The Nostalgia of Forgotten Gods: Frazer-Nash, UK, 1922-1957

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.

The first car to bear the Frazer Nash name was the 1½-Litre of 1924, fitted with a chain drive. Pictured here in Super Sports version.

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.

Nash sells the company to the Aldington brothers who sign an agreement with BMW to assemble and market the 328 in the UK.

In 1946 Frazer Nash officially became part of the Bristol Airplane Company, moving away from chain drive and using BMW's high-performance single overhead camshaft-derived six-cylinder engines. The resulting cars demonstrated excellent racing performance: Third place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1949, victory at the 1951 Targa Florio and the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1952 remain in the brand's roll of honour in memory of the visionary founder.

The post-war cars are the most sought-after by collectors and are named after the most important races that Frazer-Nash faced: Mille Miglia, Le Mans and Targa Florio.

In 1962, the year of Alberto Ascari's domination with the Ferrari F2, the British manufacturer was also present in four Grand Prix races for the World Championship, with a fourth place at the Swiss GP.

The Frazer Nash 'Targa Florio' created to celebrate Franco Cortese's success in the famous Sicilian race in 1951.

The Bristol management was, however, also short-lived: With only a few cars built from 1948 to 1957, the books failed to add up and the Frazer Nash cars soon became sought-after collectors' items. The legacy of a dream without a future, left by the founder, never abandoned this romantic brand that still retains loyal followers today.

The 1953 Frazer Nash 'Le Mans Coupé', produced in only 9 examples, is one of the most prized cars among collectors.