1937 Frazer Nash-BMW 326 Rolling Chassis

Lot details
Registration No: FMX 1
Chassis No: 80038
Mot Expiry: Exempt

- First owned by pre-war racing driver A.F.P. Pane

- Offered with V5C, 328 clutch, gearbox, high-ratio back axle and Bluemel steering wheel.

- Original 328 specification engine with correct small valve cylinder head


Further info:

This intriguing lot comprises the part-restored remains of a 1937 Frazer-Nash BMW Cabriolet originally owned by the famed pre-war racing driver and WWII pilot A F P Fane, who became a shareholder of AFN and enjoyed much success at the wheel of Frazer-Nash and BMW cars; including winning the 1937 International Eifelrenn race in a BMW 328. Considered too old to be a fighter pilot at the outbreak of WWII, the Indian-born Fane became a member of the RAF Photo Reconnaissance Unit attached to Bomber Command, and is credited with finding and photographing the infamous German battleship Tirpitz.

He was the first owner of the Frazer Nash 326 Cabriolet `FMX 1', which he took delivery of on October 11, 1937 and subsequently became the property of Lady Binney, the wife of Sir Thomas Binney, the Governor of Tasmania 1946-1951. The remains of the car, plus other carefully-sourced replacement parts, can either serve as the basis of a continuing restoration project or of a Frazer Nash special. The chassis has been restored by coded welder and rust proofed - the rear section was beyond repair, so suitable chassis members were obtained in Berlin from an ex-SS staff car and grafted on with care to preserve the stamped chassis numbers. The engine has seized due to standing but is topped by the correct 328 small-valve head that was hot and cold tested by Stanton Motorsports and contains many new parts. Also in place are a 328 clutch, gearbox, high-ratio back axle and Bluemel steering wheel. Other original items include: front mudguards, doors, hood irons, seats, petrol tank, alloy bonnet, front cowl, radiator, lights and starting handle. New parts include: inner rear wings, rear floors, boot extensions, NOS rear mudguards, ash items and wooden door frames, new tyres and inner tubes - the wheels for which have been blasted and painted.