1934 Napier-Railton Special
After
communication and engineering had broken almost all of nature's
barriers, we were left to create and challenge our own man-made
boundaries. In the 1930s, there was no better place to do this than the
impressive Brooklands Circuit in Surrey, England. Created as a
no-expense spared aerodrome, this banked circuit motivated a new variety
of racecars such as our feature Napier.
One of the pride and joys of British motoring was and still is this curious looking 1934 Napier-Railton. The nation's love for this car enabled the BDRC to secure 800 000 GBP by donation to keep it as a permanent fixture in the Brooklands Museum. This is easily the most fitting home since the Napier-Railton holds the Outer Circuit lap record of 143.44mph at Brooklands which was the center of British motoring before the war. In a sense, this is the 'Ultimate Brooklands Racecar'.
The story of the Napier-Railton begins with race driver John Cobb who had a rich history at Brooklands before this car came about. As early as 1925, he took his first win at the track in a 10-Litre Fiat that was paid for by the spoils of his fur trading business. He went through a number of other cars before commissioning the Napier-Railton to specifically break speed records. Its custom chassis was designed by Reid Railton and construction was executed at Thomson and Taylor's garage in the Brooklands Aero Village. This was the same outfit that made the trio of legendary Bluebirds for Malcolm Campbell.
Many features of the Napier are unique including its oversize tires made
custom by Dunlop and a rear suspension that uses twin elliptic leaf
springs. Surprisingly, it doesn't have an electrical system at all and
is devoid of headlights or window wipers. This means the car has to be
push started despite its massive size and weight.
Sitting at the front of the 15 foot chassis is a massive 12-cylinder Napier Lion aero engine that was probably yanked from any number of the 160 different planes that used it. Chosen for its brute power, the W12 was connected to the rear wheels through a custom-made Moss three-speed gearbox that lacked reverse or any synchro gears. It's now generally agreed that the engine produces around 540 bhp which is way too much for a car lacking front brakes.
The Napier-Railton is covered in a massive polished aluminum body that does little to help its 4518 lbs of bulk. Its design is currently credited to Gurney Nutting and somehow hides the huge length of the chassis. To help keep the proverbial 'what is this?' question to a minimum, the script 'Napier-Railton' is affixed to both sides of the 'bonnet'.
Inside the cockpit has a range of Jaeger gauges, a four-spoke Bluemel wheel and an adjustable seat to accommodate the various drivers that performed some of the more lengthy runs. As with many cars of the time, the accelerator is centrally located with the clutch and brake on either side.
Completed sometime in 1934, John Cobb was able to contest Brookland's fabled races and took top honors in 1935 when he won the BDRC's 500. He also fetched the outer circuit lap top speed record at 143.44 mph and the regular circuit lap record, both which cemented the Napier-Railton's place in history. Later, the car made an appearance at the Bonneville Salt Flats where it ran an average of 158.6 mph for 24 hours!
Eventually the Napier-Railton was sold to a parachute company to test
various disc brake configurations. At this time, the 16 inch drums were
permanently replaced by more sane 6-piston aeroplane discs.
Despite the age of the car, it still retains its original engine and gearbox that have both run over 12000 racing miles. Remarkably, the BDRC rallied enough money in 1997 to buy the car from Lucas Huni and keep the Napier-Railton in the UK. It's currently run twice yearly near the Brooklands Museum and also makes appearances at many English events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The best article on the Napier-Railton Special can be found in this month's issue of Octane Magazine (July 2007). Troy Dron did an excellent job of getting around the car's central accelerator and showcasing the rest of it to us all.
Sources & Further Reading
Boddy, Bill. Brooklands Giants, Haynes Publishing, London: 2006.
Dron, Tony. 'Napier-Railton'. Octane 49, July 2007.
Rob, Widdows. 'Brooklands' Lionhart'. Motorsport, Vol 83 no 7, July 2007.
One of the pride and joys of British motoring was and still is this curious looking 1934 Napier-Railton. The nation's love for this car enabled the BDRC to secure 800 000 GBP by donation to keep it as a permanent fixture in the Brooklands Museum. This is easily the most fitting home since the Napier-Railton holds the Outer Circuit lap record of 143.44mph at Brooklands which was the center of British motoring before the war. In a sense, this is the 'Ultimate Brooklands Racecar'.
The story of the Napier-Railton begins with race driver John Cobb who had a rich history at Brooklands before this car came about. As early as 1925, he took his first win at the track in a 10-Litre Fiat that was paid for by the spoils of his fur trading business. He went through a number of other cars before commissioning the Napier-Railton to specifically break speed records. Its custom chassis was designed by Reid Railton and construction was executed at Thomson and Taylor's garage in the Brooklands Aero Village. This was the same outfit that made the trio of legendary Bluebirds for Malcolm Campbell.
Sitting at the front of the 15 foot chassis is a massive 12-cylinder Napier Lion aero engine that was probably yanked from any number of the 160 different planes that used it. Chosen for its brute power, the W12 was connected to the rear wheels through a custom-made Moss three-speed gearbox that lacked reverse or any synchro gears. It's now generally agreed that the engine produces around 540 bhp which is way too much for a car lacking front brakes.
The Napier-Railton is covered in a massive polished aluminum body that does little to help its 4518 lbs of bulk. Its design is currently credited to Gurney Nutting and somehow hides the huge length of the chassis. To help keep the proverbial 'what is this?' question to a minimum, the script 'Napier-Railton' is affixed to both sides of the 'bonnet'.
Inside the cockpit has a range of Jaeger gauges, a four-spoke Bluemel wheel and an adjustable seat to accommodate the various drivers that performed some of the more lengthy runs. As with many cars of the time, the accelerator is centrally located with the clutch and brake on either side.
Completed sometime in 1934, John Cobb was able to contest Brookland's fabled races and took top honors in 1935 when he won the BDRC's 500. He also fetched the outer circuit lap top speed record at 143.44 mph and the regular circuit lap record, both which cemented the Napier-Railton's place in history. Later, the car made an appearance at the Bonneville Salt Flats where it ran an average of 158.6 mph for 24 hours!
Despite the age of the car, it still retains its original engine and gearbox that have both run over 12000 racing miles. Remarkably, the BDRC rallied enough money in 1997 to buy the car from Lucas Huni and keep the Napier-Railton in the UK. It's currently run twice yearly near the Brooklands Museum and also makes appearances at many English events including the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The best article on the Napier-Railton Special can be found in this month's issue of Octane Magazine (July 2007). Troy Dron did an excellent job of getting around the car's central accelerator and showcasing the rest of it to us all.
Sources & Further Reading
Boddy, Bill. Brooklands Giants, Haynes Publishing, London: 2006.
Dron, Tony. 'Napier-Railton'. Octane 49, July 2007.
Rob, Widdows. 'Brooklands' Lionhart'. Motorsport, Vol 83 no 7, July 2007.
Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net
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