Photos - Malcolm Asquith

This car belonging to Philip Lucking is one of the three surviving 2 litre fabric bodied sports tourers. It is the second oldest 15.7 known and the oldest in the UK. It went back on the road in 2011 after a 12 year restoration.

Philip has done a great deal of research into the history of the car which spent most of its life in New Zealand. The first three years of its life are a mystery but according to the 1948 log book, in April 1931 it was registered in Hastings, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.  This was a few weeks after the devastating earthquake which struck the area and in all probability the early documents were lost. It is believed that the car was originally fitted with a fabric body. At some stage the chassis was very extensively lightened by cutting large holes in it. This could well have been done in the 1930s. The car stayed in the Hastings/Napier area with several owners until in 1954 it went North to the Auckland area. In 1955 the car was bought by Bryers Hull and it came fitted with an original Bugatti Type 38 body. This was probably fitted in 1949. In 1958 the rear of the Bugatti body was removed  to allow the owner to put his racing motorbike in the back. The car changed hands again in 1963 and the new owner restored the rear of the body. The car was sold again in 1966 to New Zealand racing driver Ron Roycroft who used it extensively for racing.  As Ron also owned and raced more than one real Bugatti  much confusion has arisen as to when the Crossley was in action. In all probability it was Ron who fitted the Bugatti body back in 1949 as he had owned both of the Type 38s that went to New Zealand and one of these was broken up and its parts dispersed. In the 1960s it was decided to try and put the two Bugattis back together and a major search was made for the parts. The result was that the Crossley lost its body again and it was replaced by a trials special type. The car then did very little until in 1999 it was sold to an enthusiast in the UK and re-imported.

Restoration started in 1999 and the chassis and running gear was reconditioned but there was still a problem about the body.  Then, by an amazing coincidence a genuine Crossley 2 Litre Sports body turned up.  This had been fitted at some time to a Lagonda but later removed again. Philip acquired it along with a load of 15.7 spares. When the body was placed on the chassis the bolt holes lined up proving it had once graced a Crossley chassis. 

Chassis number is 80251 and engine 802517.

© Malcolm Asquith 2011