Lot Ended
Description
Ex-Boland Collection; fully restored in the early 1970s and only two
further owners since; used regularly on VCC events; recent engine rebuild; an
exceedingly rare example of this powerful Veteran machine
Scottish
engineer David Napier founded D Napier & Son in London’s Soho district in
1808 to manufacture precision machinery for printing banknotes and making coins.
His grandson Montague Napier inherited the business in 1895 and took on the job
of improving a Panhard race car owned by his friend Selwyn F Edge, a senior
manager at Dunlop Rubber.
A shrewd businessman, Edge was sufficiently
impressed to encourage Napier to make his own car which competed with
distinction in the 1,000 Miles Trial of 1900. Napiers went on to win the Gordon
Bennett Race in 1902 and to set a speed record at Brooklands in 1907 in the
world’s first commercially viable six-cylinder car, by which time they were
making 100 cars per year. Napier also acquired the Cunard Carriage Company to be
their in-house coachbuilder, a relationship which lasted until
1924.
Prized by royalty and nobility the world
over, Napier became synonymous with quality and performance, sales being spurred
on by a sporting reputation cemented on the competition circuit and
ably exploited by the marketing genius of share-holder SF Edge.
During the First World War production switched
to aero engines, including the magnificent 12-cylinder Lion which later won the
World Land Speed Record in Malcolm Campbell's Bluebird, Henry Segrave's Golden
Arrow and John Cobb’s Napier-Railton. In 1919 civilian car production
re-commenced with a six-litre six-cylinder car, the mighty T75, which cost as
much as a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The last cars were made in 1924 after which
Napier concentrated on marine and aero engines. It is believed that
they produced around 4,258 cars in total.
This Napier T46 comes with a Veteran Car Club Dating Certificate
which confirms that it was built in 1912. Nothing is known of the car’s early
history, but the story picks up in 1968 when RJ Evans, Curator of the Manx Motor
Museum, met noted Irish car collector James Boland who revealed that he had a
Napier in a dismantled state. Evans was on the lookout for an Edwardian car to
join his collection and a deal was struck to swap the Napier for a Lagonda
3-Litre.
The Napier parts were duly transported
to the Isle of Man in a heavily laden 1924 Rolls-Royce hearse and a meticulous
restoration then commenced, the whole process detailed in lengthy articles in
three issues of the VCC Gazette from Winter 1971 to Summer 1972 (copies on
file).
The engine number (18385) revealed that it
was a 1912 Napier T46 15hp model and much time and effort was expended in
locating numerous missing parts, including a sound chassis of the correct type
(number 9411) which was sourced from Veteran car dealer, Cecil Bendall. All
mechanical aspects were rebuilt as required, including axles, brakes, steering
and suspension. The 2.8-litre four-cylinder engine was fully rebuilt along with
the 3-speed gearbox which is in unit with the engine.
Evans
wanted a Coupe body so he carefully measured the coachwork on a DH Coupe owned
by John Campbell-Lambert and made a replica in 20-gauge steel, incorporating a
few subtle upgrades in the interests of durability and taking great car to
eliminate any squeaks or rattles on rough road surfaces. The floorboards are
solid oak and the roof is three-ply covered in black leathercloth with a small
central skylight framed in brass.
Much effort
also went into ensuring that the rear-hinged doors fitted perfectly, with
elegant brass surrounds for the door windows and for the windscreen with its
distinctive curved corner sections, the glass being specially made by Triplex.
It also proved necessary to reduce the height of the cab by a couple of inches
so the car would be able to fit on the Steam Packet ferry connecting the Isle of
Man to mainland UK.
The tail of the car was also
modified somewhat as Evans wanted a luggage rack rather than the dicky seat of
the DH Coupe, and he wanted it to slope downwards slightly for a more elegant
look. The finished body was painted in Empire Green with black wings, gold
pinstripes and painted aluminium beading with ‘swan’s neck’ curves which lend a
pleasing 3D effect, as per the original DH Coupe.
The upholstery was trimmed in Bridge of Weir leather with horsehair
stuffing, great care being taken to get the diamond-pattern buttoning right.
Polished mahogany was used to trim the door surrounds and the dash. The
electrics were all renewed and a more modern Dynostart was fitted to save the
effort of cranking over by hand, along with a more effective charging system and
an electric fuel pump.
Evans eventually
sold the car to Veteran car collector Bill Sykes of St Neots in 2008, our
vendor’s father acquiring the Napier from him in 2015 to join his collection of
interesting cars. It was then used extensively on VCC events, including a tour
of Ireland and a return visit to the Boland Collection from where it had
originated 50 years before. Old MOTs imply that it has covered some 4,600 miles
since 2008.
After the last event,
some mechanical problems were detected so in Feb/March 2022 the
engine was stripped and rebuilt, as detailed in copious notes on file.
Since then the car has not been driven at all and will require a careful
running-in period. Once it arrived on site we soon got it going and it seemed to
run nicely (see video).
As you can see in the
photos, this impressive Veteran machine looks most imposing with a full set of
brass electric lamps and a comprehensive array of dash instruments including a
Stewart speedo, oil pressure gauge, water temperature gauge, fuel gauge, 8-day
clock and CAV lighting system.
Documentation
includes a V5C, an older V5C and V5; four old MOTs; VCC Dating Certificate;
magazine features; notes on starting and driving and some useful technical
literature including a copy of a 52-page Napier maintenance manual.
On offer here from a deceased estate, this
exceedingly rare Napier will make an ideal mount for VCC events, with a
cosy cabin if the rain comes down, and we are told that it has proved a
capable long-distance tourer which can lope along at up to 50mph.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 –
james.dennison@brightwells.com