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LOT 142 Green/Primer
Founded by Edward Halford, Guy Robins and Henry Ronald Godfrey, whose surname initals together made up the name, HRG was founded in 1936 and the earliest cars utilised 1.5 litre Meadows 4ED engines. Based in Tolworth, Surrey, the HRG carved out a solid niche building high quality sports cars in a similar vein to Frazer Nash and enjoyed some good success on the race track, the works car finishing tenth at Le Mans in 1938 with the Hon. Peter Clark and Marcus Chambers sharing the driving. In 1939, HRG switched to Singer engines and offered both 1100 and 1500cc models, the latter becoming the biggest seller, with 111 built by the time production ceased in 1956. HRG actually modified the overhead-camshaft Singer motor using a revised cylinder head and twin SU carburetors to increase power to a very healthy 61 bhp. The HRG was an expensive car in its day, costing almost twice the price of the contemporary MG T-series, but offered a hand-made quality and equipment levels comparable with more luxurious marques. Post-war, HRG came up with the fully enclosed Aerodynamic but the square-rigger bodies appealed more to traditionalists and were available until production ceased in 1955. Built on the 14th of April, 1949 this HRG was sold new by Brown and Dureau of Collins St, Melbourne, who commissioned a one-off four-seat body said to have been built by Gordon Stewart of Sydney and is believed to be the only four-seat HRG ever made. One of only 251 HRGs constructed in the period 1935-1955, W185 was reputedly rallied by Doug Whiteford and Reg Nutt for Brown & Dureau. The first private owner was John P.Ward of Toorak, Victoria who bought the car in 1952 and it subsequently changed hands several times. One owner, Archie Johnson Jnr., even raced the HRG in the Moomba Tourist Trophy at Albert Park on March 26, 1955. The following year the car passed to the late David Eggleton and was kept by him for the next five decades, laid-up since the early 1960s and largely forgotten. Eggleton eventually began restoring the HRG and it spent the last few years on display in the National Automobile of Tasmania in Launceston. The car has the correct chassis, engine, gearbox and diff – only the Marles steering box has been replaced, with a box most likely from a Ford Prefect. The bodywork is complete and partially restored (the front wings have been painted), the seats partly re-trimmed and finishing the project should prove relatively straightforward, with a quantity of associated parts included with the vehicle. The HRG comes with a comprehensive history file, including the original Owner’s Certificate, historical photos, purchase agreement between Mr Eggleton and Le Mans Motors of Carlisle Street, St Kilda in August 1956, an original Moomba TT race programme, period photographs, folder of receipts (including numerous invoices for parts used in the restoration so far), an original HRG Instruction Book and Repair Manual and large amount of marque literature. Sold without registration.
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