Cars
The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Frazer-Nash, UK, 1922-1957
The saga of Frazer Nash unfolds with a dreamer's pursuit, from cyclecars to Le Mans glory, intertwined with BMW and Bristol. A legacy of speed, ambition, and fleeting success, immortalized in post-war classics and cherished by collectors.
The story of Frazer Nash is without doubt one of a kind because it is unique and surreal. Archibald Nash, an English engineer born in India in 1889 pursued a dream that came true without him ever truly being the master of it. Although the name Frazer Nash is still used today by a major consultancy firm, we stick to cars and their history in this case. The name was, perhaps, his only real invention: Indeed, it is an elaboration of his surname by adding his middle name to Nash: Frazernash, the same as it is used as a logo on the cars.
At the beginning of the century, Archibald Nash tried to produce cyclecars powered by a motorcycle-derived engine. World War I marked the end of it. He tried again in 1922 by founding the Frazer Nash Limited and in 1924 the first car called the 1½-Litre with its sporty character and chain drive was born. But Archibald had no entrepreneurial talent and sold the company, remaining with the role of "technical adviser" and a small share. The new ownership of the Aldington brothers, linked to the Bristol Airplane Company, concentrated on importing and assembling the BMW 328 in England and marketing it in the UK from 1934 to 1939 as Frazer Nash BMW.
