Lot details
Registration No: N/A
Chassis No: 35RS
Mot Expiry: N/A

The minute WWII hostilities ceased, Britain's innate engineering nous was redeployed on more pleasurable pastimes - not least the equally competitive world of motorsport. John Cooper quickly redefined the format for single-seater racers by moving the engine from one end of the car to the other. The likes of Colin Chapman kept the innovations flowing, and by the '60s it seemed every railway arch, disused aircraft hangar or farmer's barn housed a budding racing car manufacturer.

Typical of the breed was Colchester Racing Developments, the company established in 1960 by design engineer Selwyn H Hayward and Essex farmer and former racing driver John Barrington Lewis. From the dusty confines of a tractor storage barn on Lewis' farm at Little Bentley near Colchester (hence the company name) emerged the Merlyn brand. The newcomer's first production offering, the MK2 was a front-engined Formula Junior single-seater, while with the MK3 was more Cooper-esque with the engine mounted behind the driver. The company continued down the single-seater route, making a name for itself in Formula Ford (Tim Schenken was among those to star in such Merlyn products), F3, Formula Atlantic, Formula Libre and even F2. Production ceased in 1979 with the MK31, by which time some 400 chassis of one type or another had been produced, around 250 of which are believed to have been successfully exported to the USA.

Merlyn also made its mark in sportscars, not least with the MK4 - one of the few cars of the day that was capable of matching and, in the right hands, beating the all-conquering Lotus 23. It was based on a lightweight multi-tubular mild steel spaceframe that weighed in at just 460kg. This was clothed in a pretty glassfibre body and powered by a choice of engines, but most commonly the Ford Twin-Cam unit. The suspension comprised the standard racing set-up of double wishbones and coil springs on all corners. Steering was by rack and pinion and braking by discs and alloy callipers all round.

The Merlyn being offered for sale is a rare 1963 MK4A. The vendor informs us that its competition history includes being hillclimbed in Italy by well-known classic racer Dr Massimo Vezzosi, and three visits to the Goodwood Revival meeting, the highest finish from which was 6th overall. The vendor considers the Merlyn to be "very sound" and merely in need of some light recommissioning before returning to the track once more. The gearbox was apparently re-cased by JP Gearboxes using a secondhand unit and has only been subjected to three races since the refurbishment. The vendor regards the 1600cc Ford Twin-Cam engine as "very good". This pretty MK4A is finished in Dark Green with contrasting centre stripe, and comes complete with HTP and old FIA papers, plus a letter of authenticity from Merlyn's Clive Hayward regarding the chassis number. A potentially competitive car that's eligible for the matchless Goodwood Revival Meeting and for which spares are readily obtainable from the company that built it 49 years ago.