1950 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica

Chassis 421/100/110, finished in Grey with red leather, was shipped to Bristol Motors Inc, New York in late March 1950, ready for the British Automobile & Motorcycle Show in April. Being a show car, it was to a high specification, with a flurry of chromed parts including the exhaust pipes, headlamps, front wishbones and wing supports. Other details included Newton telescopic front shock absorbers, Bristol rear shock absorbers, a 3.9 ratio rear axle in a steel housing, along with light alloy brake drums and back plates. Amongst the other exhibitors at the show were Rootes, Allard, Jaguar and Rolls-Royce. Perhaps it was all the extra chrome that caught the eye of aspiring racer Lawrence ‘Larry’ Kulok, who bought the car off the stand (later, Larry went onto win Sebring in another Frazer Nash in 1952). From this point forward, 421/100/110 had a distinguished racing history in the USA.

Larry was soon in the thick of it, competing at Westhampton only a month later, Bridgehampton in June and New Jersey in July, winning three races. His final outing in 421/100/110 was at Watkins Glen in September.

For the 1951 season, Larry sold it to Ted Boynton of Chicago, who finished fifth and then first at Watkins Glen in September, who regularly raced it in SCCA events until mid-1955. Until the end of 1956 it was in the hands of Californian Bob Sawyer who continued with the SCCA. It continued to compete, with various owners, until 1961. At this point, after 24 races, it was retired and the first of two restorations commenced. With its racing career behind it, it was regularly used as a road car.

It was repatriated in around 1990, and over 1991-1992 it was completely restored by T.T. Workshops. At this point an overdrive gearbox was fitted, whilst the original was put to one side for safe keeping.

There are letters on file from Dennis Jenkinson, on behalf of the Frazer Nash Archives, to Ian Skailes in 1992 with the early history of the car. The Frazer Nash Archives suppled 9 photos, starting with when it was brand new at the factory, and then the first known picture of it racing. Interestingly, Jenks notes of this particular picture ‘This is Lawrence Kulock……a photo used for publicity purposes, to illustrate a sporting amateur in America racing a car bought off the Motor Show stand, ready to race’. A real weekend hero.

Tony Dron drove 421/100/110 for Classic Cars in 2003, describing the Frazer Nash as ‘extremely nimble, with light and accurate steering, turn-in is astonishing and the handling encourages attacks on tight corners without fear of losing the tail end’.

It is an exceptionally well documented car. There are three large history files detailing much of its life. They cover many of the races it competed in in period, with race reports and photographs. There is correspondence from previous owners in America, supported by some lovely happy-snap photos from their own archives. Since returning to the U.K., it has regularly partaken in events all over Europe, from beating brethren on various Frazer Nash raids to keeping C-Type Jaguar’s on their feet on the Italia Classica.

The current owner has been enthusiastic in both his use and upkeep of the car. He bought the car from Bonhams in 2003, and many of the files contain race programmes, race results, and a seemingly endless collection of invoices. Ian Nuthall Racing has looked after the car for over a decade, and in 2019 he put the original engine to one side, and had Ian Nuthall Racing build a new fast road/race engine. It has current HTP papers, valid until 2027.

In 2022 Pendine Historic Cars oversaw a sympathetic restoration of the car back to its original factory specification. The culmination of this was being invited to show the car at the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance in the Post war racing car class. The car was shipped to the United States and took part in all the festivities of Monterey Car Week and remains one of just a small number of Frazer Nashes to have ever been invited.

A brief note on the word ‘Replica’

The word ‘Replica’ often confuses. Surely, a ‘replica’ is not the real thing? But as Dennis Jenkinson clearly put it; a replica can only be made by the original maker and constructed in the same way as an original car. Otherwise, it’s merely a reproduction….or a fake. So chassis 421/100/110 is a factory guaranteed Replica of the racer that had finished third overall in the 1949 Le Mans 24 hrs with Culpan and Aldington at the wheel. Or, as the sales catalogue stated, ‘guaranteed to be a replica, in specification, performance and construction, of the Frazer Nash which was so successful at Le Mans’.