G.N.
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 18 August 2008 |
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G.N.
Car : G.N.
Year : 1921
Engine : V-twin
Bore and stroke :84×98 mm
Cylinder capacity : 1087 cc
Gears : 3 forward
Brake horse power : 17
Maximum speed : 48 mph
Wheelbase : 8 ft 6 ins (2.59 m)
Suspension : front and back: ¼elliptic leaf- springs
The 1921 G.N. was considered one of the most interesting and popular cyclecars among the many built in England. In an attempt to keep the price low the cars were made as light and simple as possible. The air-cooled engine was mounted at the front; the chassis was made of wood.
There were three available versions of this vehicle: the standard, the 3-seater (the third fitted into the distinctive ‘tail’) , and the Vitesse, a sports version of the 2-seater, with overhead camshafts and metal alloy pistons.
The G.N. racing model was for many years the heroine of the celebrated hill climb at Shelsey Walsh. It was also widely used on the race track, reaching extremely high averages (over 66 mph in a race at Boulogne in 1921).
The founders of G.N. were H.R. Godfrey and Archie Frazer-Nash (the G stood for Godfrey, and the N for Nash). Later Godfrey started HRG, and Frazer-Nash another firm under his own name.
The partnership between Godfrey and Frazer-Nash , without which British motor sports would never have seen cars of the highest quality, was destroyed by an incredible flooding of the cyclecar market, even by established firms such as Rover. The two partners broke up in 1922.
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