Description
9, 000 miles since restoration
£47, 000 spent
Photos, letters, invoices in a large history file
Detailed ownership history
Show winner
Craner classics is delighted to offer This extremely rare Crossley 1 of 3 ever built this being number 1 and is a true pre-war collectors piece. The Crossley Regis was launched in 1934 and was one of the last models made by the Manchester based Company. The model was available as a sports saloon or a tourer with a choice of 1, 122cc 4-cylinder or 1, 476cc 6-cylinder Coventry Climax engines allied to a Wilson pre-selector gearbox. A tiny handful of cars were also made with a larger 1, 650cc twin carb engine, not for general sale but for members of the Crossley family and friends. This particular car is one of those specials and is one of only two known to survive – indeed just 24 Regis cars are known to exist out of a production run of about 650. Capable of 75mph, it will cruise happily at 60mph, as a letter in the history file attests.
First registered to a Miss Baker of Orpington in December 1934, ABY 590 then had three further keepers until it was acquired by Ron Wilsdon (founder of the Transport Trust) in 1972. Between 1986 and 1992 the Crossley was treated the car to a total nut-and-bolt rebuild that was to employ the services of three restoration firms and ultimately cost some £47, 000, as many bills, photographs and letters in the huge history file confirm.
The car was then kept in Harlech, Wales, and became well known on the circuit of shows and rallies, winning ‘Best in Show' at its first public appearance at a historic vehicle rally in 1992. The next owner was Handel Kardas, editor of the Railway World and Transport Trust magazines and after his death in 2000, the car passed into the ownership of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Trust where it was to see service as a VIP car, transporting honoured visitors such as Dame Vera Lynn, who is pictured with the car in the history file.
The Crossley was sold by the Trust in 2009 after it developed an engine fault due to careless use of the pre-selector gearbox. The 'new owner' had the engine stripped and rebuilt and the Crossley was later sold to one of our regular long term customers in Hull. The Crossley was part of a five car collection but covered very little mileage in its time in Hull. We later took the Crossley in part exchange in 2014 as part of a multi-car deal and sold the car on arrival to another long term customer based in Leeds. Similarly, the Crossley was part of a large collection of classic vehicles but this time it was to be driven on a regular basis. The Crossley has covered many miles across Yorkshire over the past couple of years and even attended Malton Show's first ever Classic Car Show, hosted by us July 2016. ABY 590 covered the 100 mile round trip with ease and has been a regular on the show scene over the past few years. The Crossley Regis has now covered in the region of 9000 miles since the major restoration was completed in 1992. The legendary Dame Vera Lynn is pictured with the car in the history file.
Copies of the original logbook
A buff continuation logbook from the 60s
There is a large amount of technical literature, including road tests
A copy of an owner’s manual
Invoices
Photos
Inside
The interior is what you’d expect from a manufacturer who successfully targeted royalty – regal.
Tasteful dark blue leather
Given the Crossley’s mature years, the seats and door cards are remarkably good
There are, of course, the usual marks which we think add rather than detract
The woodwork is in good condition
The inside is a throwback to a disappearing age of craftsmanship with some lovely original features
No-one would build a car like this today
Beauvais’ original design holds a real air of elegance
Sweeping wings and gracefully sloping boot
Dual tone paint means the curves have taken on a fluid-like quality
Complemented by a matching spare wheel cover on the boot, the wheels set the whole car off
Mechanicals
The Coventry Climax engine needs little introduction. We all know the engine went on to power F1 cars in the 60s
1640cc JMC type engine
48bhp
Zenith carburettor
Overhead valve inlet, side exhaust operated by single camshaft
Coil ignition
Newton centrifugal clutch
12-volt electrics
Wilson pre-selector gearbox
