Coachbuilt aluminium-bodied two-seater Drophead Coupé, completed in London by the Darracq Motor Engineering Company
Unique from the French steel-bodied series production cars, with a possible connection to the company's director
Engine number matching the 1929 chassis number
Documented history with paperwork spanning several decades, including purchase orders, registration records and a 1956 Silverstone photograph
Subject to a substantial restoration with considerable investment over many years
The Appeal
The Sunbeam-Talbot-Darracq combine produced some notable motor cars of the late 1920s, and the Talbot M67 chassis underpinned a range of elegant touring machines. Our example is something very special indeed, standing apart from its French-built siblings: completed in London by the Darracq Motor Engineering Company as a two-seater Drophead Coupe, it was bodied not in steel but in aluminium, a departure from series production that makes it a singular motor car. Intriguingly, STD paperwork raises the possibility that it may have been the personal car of the Darracq Motor Engineering Company's director.
The history of this Darracq is as rich as it is complex. Its aluminium DHC body, originally registered as UV 5687, was placed onto an identical Darracq M67 chassis (RX 3631) around 1970, and it is under this registration that the car continues. The RX 3631 chassis itself carries a colourful past, having been converted to an estate (or 'shooting brake') during the wartime utility era and later owned by Lewis Barrington Upton, a former racing mechanic photographed with the car at Silverstone in 1956.
For the discerning pre-war enthusiast, this Darracq represents a rare opportunity to acquire a coachbuilt, truly one-off motor car with a remarkably well-documented provenance.DSC01465.jpg1.95 MB
History and Paperwork
Based on the French Talbot M67 chassis, completed in London by the Darracq Motor Engineering Company as a two-seater aluminium-bodied Drophead Coupe
The RX 3631 chassis first registered on 11th January 1929 by J. Boarden (or Boardlow) as a "brown salon"
Registered to E.C.N. Gower on 22nd May 1946, then to Lewis Barrington Upton on 17th July 1946 as "utility, grey"
L.B. Upton confirmed registration in 1952 and again in 1956; a photograph exists of the car at Silverstone in 1956
The DHC body (originally UV 5687) received work by Jack Shufflebotham between 1965 and approximately 1967, with detailed purchase orders on file
UV 5687 sold to Mr. Scott in 1968, then to C.W. Blanford in 1970, who also acquired the RX 3631 estate
The DHC body was transferred onto the RX 3631 chassis around 1970
Both projects sold to John Devlin in Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1986, later passing through Rearsby Garage
Acquired by Brian Messinger on 5th November 1988, who is reported to have completed approximately 90% of the restoration, investing until 2014
Sold at auction in Beaulieu in 2016 to the Haack-Kurz family in Germany, who have made further investment
Engine number matches the 1929 chassis number
Documents on file for both chassis from the 1960s, with RX 3631 records from earlier still
STD paperwork suggests a possible connection to the director of the Darracq Motor Engineering Company
Wears its British registration plates 'RX 363' (no longer shows on DVLA system)
Coachbuilt aluminium body over a wooden frame in a two-seater Drophead Coupé configuration
Reported to have been approximately 90% completed as a restoration project by Brian Messinger, with further investment by the current owners
Having been subject to extensive restoration, the coachbuilt bodywork presents very well indeed, especially for a car of this considerable vintage. The trim is gently patinated as befits its age, while the interior is presented to a very good standard.
The polished wire wheel covers were all the rage in period and certainly suited the Darracq's rakish lines. It comes with a full complement of wet-weather equipment, which includes neat folding pillars for the wind-up windows.
Mounted on an identical-specification Darracq M67 chassis (RX 3631)
Chassis no. M67-71330
These were powerful touring cars, designed for traversing Europe at speed. We'd wager that this car would still accomplish this task with aplomb. The engine bay looks clean and generally well-kept, while the vendor demonstrates the engine to be in running order, ticking over steadily in the video which accompanies this listing.
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