Razor Blade
Encyclopedia
The Aston Martin
Razor Blade team car was built in 1923 to break the one hour light car record of 101.39 mi/h held by AC Cars
. Although it failed to break the record, it did have success in race and record attempts in the 1920s.
The August 1923 issue of The Light Car & Cyclecar magazine stated:
by Aston Martin. It was based on half a 1921 three litre eight cylinder Ballot
engine giving a four cylinder configuration, with twin overhead camshafts, 16 valves, and 1.5 litres capacity. It produced 55 bhp at 4,200 rpm.
The body was built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and is 18½ inches (47 cms) at its widest point. It is said the be the narrowest racing car ever built. The original design was for the body to be fully enclosed, but Lionel Martin was unable to find a driver small enough to fit in it. Originally code named the Oyster, the car was soon called the Razor Blade.
The car was driven by S. C. H. Davis for the attempt at the one hour light car
record. The car lapped consistently at the Brooklands
circuit at 103–104 mph but the front offside tyre came off and after having a new tyre fitted, the same wheel shed its tyre several more times at speeds higher than 100 mi/h, until the record attempt was abandoned.
The Razor Blade was raced regularly during the 1950s and was sold to the Harrah Motor Museum in the USA, that subsequently became the National Automobile Museum
. It was returned to the UK in the 1980s, restored by the present owner and it is now in use in VSCC and other historic car events.
The Light Car and Cyclecar magazine, September 7, 1923, printed the following verse under the title of LIGHT CAR-ICATURES after the Razor Blade came first in the BARC meeting at Brooklands:
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
Razor Blade team car was built in 1923 to break the one hour light car record of 101.39 mi/h held by AC Cars
AC Cars
AC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
. Although it failed to break the record, it did have success in race and record attempts in the 1920s.
The August 1923 issue of The Light Car & Cyclecar magazine stated:
The latest Aston Martin racer… represents the greatest advance in high efficiency small car design.
History
Standard Aston Martin parts were used on a specially built narrow chassis with quarter elliptic springs at the rear. The engine had previously been developed for the 1922 French Grand PrixFrench Grand Prix
The French Grand Prix was a race held as part of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's annual Formula One automobile racing championships....
by Aston Martin. It was based on half a 1921 three litre eight cylinder Ballot
Ballot (automobile)
Ballot was a French automobile manufacturer who made cars between 1921 and 1932.The Ballot brothers, Edouard and Maurice, founded their company in 1905. Before World War I they manufactured automobile and marine engines. The company was re-founded as Etablissements Ballot SA in 1910.Edouard...
engine giving a four cylinder configuration, with twin overhead camshafts, 16 valves, and 1.5 litres capacity. It produced 55 bhp at 4,200 rpm.
The body was built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and is 18½ inches (47 cms) at its widest point. It is said the be the narrowest racing car ever built. The original design was for the body to be fully enclosed, but Lionel Martin was unable to find a driver small enough to fit in it. Originally code named the Oyster, the car was soon called the Razor Blade.
The car was driven by S. C. H. Davis for the attempt at the one hour light car
Light car
A Light Car is a term used in Great Britain since the early part of the 20th Century for an automobile less than 1.5 litres engine capacity. In modern car classification this term would be roughly equivalent to a subcompact car...
record. The car lapped consistently at the Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
circuit at 103–104 mph but the front offside tyre came off and after having a new tyre fitted, the same wheel shed its tyre several more times at speeds higher than 100 mi/h, until the record attempt was abandoned.
The Razor Blade was raced regularly during the 1950s and was sold to the Harrah Motor Museum in the USA, that subsequently became the National Automobile Museum
National Automobile Museum
The National Automobile Museum, located just south of the Truckee River in Reno, Nevada, displays historic automobiles from the late 19th century and from throughout the 20th. Most of the vehicles displayed are from the collection of the late casino owner William F...
. It was returned to the UK in the 1980s, restored by the present owner and it is now in use in VSCC and other historic car events.
The Light Car and Cyclecar magazine, September 7, 1923, printed the following verse under the title of LIGHT CAR-ICATURES after the Razor Blade came first in the BARC meeting at Brooklands:
Major F. B. Halford
(The intrepid driver of the “razor blade” Aston-Martin racer)
With razor blades we’re all acquainted;
Some are good, others painted.
Halford Smiles; he’s found a winner;
Diet follows – make him thinner.
Racing history 1923 to 1935
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1923 | B.A.R.C. August Meeting Brooklands (Halford Frank Halford Major Frank Bernard Halford CBE FRAeS was an English aircraft engine designer.-Career:Educated at Felsted, In 1913 he left the University of Nottingham before graduating to learn to fly at Brooklands and Bristol Flying School and became a flight instructor using Bristol Boxkites.He served in the... ) |
1st, 5th on handicap |
| Southsea Speed Trials (Eyston George Eyston - References :*... ) |
2nd in class | |
| Record Attempt Brooklands (Halford) | S.S. Km. 66.54 mph | |
| Record Attempt Brooklands (Moir) | S.S. Mile 74.12 mph | |
| 1924 | M.A.C. Shelsley Walsh (Hall E.R. Hall Edward "Eddie" Ramsden Hall was an English racing driver. He was born in Milnsbridge into a wealthy Yorkshire family in 1900, the heir to a successful textiles business which funded his motor racing and other sporting exploits... ) |
3rd in class |
| Hants A.C. Hill Climb Spread Eagle (Cook), open events, 1600 c.c. and under | 2nd on formula | |
| Hants A.C. Hill Climb Spread Eagle (Cook), open events, 3600 c.c. and under | 2nd on formula | |
| 1925 | Essex M.C. 100 Mile, Brooklands (Douglas) | 2nd on handicap |
| B.A.R.C. Whitsun Meeting Brooklands (Douglas) | 1st overall | |
| B.A.R.C. August Meeting Brooklands (Douglas) | 2nd overall | |
| 1932 | Brighton Speed Trials (Milner) | |
| 1933 | Brighton Speed Trials (Wilmot) | |
| 1935 | V.S.C.C. Howard Park Speed Trials (Wintour) | |
| B.O.C. Lewis Speed trial (Wintour) | Novice Award |