Conceived by business partners Reid Railton and Noel Macklin, Railton cars were based on Hudson mechanicals and assembled at the old Invicta works on Macklin's Fairmile estate in Cobham, Surrey.

Introduced in 1933, the first Railton used a modified Terraplane Eight chassis on which was mounted British-style coachwork.

The Railton weighed less than the Terraplane and with 94bhp available from the 4,010cc sidevalve straight eight, the result was a stylish car with outstanding performance for its day.

Priced at £499, it also represented remarkable value for money.

Tourers were offered at first, followed by saloons and dropheads.

Various other Hudson chassis were used over the years, the second series being based on the 4.2-litre Hudson Super Eight, and there was also a 'baby' Railton in the late 1930s, which was based on the Standard Ten.

The marque was effectively killed-off at the outbreak of WW2 having produced around 1,400 cars, though a handful of prototypes was exhibited post-...