Sutcliffe going to school in his Frazer-Nash Repilca classroom at the British Auto Racing Club’s Members Meeting on August 17, 1957.
In my racing career I’ve driven many wonderful cars including works Ferraris, Ford GT40s and those sorts of things. However, as magnificent as those cars were, the one that gave me the greatest pleasure to drive, both on and off circuit, was my Le Mans Replica Frazer-Nash. It moved me from my TD MG, which was my first car, into a car that was built specifically for performance and racing. At the same time, it was also a car that could be used on a daily basis for all the normal chores of everyday life. The car was a 21st birthday present from my parents, in 1957. It was very well known in racing circles, as it was the car that Tony Brooks first came to prominence with after he’d moved from his Healey Silverstone.
I purchased the car off of a north-countryman from the West Riding of Yorkshire. Prior to that, I’d seen it compete at many racing meetings, sprints and hill-climbs I’d attended—it was well known. I had really set my heart on the car, hoping it would become available to purchase. From the day it was mine, it became the one and only car I used for both private use and competition for the next 2½ years. It was the car that took me to University. I took girls out in it and raced it at various events in England and on the Continent too. It was the most miraculous car to drive, super, friendly and a totally reliable machine that handled properly—just like a racing car. The Bristol engine was the right sort of power for it and, to use a modern phrase, it ticked every single box for my motoring needs. I don’t think there is any doubt that it was a springboard to my future motor racing career, it taught me so much.
