Tag Archives: Cohen

Tax Minimising Special – Healey Duncan Drone

Upon the completion of his studies in mechanical engineering Ian Duncan joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company where he was promoted to chief technical assistant to chief engineer Roy Fedden in 1940.

Two years later Roy and Ian left Bristol to visit the US where they studied aero engine production methods on behalf of the British government.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

Back in the UK Ian joined Roy at Roy Fedden Ltd in Cheltenham which was set up with a view to designing and building a flat 6 aero engine, a gas turbine engine and an idiosyncraticvehicle with a three cylinder radial engine at the back driving the rear wheels through a torque converter with Alex Mouton designed rubber suspension for the road wheels.

It is not known if lack of finance or conceptual differences led Ian and Roy to part ways, but by the end of the war Ian had briefly joined his brothers canning machine company before founding Duncan Industries (Engineers) Ltd, with former Fedden employees including Frank Hamblin and Alan Lamburn based 130 miles north east of London in the little Norfolk town of North Walsham.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

Ian was inspired to build a much smaller vehicle, than what turned out to be the extremely unstable Fedden, more in the mould of the American Crosley micro car, from whom he ordered five 10″ wheels and tyres around which he based his Dragonfly prototype.

Despite only being 10′ 9 1/2″ long and 4′ 1 1/2″ tall the Dragonfly was bristling with novelties including three abreast seating, a transversely mounted BSA 500 cc motor cycle engine driving the front wheels through a chain driven differential with half shafts and French designed constant velocity joints, the only thing the Dragonfly shared in common with the Fedden was Alex Moulton designed rubber suspension.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

In order to fund the building of the Dragonfly prototype Duncan Industries bought three Riley powered Healey chassis and curiously chose to modify bodies from a Hillman Minx, Ford Anglia and Ford Popular for each respectively.

A scaled up version of the Dragonfly body was then fitted to an Alvis chassis and 23 further Healey’s were fitted with similarly scaled up Dragonfly saloon bodies plus one convertible as were 29 more Alvis chassis, several Daimler’s, Bentley’s and at least one Allard.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

In an effort to encourage British manufacturers to find markets for their products abroad the Government introduced a 66.6% sales tax on vehicles costing more than £1,000 in 1947.

With the Duncan Dragonfly based bodied vehicles all costing far in excess of this Duncan produced a bargain basement Drone body for which the windscreen, passenger seat and spare wheel were all listed as extra’s to keep the price down for the domestic market.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

By cutting out every luxury the power to weight ratio of the Drone bodied Healey’s made them ideal for competition and today’s featured Drone was one of four Healey’s that took part in the 1949 Mille Miglia.

This particular car took the start at 6:25 am with James Cohen and Reg Hingett aboard. 35kms later Reg was dead after the car collided with a bridge and while James would eventually be repatriated back to the UK, he too would succumb to his injuries.

Healey Duncan Drone, Castle Combe

Repairs to the 1947 chassis seen here at a Castle Combe Classic & Retro Action Day were not completed until 2013.

Today’s featured car is one of just two Drones believed to have survived from the 15 known to have been built.

Thanks for joining me on this “Tax Minimising Special” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I will be looking at another Indy car. Don’t forget to come back now !

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COhen GN & AC – COGNAC Frazer Nash Special

S.A. COhen was responsible for building the first iteration of today’s featured car using I believe a 1925 Frazer Nash chassis with a solid axle and chain drive as originally developed by GN.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Mallory Park,

The triple carburetor 2 litre / 122 cui aluminium block iron head six cylinder AC motor, that lent it’s initials to the last two letters of the cars name, is of a design that dates back to 1919 and remained in production up until 1963.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Tony Lees, Chateau Impney

My understanding is that COGNAC was originally fitted with a two seat body that originated from an Amilcar with the radiator coming from a Hampton of a type I have not yet identified, if you know which model Hampton is shown in this linked image please do not hesitate to chime in below. and that the tail was modified to fit a spare wheel across the back of the car.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Mallory Park,

It appears that the tail of the Amilcar body was modified to fit a spare wheel across the back of the car.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Tony Lees, Mallory Park,

I am not sure exactly when S.A. Cohen competed with the car, the only report I have found so far describes him suffering with a slipping clutch at the Lewes speed trials in the June 1937 issue of MotorSport.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Mallory Park,

A chap called Duchy at the Nostalgia Forum recalls his father owned the COGNAC Frazer Nash Special and used it as a road car in the mid 1950’s and that it was not converted into the single seater form seen here until the 1970’s.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Tony Lees, Chateau Impney

Ron Footitt is the man responsible for converting the COGNAC Frazer Nash Special into a single seater for vintage racing in the 1970’s.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Mallory Park,

I have seen several accounts of the story that Ron wanted his ashes scattered onto a racing circuit upon his death and that COGNAC’s next owner Freddie Giles obliged at Oulton Park, after winning a race he is said to have scattered Ron’s ashes from a glove on his slowing down lap.

