Offered from The Alps to Goodwood Collection
1936 Railton Eight Drophead Coupé
Coachwork by Carbodies
Chassis no. 642134

Conceived by business partners Reid Railton and Noel Macklin, Railton cars were based on Hudson mechanicals and assembled at the old Invicta works on Macklin's Fairmile estate in Cobham, Surrey. Introduced in 1933, the first Railton used a modified Terraplane Eight chassis on which was mounted British-style coachwork, supplied initially by close neighbours Ranalah. The Railton weighed less than the Terraplane and with 94bhp available from the 4,010cc sidevalve straight eight, the result was a stylish car with outstanding performance for its day. Priced at £499, it also represented remarkable value for money. Tourers were offered at first, followed by saloons and dropheads. Various other Hudson chassis were used over the years, the second series of 1934 being based on the 4.2-litre Hudson Super Eight. Maximum power output increased to 113bhp and went up again in 1936, on this occasion to 124 horsepower. There was also a 'baby' Railton in the late 1930s, which was based on the Standard Ten. The marque was effectively killed-off at the outbreak of WW2 having produced 1,379 Eights of all types, though a handful of prototypes was exhibited post-war, by which time the Railton enterprise had been sold to Hudson Motors Ltd.

Chassis number '64214' wears drophead coupé coachwork by Carbodies of Coventry, which had bodied some chassis for Macklin's Invicta company in the early 1930s. The collaboration was renewed in 1935, and Carbodies would continue to supply Railton with bodies of varying type and design until the outbreak of WW2. This particular car was delivered new to Port Elizabeth, South Africa and first owned by one Edgar Hoal, passing swiftly to Johan F Schlodder of Kingwilliam's Town, Cape Province. Circa 2000 the Railton was bought by Dany Gerber of Cradock, South Africa where it was purchased by the current vendor from Sedgefield Cars of Sedgefield in 2016. Recent works include a new hood and trim, larger fuel tank, and new electric wiring. Presented in beautiful condition and excellent running order, this wonderful Railton Eight represents an exciting opportunity to acquire one of these rare and charismatic sporting motor cars. Offered with Swiss registration papers.

Should the vehicle remain in the UK, local import taxes of 5% will be added to the hammer price.