The Railton was made by the Fairmile Engineering Company in Cobham, Surrey, between 1933 and 1940 and was the enterprise of Noel Macklin who had been been producing Invictas at the same factory site.
The Invicatas were expensive to build and weren’t selling, so Macklin looked for an alternative.
He was impressed with the performance of the new Terraplane model launched by Hudson Motors in 1932, and thus came to an agreement to import the straight-eight engine and chassis.
Independent coach builders, including John Charles Ranalah (who made the first body in 1933), were engaged to create light weight tourers, drop head coupes and saloons, and customers could even choose their preferred coach builder.
The designer of Land Speed Record cars of the period, Reid Railton agreed to his name being used for the new car and due to the fantastic acceleration and torque of the eight-cylinder, six cars were assembled for use by the Metropolitan Police.
By 1939, Noel Macklin turned his attention to powerboats and sold the company to Hudson who moved production to their Brentford facility only to be halted by the outbreak of war.
This stunning Railton Drop Head Coupe was bodied by Ranalah Coachworks Ltd at their Morden Road premises in Merton, London, and according to research, is listed in the UK Railton Club register as a possible one-off.
The same body style may have also been used on the Rolls Royce 20/25. Membership of the Railton Owners Club should allow you to find some early facts about this particular example.
First registered on the 5th June 1936, this hand-built Railton was owned for an amazing 72 years from new by a gentleman in Cowbridge, Wales.
He clearly meticulously cared for it until it was passed on to the second owner in Hampshire on the 3rd November 2008. It was subsequently registered in this gentleman’s partners name on the 1st February 2019.
The current owner acquired it in November 2021 and has spent a huge number of man-hours re-commissioning and improving a range of mechanical items and attending to cosmetic details.
There isn’t much in the way of paperwork currently available but the up to date V5 is present along with a couple of previous ones, but some online research may bring some information to light.
There are a couple of Railton Owners Club magazines from 2021, a copy of an interesting Railton sales advertisement from 1934 and a few photographs of earlier restoration work.
The last MOT was carried out by the first owner in 2008 at a recorded mileage of 31!. The exempt tax runs until December 2022.
The beautifully restored and complementary interior is swathed in brown leather and luxurious fitted carpeting and is in excellent condition.
Upon opening the rear-hinged doors you are greeted with the ‘Ranalah’ chrome plate and the original Bluemel’s Brooklands ‘banjo’ steering wheel.
Resplendent in mottled tortoiseshell, these steering wheels were often supplied to other automobile manufactures such as Rolls Royce and Invicta. This one has recently been renovated by Bluemel’s.
The high quality fixtures and fittings continue with varnished wood door capping’s, windscreen surround and dashboard which features a beautiful turned-aluminium mounting plate for the comprehensive set of Smiths instrumentation.
As the car is now converted to 12v, a Turnflex indicator switch is attached to the steering column, replacing the 6v semaphore ones (although still in-situ).
The chrome gear lever, linkage and handbrake sit in the centre and the comfortable driving position and relatively conventional driving layout certainly instills confidence.
The elegant two-tone Ranalah-built body looks stunning in it’s grey/brown colour combination, and although painted by a previous owner some time ago, is still gleaming. The aluminium panels appear very straight, scratch and ding-free.
Dominated by the glorious chrome Railton radiator shroud and headlights, all the chrome work, lighting, glass, trim and fittings are, without exception, very presentable.
The two-position quality canvas top is also in great condition as is the boot space.
Built on the strong Hudson chassis, the underside has recently been completely stripped, cleaned and painted by the current owner - and it shows - It looks fantastic!
The red spoked wheels have also been refurbished and look great with their shining hub-caps, beauty rings and Avon tyres.
The engine compartment is immaculate and houses the impeccable and indeed powerful Hudson 4,281cc straight 8, 122bhp engine.
It features a Carter WA-1 single barrel carburettor and, as mentioned, 12 volt electrics with relatively new wiring. All the components have been painted and detailed and the mirror-finish bulk-head panel looks a treat. You will also find the identification plate attached to this.
The valve cover plates have been removed for inspection purposes, and although unconfirmed, the owner believes that the engine has been rebuilt at some point.
The following details most of the mechanical work carried out in recent months:
• The 3-speed gearbox has been removed, cleaned, painted and checked
• The gimbal bearing and clutch plate have been replaced
• The sump was removed, due to an oil leak, and the gasket replaced
• Recently the fuel tank has been removed and cleaned out along with fuel lines
• The brakes have been cleaned and painted
• The master cylinder and slave cylinders have been replaced
EPB 63 is a fine example of 1930’s Anglo-American styling and engineering and having only had essentially two former owners, it has clearly been cherished during its life time.
In addition to the previous restoration of the body and interior, and a possible rebuild of the engine, this vintage tourer has benefited from a whole host of recent and notable sympathetic improvements.
The owner assures us that this historic beauty is on the button in every respect and so should be a hoot to drive on the open road.
There is a good degree of support for these cars from specialists, clubs and like-minded enthusiasts, so this Railton Drop Head Coupe would feel right at home at vintage car gatherings.
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1936 Railton Drop Head Coupe
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