1923 Horstman Four Seat Tourer
No Reserve - Offered from a Horstman founder descendant

Registration No: BF 5755
Chassis No: 2715
MOT: Exempt

• Originally exported to Christchurch, New Zealand by Horstman agent Ian Buchannon
• Wearing it's original body and equipped with matching numbers 1496cc Anzani engine
• Offered to sale from the Granddaughter of one of Horstman's founders, Captain John Wentworth Rooke
• With history file including Horstman handbook, period photos, engineer's drawings, and current V5C

The Horstman Gear Company was formed in 1904 by Sidney Horstman whose father, Gustav, was a German immigrant clock maker. They started work on a light car in 1912 and went into production two years later in Bath incorporating a bespoke 995cc four-cylinder engine. Unfortunately, production ceased in 1929 but not before they had raced at Brooklands with some success. Captain Rooke, Horstman's business partner, was instrumental in the company’s success and focused his engineering talent on a revolutionary 'slow motion suspension' which would enable Horstman cars to comfortably deal with Bath's cobbled streets.

Originally exported to Christchurch, New Zealand, by then Horstman agent Ian Buchannon. BF 5755 spent nearly 100 years in New Zealand before being repatriated to the U.K. in 2011. Amazingly, it was loaded onto a ship for England three days prior to the biblical Christchurch earthquake of 2011 which destroyed the garage where the car had resided for so many years; it is therefore a miracle this rare example survives today. The car retains its original tourer body which is in a formerly-restored, patinated condition along with its matching numbers 1496cc Anzani engine, a design widely used at the time. Captain John Wentworth Rooke, co-founder and prominent engineer of the Horstman company, ran Horstman cars personally and was a long term owner of one known as 'The Silver Car' in Horstman circles.

His Granddaughter, who is offering the car, purchased BF 5755 in 2011 as a memento of her family name; saving it from the Christchurch earthquake and running it locally up until around 2021. Since then, it has been dry stored and is now coming to market after 15 years residency in the UK. Having not run since c.2021 it will require light recommissioning prior to road use and would be ideal for anyone familiar with the 1496cc Anzani engine with an eye for a rare and unusual pre-war tourer.

For more information, please contact:
Oliver Fernyhough-Martin
oliver.fernyhough-martin@handh.co.uk
07483 361000