HRG.
HRGs (or "Hurgs" as they're often referred to), were built during the years either side of WW2. In all, 241 examples were produced, the majority of which survive to this day. The HRG is one of the rare cars that is accepted into the VSCC (Vintage Sports Car Club) with open arms, despite being built later than the club's usual December 1930 cut-off. Rather than being classed as "Vintage", it instead finds itself upon the club's "Post-Vintage Thoroughbred" (PVT) list. These sporting two seaters were popular in competition from the beginning, and it is the marque's sporting heritage that sees HRGs still a popular choice in historic speed events and off-road trials to this day.
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Alas no notes accompany this sepia snapshot of a part-built HRG. It's registered MPH 112, which may well ring a bell with someone reading this page? I'm hoping that someone will be able to shed light on this particular car's history. Given that around 225 examples of this car are thought to survive, it comes as a surprise that MPH 112 doesn't feature on a check of the DVLA database. Saying that, their data isn't always that accurate, so it could well be around somewhere - or may well have been exported, which would explain its disappearance.
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Written in pencil on the reverse side of the photo is "1936/1966". The first HRGs were built in 1936. However, the MPH (Surrey) registration series only came into use in September 1948. More likely, the reference to 1936 and 1966 refer to the dates between which the company was in business - although sportscar production ended ten years earlier, in 1956. Incidentally, Surrey was the home to the HRG workshops, set up by a pair of former racing drivers (Ron Godfrey and Major Edward Halford), in co-operation with Guy Robins, who had previously worked at the Trojan car company.
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Given how clean the car's components are, it may well have been mid-build at the time of the photograph, although it does sport an early tax disc in its windscreen so perhaps it was in the middle of a rebuild. Who knows?!?
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| (Please click the thumbnail to view the full-size image.) |
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The following are the key models that HRG produced between 1936 and 1956, excluding the war years.
- 1.5 Litre, powered by the 1497cc Meadows 4ED engine (26 of, 1935-1939)
- Airline Coupe, 1496cc Triumph engine (1 of, 1938)
- 1100, 1074c Singer engine (49 of, 1938-1950)
- 1500, 1496cc Singer engine (111 of, 1939-1956)
- Aerodynamic, 146cc Singer (45 of, 1945-1949)
- Twin Cam, HRG-modified Singer 1497cc DOHC engine (4 of, 1955-1956)
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If the registration plate MPH 112 is genuine, then presumably the car is a 1948 example of either the 1100 or 1500 model.
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Return to Page 19 in the photographic archive, or visit the main index here.
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