. 103mph.

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