Lot Ended
Description
CHASSIS PLATE PHOTO ADDED Restored in the 1980s; wheels and gearbox
more recently rebuilt; extremely rare French-built Edwardian car in
good running order
The Brasier
marque originated in 1901 when engineer Henri Brasier left Mors to join Georges
Richard who had been building cars since the late 1890s at Ivry on the outskirts
of Paris. The cars were initially sold under the Richard-Brasier brand, becoming
plain Brasier after 1905 following Georges Richard's departure to found Unic.
In 1904 Brasier shot to fame when one of his
cars won the prestigious Gordon Bennett Trophy, a feat he pulled off again the
following year. Available in two-, four- and six-cylinder formats ranging from
9hp – 40hp, the cars sold well (around 1,000 a year) until war broke out in 1914
when production switched to making aero engines. The company went into a slow
decline after World War One, being acquired by the bicycle manufacturer
Chaigneau in 1926 before falling victim to The Great Depression in 1930.
This particular Brasier Four-Seat Tourer comes
with a 1974 VCC Dating Certificate which states that it is a 9hp model
built in 1914. Our vendor is not so sure about that and believes it may be a
slightly earlier car with a 12hp engine but there is no easy way to prove this
so bidders will need to make their own minds up on that score.
Nothing is known of the car’s early history
but correspondence on file states that it was believed to have been used by the
French Army during WW1, later ending up on a French farm where it was discovered
by a Mr Russell Welsh in c.1974. He sold the car to a Michael Manning of
Somerset who completely restored it in 1983/84 as shown in an album of photos on
file plus a few supporting invoices.
Manning
was to keep the car until 2007 and it then had one further keeper until 2019
when it was sold at a Bonhams auction in Beaulieu. There are 21 old tax discs on
file which show that it was in regular use from 1985 – 2009, the Bonhams
catalogue stating that it continued to be used on VCC rallies and other events
until 2016.
Invoices and correspondence on file
show that it received a new set of wooden artillery wheels in 2006 (made by GJ
Garner & Son of Romsey) and the 4-speed gearbox was rebuilt by Neve
Engineering of Lewes in 2011. The magneto was also rebuilt in the same
year.
Our vendor acquired the car in 2020 and
has used it lightly but regularly. He reports that it always starts promptly (it
has a push button electric starter below the driver’s seat) and runs and drives
well with good oil pressure (measured via the glass tube on the dash).
It comes with sundry spares (as shown in the
photos) plus a spare engine which needs rebuilding and will need to be collected
from the Wolverhampton area if desired. The history file also includes much
technical literature about the marque (mainly in French) and some useful tips on
driving and maintenance.
A rare and
interesting Edwardian car, in good working order, this Brasier now only
needs a new custodian who can preserve it for future generations to
enjoy.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email
james.dennison@brightwells.com