COGNAC Frazer Nash Special, Tony Lees, Mallory Park,

Current owner Tony Lees is seen testing COGNAC at Mallory Park soon after he bought it in 2013 and at last years Chateau Impney Hillclimb.

Thanks for joining me on this “COhen GN & AC” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow far a look at the last in the current series of ERA’s. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Classic & Retro Action Day – Castle Combe

The day after attending Goodwood Festival of speed David Roots invited me along to Castle Combe for the Retro & Classic Action Day which was a mixture of car show and track day.

MG TC, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

In between the rain and thunder there was a fascinating array of vehicles to see like this 1946 MG TC.

Healey Duncan Drone, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

Like some of the storied vehicles at Goodwood, some at Castle Combe had tragic tales to tell. The Healey Duncan Drone was built with a throw away body to keep the list price, and attendant 66% taxes, down on the domestic market. Extras for this car would have included a second seat and the spare wheel. This particular car took the start of the 1949 Mille Miglia at 6:25 am with James Cohen and Reg Hingett aboard. 35kms later Reg was dead after their car collided with a bridge and while James would eventually be repatriated back to the UK, he too would succumb to his injuries.

Ford Squire Cosworth, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

In Latvia the Ford Prefect was built under licence as the Ford-Vairogs Junior I am not sure they would have had an estate / station wagon variant because the UK Ford factory was so busy they farmed out production of the Prefect Estate known as the ‘Squire’ to the coach builders Abbots of Farnham who were given brand new off the assembly line Prefect saloons / sedans to convert. This particular vehicle, built in 1960, is officially shown as no longer having it’s original 1,172 cc / 71.5 cui side valve motor good for 71 mph, but instead the official capacity is given as 1993 cc / 121.6 cui which is usually the sign of the presence of a 200hp motor taken from a Ford Sierra Cosworth or similar.

Datsun Fairlady 1500, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

Before Datsun got the Jaguar E-Type inspired Fairlady ‘Z’ series up and running in 1970 their sports cars tended to follow the lines of the slightly more mundane MG’s and Triumph’s of the day. Above is a 1965 Fairlady with a 1500 cc / 91.5 cui 4 cylinder motor.

Ford Escort Cosworth Estate, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

In 1969 I was lucky enough to travel overland from Durban in South Africa to Mufulira in the back of a Ford Escort Estate Mk 1 with my folks, over following holidays we made it as far as Malindi in Kenya in the same car. In 1977 when my folks came back to the UK they bought a Ford Escort Estate Mk II not unlike the one seen above. The gentleman who own’s the yellow car tells me it was his first car, unlike my folks, he has swapped out the original 1300cc / 79.3 cui motor for a 200hp Ford Sierra Cosworth unit which would probably get him from Durban to Malindi days if not a week faster than we could ever have hoped to do it.

ALFA Romeo 33 Cloverleaf 2, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

My first visit to Castle Combe in 1987 is indelibly linked to the memory of friends race winning #143 ALFA Romeo 33 which got wrecked, after he had abandoned the car at Quarry, by an errant ALFA Sud. My friend was unhurt and he came back toward the end of the season with another car to score a win. Seeing the later Red ALFA Romeo Cloverleaf 2 33 above in the paddock brought those memories flooding back like it all happened yesterday.

TVR Tamora, Classic & Retro Action Day, Castle Combe

Finally I was parked opposite this lush Opal White Pearlescent TVR Tamora and couldn’t take my eye’s off it while sat in my car waiting for the thunder and rain to abate. The owner tells me that while the car was undergoing various mechanical upgrades by ex TVR factory personnel he had the car resprayed, at £300 pounds a tin the paint is not cheap the whole respray came in at an eye watering £7,500. About ten times the value of my Golf and probably two or three times the sum I have spent on every one of the twenty or thirty cars I have ever bought combined ! Still it was without question worth it, there is only one other Tamora painted the same colour.

My thanks to David Roots for inviting me along to Castle Combe.

Thanks for joining me on this “Classic & Retro Action Day” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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