1949 HRG 1100 Sports

• One of only 49 produced
• Singer overhead-camshaft engine
• Long-term single ownership 1966-1999
• Restored in the late 1960s
• VSCC eligible

In 1935, ten years after the dissolution of the GN cyclecar company, the 'G' - H R Godfrey - was back in business with new partners E A Halford and G H Robins, the trio's new firm adopting the name 'HRG'. The aim was to build a lightweight Vintage-style sporting car endowed with the virtues of brisk acceleration and positive steering, and in this they succeeded brilliantly. With its sturdy yet flexible ladder-type frame, tubular front axle, ash-framed alloy coachwork, and 1.5-litre Meadows engine, the little HRG proved an instant success in competitions. The Meadows 4ED's 58bhp combined with an overall weight of less than 1,600lbs meant that 50mph came up in under ten seconds with 90mph reachable under favourable conditions, an excellent performance for a 1.5-litre car of the period.

With the Meadows at the end of its development an alternative was needed and the firm turned to Singer, adopting a tuned version of the overhead-camshaft Singer 12 engine for the 11/2-Litre, and a similarly-revised Singer 9 engine for a new model: the 1100. Constructed along lines almost identical to those of its larger sibling, the 1100 debuted in 1938. Just eight had been constructed by the end of 1939 and a further 41 were made in the post-war period up to 1950, making the model one of the most exclusive of all English sporting thoroughbreds.

One of the 49 '1100' models produced, chassis number 'S97' carries two-seater sports coachwork and comes with weather equipment consisting of a hood, side screens, and a tonneau cover. The car retains its original Edinburgh registration number 'GSF 465' and comes with a file of provenance containing the current V5C Registration Certificate; a letter from the second owner's daughter referencing her father's ownership; old period photographs of 'GSF 465'; various invoices; assorted HRG Association information; and an HRG instruction manual. In 1999 'GSF 465' was sold through Brooks' auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (Lot 765). The HRG had been in the long-term ownership of Derek Kempton since 1966 and had been restored by him in the late 1960s, remaining in use up to the time of his death in June 1998.

This pretty little HRG has the additional benefit of being VSCC eligible, which enables the car to participate competitively in VSCC events as a Post-Vintage Thoroughbred together with the other HRGs. A rare opportunity to purchase one of these charming HRG 1100 sports roadsters.