Lot 316 - 1935 Railton Eight 'Woody' Estate Car

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. The Railton weighed less than the Terraplane and with 94bhp available from the 4,010cc side-valve 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 being based on the 4.2 litre Hudson Super Eight, and 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 around 1,400 cars, though a handful of prototypes were exhibited post-war, by which time the Railton enterprise had been sold to Hudson Motors Ltd.

This 1935 Railton fitted with the 8 cylinder engine left the factory with a Fairmile 1 Tourer body and the registration number EGU9. The car was purchased by a Mr C.J. Hughes and it is believed that he used the car right up to when it was put into storage in a barn in 1960. Purchased by the current vendor in 2005 as a restoration project having been dug out of the barn some twelve years earlier and taken to a garage for restoration. After dismantling the Railton it was left in bits until purchased. Once the parts, including the old body, had been taken to the vendors workshop, restoration began. The original body was found to be beyond repair and it was decided to scrap it, retaining the original wings, bonnet and scuttle and to build a ‘Woody’ Shooting Brake / Estate car. An article included in the file goes into detail regarding the planning and construction of the new period Estate body, including using the original body parts, windscreen and frame, retained from the tourer. Finished in green with the woodwork all varnished and the interior in resplendent brown leather. This eight-cylinder Railton is supplied with a V5C registration document and a file containing the article on the restoration, correspondence from the DVLA retaining the original registration number EGU9 (please note that the registration number is transferable) and a number of tax discs from 1945 to 1960, when it is believed the car went into storage. This is a perfect opportunity to purchase a rare pre-war marque fitted with a interesting, desirable ‘Woody’ body.