Solved - MJW #572 - Hallam Special 1950

[woodinsight]

A sports racer from the early postwar years.
For one point let me know the make/constructor, year it was built and the engine it used.

[woodinsight]

Moving up

[woodinsight]

Does a Pro know?

[faksta]

750 Formula?

[woodinsight]

750 Formula?

No it never was a 750 Formula car.
As a clue it was originally fitted with a 1100cc engine.
This was later changed to a larger engine of a different make and a more modern body was fitted at the same time.

[shamrock]

RGS , ATLANTA  ?

[woodinsight]

RGS , ATLANTA  ?

Not that.
By the way it's RGS Atalanta

[barrett]

Is the builder 'known' to puzzlers? Or was this a one-off built by an individual

[woodinsight]

Is the builder 'known' to puzzlers? Or was this a one-off built by an individual

Good point.
As far as I know it hasn't been known to puzzlers before.
It is a 'one-off' but has been featured in magazines in the past.

[barrett]

British engine from the 1930s?

[woodinsight]

British engine from the 1930s?

The engine (as in the photo) was not British.
However it was later fitted with an engine from the UK.

[barrett]

Was the car itself built in England? (I'd assumed so previously, I should've asked this first!)

[woodinsight]

Yes, UK built - in one of the smallest British counties.....

[barrett]

From the Isle of Man?

[faksta]

Was the car itself built in England? (I'd assumed so previously, I should've asked this first!)

The man wears a bow tie as a part of his racing suit - where else could this be? 

[woodinsight]

Not Isle of Man.
Mainland England.....

[barrett]

Wales!

[faksta]

Could it be H.Hallam's Simca - Fiat 1100?

[woodinsight]

Wales!

[woodinsight]

Could it be H.Hallam's Simca - Fiat 1100?

Yes, you've got it.
Well done.

Built by Harry Hallam in Rutland in 1950.
The car used a Fiat 1100 engine and parts (I don't know about the Simca part).
A Lea Francis 'Big Four' 2.5 litre engine was later fitted together with an XK120 style body.

[faksta]

Ah... great, that was a rather wild guess

[woodinsight]

Ah... great, that was a rather wild guess

Sometimes that works, sometimes not but congratulations are in order.

[Allan L]

Could it be H.Hallam's Simca - Fiat 1100?

Yes, you've got it.
Well done.

Built by Harry Hallam in Rutland in 1950.
The car used a Fiat 1100 engine and parts (I don't know about the Simca part).
A Lea Francis 'Big Four' 2.5 litre engine was later fitted together with an XK120 style body.

Well I must say that the 2½ litre Lea-Francis engine must have upset the balance rather, being quite heavy. Simca were of course licence-building Fiats until about 1950, so the Simca part may just have been that the Fiat bits were made by them.