Description
This car is Lot 104 to be auctioned by Bonhams|Cars at The Bond Street Sale 12 December, please see the Bonhams website for full details.
Public Viewing:
Available 12th December 2024 from 09:00 until 17:00, at 101 New Bond Street, London.
Lot 104
1947 HRG 1½-Litre Aerodynamic Two-Seater Sports
Registration no. YVS 704
Chassis no. W85
One of only 30 Aerodynamic models made
1½-litre single-overhead-camshaft Singer engine
An older restoration
Present ownership since 2002
Frequently campaigned
Well known in HRG circles
In 1922 good friends Henry Ronald Godfrey and Captain Archibald Frazer-Nash both resigned from their successful GN company which they had started prior to WWI. Frazer-Nash soon set up his own company, while his erstwhile business partner continued to service and repair GN cars 'under the personal supervision of H R Godfrey'. In time, work on GNs dwindled and in 1935 Godfrey joined forces with Major Edward Halford and Guy Robins to found HRG, taking the company's title from their surnames' initials, with production commencing in 1936. The trio's intention was to build cars for the sporting motorist, and HRG's first product was a 1½-Litre Meadows 4ED-powered two-seater. When the overhead-valve Meadows engine ceased to be available, HRG switched to the 1100cc overhead-camshaft four-cylinder Singer unit around 1938. Being hand built, the HRG was necessarily more expensive the mass-produced rivals from the likes of MG, and by 1939 only 40 had been sold.
In the post-war years HRG offered the 1100, 1500, 1500 'Aerodynamic', 1500 'Lightweight', and the Twin Cam, all of which used various types of Singer power unit. The Aerodynamic used the 1500 chassis on which was mounted a sleek all-enveloping two-seater aluminium body by Fox & Nicholl. The Aerodynamic was even more expensive than the regular 1500, and only 30 were made. HRG's post-war race results included a class win at Le Mans in 1949 and 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in class finishes at Spa Francorchamps that same year.
The 1500 Aerodynamic offered here was taken to South America as part of Lord Selsdon's trade mission and competed in rallies and races in both Uruguay and Argentina. By 1993 the car had returned to the UK. The present owner purchased the restored Aerodynamic from a German enthusiast in 2000, since when he has raced and rallied it frequently, including twice at the Circuit des Remparts in Angoulême. 'YVS 704' has often featured in The Gazette, the HRG Association's magazine, including on its front cover in 2002. In 2024 at the HRG meeting at Bicester, this car was the only Aerodynamic attending, all the others being examples of HRG's traditional models; indeed, of the 30 Aerodynamics made, many have since been converted to traditional 'cycle wing' configuration. Finished in dark green with matching leather interior, this ultra-rare HRG comes complete with a fitted hood cover and a double-duck tonneau.
All lots are sold 'as is/ where is' and Bidders must satisfy themselves as to the provenance, condition, age, completeness and originality prior to bidding. Visit the Bonhams Motorcycles website for all pertinent auction information.
