Search ads by make

Previous Features

Fox and Nicholl Singers revisited. (upd. 4,5 or 6,5 litre Bentley in background?)

Bill Coates reports: "Some months ago a query was sent in regarding Fox and Nicholl Singers. There is also a marvellous article about F&N by David Venables appeared in this month's VSCC bulletin). It is a subject close to my heart as in 1970 I purchased the remains of a 2 litre Singer which was lying in a hedge in North Wales. The engine & front axle were said to have come from a "racing Singer" which had been written off in an accident in 1938 or 39. Never having built a vintage car body before I decided that although the engine was in a different chassis, I would try to re-create something like the F&N body which had been removed from the original 1.5litre car before its sale by F&N. The late Anthony Blight of Talbot fame, gave me a great deal of help and advice including the address of one of the mechanics Richard Jury (Pic 1). Bill Arnold company secretary confirmed F&N had built the barrel backed body and it was still hanging in the works when the garage was sold to Shell in the late '60's. (Missed it by 2 years!) Pic 2 shows the almost finished car coming out of its rebuild shed in 1975. Little did I think then that it would be such a brilliant car for long distance touring; motorway cruising at a leisurely 70mph!! The Dolomites are our favourite area and we hope to go again this summer. Pics 4 & 6 show the Stelvio and pic 5 shows wife Liz & self on St. Gotthard." (editor: also note the nice 3(?) litre Bentley Saloon in the background of the main photo)

Today on PostWarClassic: Redreamed: 1954 Maserati A6GCS

Comments

#10 2013-05-03 00:20

Hi Bill, I'm the owner of the 1.5 litre F&N Singer. Thank you for your post and for the picture with my car, I didn't have it in my archive. Have you got other pictures of it?
Kind regards,
Nicola

#9 william hearne 2013-03-15 16:08

Sorry but I think that both David Green [4.5 litre] and Edward labounty [3 litre] are incorrect about the Bentley in the background. I would say that Alistair Dray is correct that it is a 6.5 litre.

#8 2013-03-15 04:00

Background car looks a lot like a 3 L Bentley saloon.

#7 2013-03-15 02:36

The car in the background is a 4.5L Bentley, not a 3L.

#6 2013-03-14 22:05

Personally, I’d like to know more about the Bentley in the background!

#5 2013-03-14 18:44

great photos.
the Bentley saloon looks like a 6 1/2 litre to me

#4 2013-03-14 17:53

The original Fox & Nicholl Singer is now in Italy. It is owned by Nicola Zanella. At the end of the 1934 season it was returned to Singers and fitted with the original 2-seat sports body which it still has. It was trialled and rallied by Jackie Astbury in 1935/36 and was raced after WW2 by James Tiling, the well-knowh race commentator

#3 Bill Coates 2013-03-14 17:46

With apologies to David Venables; someone phoned re an item in The Automobile when I was putting this article together. Sorry, but it is still an excellent article!!
Bill

#2 2013-03-14 08:04

What car is it in the background? A Pic-Pic?

#1 2013-03-14 01:07

My article on Fox & Nicholl appeared in the VSCC Bulletin, not "The Automobile"

Refresh comments list