There’s a rare opportunity to buy something unique at Silverstone Auctions’ British Marques sale on May 11. Designer William Towns is better known for his wedgy creations like the Aston Martin Lagonda and Hustler kit car. However, in partnership with propane magnate John Ransom, he was also behind the very short-lived relaunch of the pre-war Railton marque at the 1989 Motorfair.
The cars were basically repanelled Jaguar XJS V12 convertibles, skinned in aluminium by Park Sheet Metal, the specialist company responsible for the bodywork of the Jaguar XJ220 concept car. Unfortunately, handicapped largely by costing almost three times the price of an XJS, just two of the new Railtons were built: a Fairmile, which had larger rear wheels and no spats, and the car above – the Claremont, which William Towns retained until his death in 1993.
In a private collection since 2006, the car has been regularly maintained and MoT’d but still has just 13,700 miles on it. Silverstone has given it an estimate of £60,000 to £70,000, which doesn’t sound ridiculous for something like this. Paperwork includes various period road tests.
One of only two 1980s Railtons left, now for sale.
