A Winning Survivor.(Escape Roads)

Byline: LINDA CLARK

Auto historian Richard Langworth likened driving the British-built HRG to "a cold shower, invigorating but painful.'' Sure enough, this hard-riding, starkly styled 1500 roadster is about as comfortable as a tractor, but it hugs the road and steers precisely, exactly what you want in a car meant for competition.

At a Brooklands race in 1935, Edwin Halford, Guy Robins and Henry Godfrey hit upon the idea of building a lightweight two-seater, and in a modest shop in Kingston they hand-built a prototype and called it the HRG.

The motor was a 1.5-liter, 61-hp Meadows four used by Frazer-Nash. It drove via a Moss crash box and spiral bevel differential. Mechanical brakes had a cockpit-mounted adjuster knob.

The car's ash frame carried an alloy body that could be removed from the chassis by unfastening six bolts. Fenders, lamps and other accessories could also be stripped. Conversely, an owner using the HRG as road transport could erect the windshield, soft top and side curtains in seconds.

Weighing 1550 pounds, the HRG went from 0 to 50 mph in around 10 seconds and had a top speed of 85 mph. "It jumped away like a frightened tiger,'' said the London Star, while Autocar reported the car's "track and roadholding were irreproachable.''

So encouraged, the three engineers formed HRG Engineering in 1936 and began production in Tolworth. "Hurgs'' sold well, and in 1937 one owner drove his car to a second-in-class win at Le Mans. At [pounds sterling]395 ($790), the HRG's price was about half that of the 1.5-liter Aston Martin, which weighed nearly 1000 pounds more.