1955 Arnott 1100 Sports 'Le Mans'

Lot details
Registration No: 1 FMT
Chassis No: AT112
Mot Expiry: Nov 2012

Daphne Arnott was ahead of her time and arguably the world's first female car constructor. She was born into a motorsport obsessed family and spent many happy hours watching the racing at Brooklands during her childhood. Arnott had become a competent mechanic by her early teens and worked at the Hawker Aircraft Company during WWII. Her grandfather ran the Werner Motorcycle company and her father designed the Arnott supercharger, and sold the product through his company, Carburettors Ltd of Willesden, London. Daphne joined the family business in 1948 and by 1951 had created a special department to design and manufacture 500cc F3 cars, with the assistance of the works manager, George Thornton.

In 1953 the innovative little company created a streamlined F3 special with which John Brise, father of the late F1 driver Tony Brise, set a series of international Class I records at Montlhéry. In 1955 she assembled a team (including seasoned drivers Jim Russell and Peter Taylor) to compete in the Le Mans 24 Hour race and a new two-seater, open topped sportscar was created especially for the event. The tubular chassis was powered by one of the very first 1100cc Coventry Climax engines (#FWA6264) - Coventry Climax had supplied a unit to each of the Lotus, Kieft and Arnott teams for the race. Arnott's one was, of course, topped by one of the family's own superchargers.

The engine was mated to an MG TC type gearbox that drove through an ENV back axle. The car also featured independent suspension all round, Lockheed hydraulic drum brakes, rack and pinion steering, and was clothed in a streamlined glassfibre body. Sadly, the equipe's hopes of success in the race were dashed even before the start, when driver Peter Taylor crashed into the Dunlop Bridge during official practice, reputedly after waving to his girlfriend on the pit counter! It is this very car that is now offered for sale.

Following the Le Mans debacle, 1 FMT was fully repaired and became Daphne Arnott's personal road car for some 20 years. The current owner is Duncan Rabagliati, the well-known Co-ordinator of the Formula Junior Historic Racing Association and successful racer of all things historic. He purchased the car direct from Daphne Arnott some 13 years ago and had it beautifully restored by Peter Lander of Sigma Engineering, Gillingham, Dorset. Judging by the charming letter sent by Daphne Arnott to Rabagliati in January 1998, she felt there would have been a fair bit to do. In one section she said.."I am quite prepared to hand over my Arnott to you. This once beloved car is slowly disintegrating in our barns and I accept that any restoration is not possible here."

Though the Sigma invoice dated June 2003 totalled a not inconsiderable £33,524, it is clear from the content that great pains were taken to preserve the originality of this historically important British racer. These days the car is resplendent in Salmon Pink bodywork and a Cream leather interior. It retains the actual Works Climax engine that was supplied for the Le Mans race and even the same Arnott supercharger. The car's provenance is impeccable and Rabagliati currently considers its bodywork, engine and paintwork to be 'excellent', the transmission to be 'good' and the interior 'original/used'. It is now offered complete with original specification sheet (which shows the RRP when new would have been £1,350 including tax), the letter from Daphne Arnott, the original buff log book, current V5, FIA Historic Technical Passport, and current tax and MOT.

Sadly, the Arnott marque only survived another two years after its first Le Mans attempt - a second one in 1957 was terminated part way through the race by a dropped engine valve, and this proved to be the little company's final throw of the dice. 1 FMT therefore stands as a unique and superb reminder of one of Britain's most interesting motor manufacturers.

PLEASE NOTE: There is only a copy of the buff logbook with this vehicle.