1928 Waldron Wayfarer Saloon Coachwork by St Helen's Carriage Works Registration no. TF 3532 Chassis no. 101 Engine no. 101
Estimate: £8,000 - £10,000
Lot 565
1928 Waldron Wayfarer Saloon
Registration no. TF 3532 Chassis no. 101 Engine no. 101
1928 Waldron Wayfarer Saloon
Coachwork by St Helen's Carriage Works
Registration no. TF 3532
Chassis no. 101
Engine no. 101
Coachwork by St Helen's Carriage Works
Registration no. TF 3532
Chassis no. 101
Engine no. 101
Footnotes
The sole example of its kind ever made, this fascinating vehicle was constructed in Lancashire by Frederick 'Fred' Barnes Waldron, and described in detail in an article penned by Bonhams' consultant Mike Worthington-Williams, published in The Automobile magazine (October 1984 issue). A chartered mechanical engineer and qualified architect, Waldron, who was also a director of the Pilkington Glass Company, eschewed the use of a proprietary engine, designing his own 1,247cc sidevalve four that was unusual in incorporating both bell-housing and gearbox into the main crankcase casting. The chassis was constructed of channel-section steel with cross bracing at the rear while the axles were suspended on semi elliptics at the front and quarter elliptics at the rear. Apparently influenced by that of Armstrong-Siddeley's 12hp and 14hp models, the coachwork was constructed by James Smith's St Helen's Carriage Works, builders of commercial vehicle bodies, and on completion circa 1931 the Wayfarer embarked on a series of successful Continental proving runs, clocking up around 20,000 miles. Dismantled by Waldron in the late 1930s, by which time its styling had become somewhat dated, the Wayfarer was resurrected after his death in 1976 and restored by local enthusiast Peter Relph over the succeeding four-or-so years using its creator's original engineering and body drawings together with contemporary photographs. Fortunately all the original body panels had survived and were reused, while the ash frame required little in the way of repair. The Wayfarer subsequently belonged to John Neal of Prescot, Merseyside and Peter Lovering of Formby, Lancashire before passing to a new owner in 1988.
In February 2005 the latter offered the Wayfarer for sale at Bonhams' auction at the RAF Museum, Hendon (Lot 375). At that time it was stated that the car benefited from a recently overhauled engine and transmission, and that the vendor had used it for summer motoring, mainly holidays and rallies, reporting that it had proven utterly reliable. The current owner acquired the Wayfarer later that same year. This unique Vintage motor car is offered with The Automobile article, current road fund licence, MoT to 24th October 2012, Swansea V5C registration document and a most comprehensive history file containing period photographs, engine and body plans, and a photographic record of the 1970s restoration.
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This Lot has been withdrawn from the sale.
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- 7 September 2012, 09:00 - 17:00 BST