Frazer Nash Motto Coupé

The Frazer Nash Coupé, meticulously coachbuilt by Rocco Motto, has a storied and intriguing history, beginning with its sale in April 1960 by Vicentinito Gabriele Merrone of Milan. In 1976, Colin Crabbe discovered the car, believing it to be the ex-Lurani Targa Florio-winning vehicle, which had also been rebodied in Italy as a coupé. Crabbe imported the car into the UK in June 1976, where it retained its red Rocco Motto body. After a rebuild and a repaint to silver, it was registered under his wife Fiona’s name, bearing the number FP 2. By July 1979, Crabbe had put the car on the market, describing it as a 1950 Frazer Nash Le Mans Replica Chassis with a Motto Turin Coupé body in excellent condition. It was subsequently re-registered as EEW 21C and sold to David Penney in December 1979. Penney had the coupé body removed, and the chassis was meticulously rebuilt as a Le Mans Replica by Crosthwaite & Gardiner, who crafted a new body made by Peels of Surbiton. In 1980, Penney bought an old saloon, registered XOU 3, from David Wicks and transferred this registration to the Frazer Nash. The rebuilt car, now painted blue, was displayed at the Midland Motor Museum starting in 1982. The car changed hands several times in the following years. It was sold at Sotheby’s auction on July 3, 1989, to Michael Fisher Ltd, then to Victor Gauntlett in May 1990, and subsequently to Bill Clark of New Zealand in November 1990. Clark owned the car for 18 years before selling it to Peter Giddings of California in mid-2008. Meanwhile, the original Rocco Motto body had its own separate journey. In the mid-1980s, it was sold to David Brown of Lincoln. Brown utilized the body to create a special vehicle, combining it with a homemade box-section steel chassis and a 4-litre Rolls-Royce engine, akin to those in the 1960s Vanden Plas Princess R saloon. Adding to the vehicle’s unique identity, a Nash-type grille and badge were affixed, and it was registered as TH 6400, a number transferred from a 1937 Frazer Nash-BMW. The Frazer Nash Coupé by Motto, through its various transformations and ownerships, exemplifies a fascinating piece of automotive history, highlighting the intricate and often convoluted paths classic cars can take.