1954 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé
£465,000. Pendine Historic Cars, Bicester, UK
RATHER AS A DOG reacts to the sight of food he’s not allowed to eat, some cars are just so pretty it’s almost difficult to look at them. Such is the case with this superb and rare Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé, one of just nine built and the actual example that appeared at the Earl’s Court Motor Show in 1954.
Introduced during the previous year, the Le Mans was the first ‘closed’ car to be produced by FN and was, essentially, a Targa Florio model with a roof. That meant a parallel-tube chassis, independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, torsion bars at the back and twin-leading-shoe brakes, all topped with a lovely lightweight aluminium body.
With just 760kg to propel, the 140bhp, 2.0-litre Bristol straight-six endowed the Le Mans Coupé with decidedly lively performance, sufficient for the prototype to win its class at Le Mans in 1953 and provide the production version with its name. The same prototype also achieved 11th overall in 1954 and was one of three examples to compete in the event.
However, as Frazer Nash authority Denis Jenkinson observed, the majority of these cars were used as ‘normal, everyday tourers’. That must have been the case with this example offered by Pendine, because the original owner, Anthony Twentyman, sold it after three years with 24,000 miles on the clock. He did, however, compete in it during 1955 and ’56, having specified an upgraded engine which was specially built by Bristol with 8.5:1 compression ratio.
Other extras – still present – were adjustable radiator slats, centre-lock wheels, Alfin brake drums and a fly-off handbrake. Twentyman also asked for adjustable seats.
There followed but two owners until 1995, the second keeping the car for 30 years. It has since appeared at auction three times before being restored from the ground-up to its present condition. Rare and eligible for all the big classic events, it suits circuit racing, reliability trials or hillclimbs. Or you could just use it as a delightful, speedy and jewel-like ‘everyday touring car’, as the inimitable ‘Jenks’ would have expected.