Beschreibung:

Fifty years ago, in October 1955, Connaught became the first British marque to win a significant Continental Grand Prix race with a British driver (Tony Brooks) behind the wheel of one of its products, since Henry Segrave had won the San Sebastian Grand Prix for Sunbeam in 1924 – 31 long years previously. Under the direction of ex-RAF officers Rodney Clarke and Michael Oliver, Connaught cars had always been ingeniously designed, exquisitely well-engineered, and beautifully made. The cars excelled in national and minor International events here at home, and this particular A-Type model – offered here fresh from many years’ preservation unused within this private Collection – is an attractive example of Connaught’s original single-seat Formula 2 design, which originated in 1950. The A-Type Connaught was built upon a twin-tube chassis with torsion-bar suspension front and rear, and Clarke even had dedicated-design magnesium-alloy wheels cast for it, promising to be lighter and stiffer than contemporary wire wheels. Mike Oliver developed the trusty high-camshaft four-cylinder Lea-Francis engine, and with dry-sump lubrication and four Amal carburettors the 1,767cc unit developed some 130-horsepower. This unit was mated to the reliable and well-understood Wilson pre-selector gearbox, and the prototype car ‘A1’ emerged with fuel load concentrated within the wheelbase in twin pannier tanks to minimise handling change as fuel was consumed. Part owner of Connaught – Kenneth McAlpine - gave the new Connaught its debut at Castle Combe circuit in October 1950, finishing 2nd behind Stirling Moss’s well-established HWM. De Dion rear suspension was developed into 1951, when the A-Type Connaught raced nine times, attracting further customer interest for the new marque, eight sister cars being ordered for which Mike Oliver enlarged the ‘Leaf’ engine to 1,960cc and approaching 145-horsepower. By the end of 1952 six A-Type Connaughts had been completed, accumulating six victories, five 2nd places and two 6ths, and by the end of 1953 with nine cars completed the A-Types had amassed no fewer than 21 firsts, 12 seconds and ten third places. This particular A-Type is offered here complete with RAC MSA-inspected FIA papers, issued as long ago as 1983, with form no. 99/2595 issued by RAC approved registrar Mr Alan Putt, accepting this car as 1952, A-Type, chassis no. A2(AX), engine number ‘C27’, this serial stamping upon the power unit being flanked by an RAC scrutineers’ stamp. The car has a long history of Vintage Sports Car Club and historic racing before its acquisition by the present vendor. In period the chassis serial ‘A2’ was not used by Connaught, chassis ‘A3’ having become the first production car following Kenneth McAlpine’s prototype ‘A1’, and being delivered to existing Connaught L2 sports car owner Mr Ken Downing. We are advised that ‘A2’ began life as a spare chassis manufactured at Send in the period 1951-52 and eventually sold at Connaught Cars Ltd’s eventual closing-down Sale late in 1957 to John Horton, who completed final assembly of this car in the early 1960s. Please note this is long before replication or falsification of such obsolescent racing cars would have been regarded as a financially viable project. The car was sold to well-known London historic and vintage car dealer Dan Margulies in 1964, who promptly won a VSCC All-Comers race with it, and it passed subsequently to Alta-engined racing car enthusiast and prominent VSCC competitor Hugh Clifford in 1967. The car was then acquired by its present vendor from a ‘Mr D. Kitchener’ as long ago as 1969, and it has been preserved and maintained ever since within his private Collection. Thus, this most appealing and evocative single-seater Connaught is offered here direct from a long-term ownership extending over no fewer than 36 years. Connaught was a wonderfully British team, and its products such as the handsome A-Type survive today as quintessentially British racing cars. Toda