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This page: Original 1930s literature from this defunct British car manufacturer.

1938 Railton.

Shown on this page are scans from an original Railton sales brochure, covering the six cylinder saloons and coupes. Here is the centrefold complete with black and white photographs showing the Six Saloon (£399) and Six Coupe (£458) ..
Brochure for Railton Cars

Railton produced quality cars during the 1930s at their factory in Cobham, Surrey. This leaflet promotes the 6 cylinder cars, but mention is also made of the larger 8 cylinder 28.8hp cars, which started at £498. Tax on the 16.9hp 'sixes' cost £12:15:0 at the time (ie £12.75 in modern money), with the larger cars having a tax rate of £21:15:0. The details given for each car follow.

The Six Cylinder Railton Saloon £399

The new 6 cylinder Railton for 1938 is fitted with a body identical in quality and finish, and with exactly the same seating accomodation as the well-known Sandown 8 cylinder Railton. This body has no footwells at the rear, and gives remarkably easy access combined with ample headroom, at the same time preserving the attractive lines for which the Railton is notable. There is a roomy luggage locker with a spare wheel carried neatly at the rear, sliding roof, riveted bonnet hinges. The trimming is carried out in high quality leather, with headcloths and carpets to suit. Seating is arranged to give excellent visibility. Interior woodwork of the best quality and finish.

The Six Cylinder Railton Coupe £458

A really ideal convertible body with its three position hood it gives the pleasures of either the open tourer or the comfort of a saloon, at the same time combining comfortable seating space for five people and the smooth performance for which the Railton has always been famous, with the inexpensive running costs of a 16hp car. Ample luggage space being also provided in the boot. Tax only £12 15s 0d.

Colours that a Railton could be ordered in


Body	Upholstery	Hood (on Coupes)
Black	Brown, Blue, Red, Beige	Grey
Desert Sand	Red	Black or Beige
Blue	Blue	Light or Dark Blue
Maroon	Red	Black
Grey	Blue	Light Blue or Dark Blue
A note below the colour table advises that "These colours may be interchanged, but considerable delay in delivery may be entailed."

Specification

Engine
16.9hp three point "pneu mounted", 6 cylinder, 67.45mm bore, 127mm stroke, 2723cc capacity. Tax £12 15s 0d. Develops 76bhp at 3800rpm. Down draught carburetter fitted with automatic choke control.

Cooling System
Specially designed aircraft radiator for maximum cooling efficiency. Temperature indicator on dash.

Ignition
12 volt system. Battery and coil, fully automatic single breaker distributor, accessibly mounted for inspection. 72 ampere hour battery.

Lubrication
"Duoflo" system with large capacity pump.

Clutch
Single aluminium alloy plate with spring cushion drive running in oil.

Transmission
Three-speed gear box mounted integrally with engine. Top gear ratio 4.55:1. Silent constant mesh second gear. Direct acting central change speed lever.

Rear Axle
Semi-floating Hotchkiss drive with heavy duty, helical bevel crown wheel and pinion.

Front Axle
Of special design incorporating radius rods which relieve front springs from braking strain and provide great accuracy of steering at high speeds and over bad roads.

Steering
Worm and sector type mounted on roller bearings.

Suspension
Long semi-elliptic springs front and rear, arranged to give maximum stability at speed and when cornering. Noiseless self-adjusting shackles. Suspension controlled by large capacity direct acting shock-absorbers on both front and rear axles.

Brakes
Lockheed-Bendix hydraulic system operated by foot, with mechanical safety pick-up on rear wheels.

Electric System
72 ampere battery charged by 12 volt output controlled generator, solenoid operated starter electric screenwiper. Special high speed Lucas headlamps and streamline sidelamps.

Fuel Supply
13 gallon rear mounted tank. Petrol fed by mechanical pump driven from camshaft. Electrically operated petrol gauge on dash.

Wheels
Light steel type fitted with 6.00 x 16 tyres.

Wheelbase
117 ins.

Track
4ft 8ins.

Overall Length
15ft.

Railton Cars, The Fairmile, Cobham, Surrey. Telephone: Cobham 400.

Links for more Railton information.

The Railton Owners Club Visit site
The history of Railton 1933-1950 Visit site
Restoration of a drophead Railton in NZ Visit site

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Old Classic Car (C) R. Jones 2023. Content not to be reproduced elsewhere.

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