1950 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica

The 1950 Turin Motor Show car.

This is one of three similar Le Mans Replicas built in 1950 for public display and this car was used at the 1950 Turin Motor Show, as confirmed by Denis Jenkinson’s factory record and as shown in photographs in James Trigwell’s book.

After the show the car was sold to Italian agents ‘Italcarco’ in Milan who eventually sold it to one Emilio Vincentini who had the car re-bodied by Carrozzeria Rocco Motto in Turin and it was registered MI 250995. The body was a fixed head coupe typical of the Italian style at the time, along the lines of a Ferrari 166MM, Cisitalia and so on. In the recent book by Alessandro Sannia on the Carrozzeria, the car can be seen in period photo’s of Motto’s workshop.

In 1976 the car was purchased in Italy by Colin Crabbe who brought it back to England and had the car restored, retaining the coupe body so that it could be used by his wife Fiona on the school run! He sold the car at the end of 1979 to David Penney who commissioned Crossthwaite & Gardner to return it to its original form. The coupe body was removed and a correct Le Mans Replica body was made by Peels of Surbiton. It was at this time that the car gained its current XOU3 registration. From 1982 the car was displayed at the Midland Motor Museum. The Motto body still exists as part of a special.

In July 1989 Sotheby’s sold the car to Michael Fisher who sold it in turn to Aston Martin chairman Victor Gauntlett and in November 1990 he sold it to Bill Clark in New Zealand.

Clark kept the car for 18 years, racing it extensively and having it maintained by Dave Silcock the renowned Auto Restorations of Christchurch. He sold the car in 2008 to fellow racer and collector Peter Giddings in California who continued to race the car with success in the USA. The car is now in fabulous condition throughout, retaining a nice level of patina, and performs wonderfully on the road possessing all of the verve and sharp handling one would expect from one of the world’s most acclaimed collector’s cars.

The Frazer Nash Le Mans Rep. is welcomed any many of the world’s most prestigious events and is a must for any serious collection.