One of Only Five Built | One of Two Surviving | A Pre-War British V8 of Exceptional Provenance
Few pre-war British sports cars embody the ambition, engineering excellence, and racing pedigree of their creator quite like the Raymond Mays Special. Conceived by Raymond Mays, one of Britain’s most influential racing drivers and co-founder of English Racing Automobiles (ERA), this extraordinarily rare motor car represents his personal vision of the ultimate British high-performance road car on the eve of World War II. Born in Bourne, Lincolnshire in 1899, Raymond Mays was already a celebrated figure in British motorsport by the 1930s. Having raced extensively at Brooklands and dominated the Voiturette category across Europe with ERA, Mays’ success as both driver and manufacturer inspired him to turn his attention to road-going performance cars. His ambition was clear: to build a wholly British sports car, combining advanced engineering with genuine high-speed capability, and imbued with the same DNA as his championship-winning racing machines.
To achieve this, Mays once again turned to his trusted engineering partner, Peter Berthon, whose work on ERA and later BRM would cement his reputation as one of Britain’s most gifted automotive designers. The pair selected the Standard Motor Company’s V8 as the foundation of the project. Effectively two Standard Ten blocks were joined on a common crankcase, the 2686cc litre V8 featured a robust three-bearing crankshaft, coil ignition, and light-alloy cylinder heads. In period, the engine produced approximately 85 bhp, with tuned versions capable of exceeding 100 mph—exceptional figures for a British road car of the late 1930s. Aware that Standard’s production chassis was ill-suited to such performance, Berthon undertook a comprehensive redesign and started from scratch. The resulting bespoke frame utilised deep box-section side members and a heavily reinforced cruciform bracing, providing strength and rigidity well beyond contemporary norms. Suspension comprised independent front suspension via a transverse leaf spring, a live rear axle, front and rear anti-roll bars, and four-wheel drum brakes, producing a chassis very much in the mould of ERA racing practice rather than conventional road car design. A total of five rolling chassis were built and extensively re-engineered, with production and marketing undertaken by Shelsley Motors Ltd., a new company formed specifically for the project. Sadly, the outbreak of World War II in 1939 brought development to a sudden halt, ending what might have become one of Britain’s most important sporting marques. Of the five completed cars, only two are known to survive today, making the Raymond Mays Special one of the rarest British pre-war performance cars in existence.
This particular example, chassis number ‘RM5’, is the sole surviving sports tourer and was built to order for Lancelot Prideaux-Brune, Financial Director of Shelsey Motors Ltd. Prideaux-Brune was also the owner of the Carlton Carriage Company, and it was therefore natural that Carlton was entrusted with the creation of the car’s elegant and purposeful coachwork. The result is a beautifully balanced open tourer, blending sporting intent with understated pre-war sophistication and clean lines. Importantly, chassis 0005 enjoyed an active period competition life. In 1939, it competed in the Brighton Speed Trials and also took part in a Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, one of Britain’s most prestigious and demanding motorsport venues. These appearances place the car firmly within the golden age of British pre-war competition motoring, rubbing shoulders with contemporaries such as the Jaguar SS100 and BMW 328. Following the war, the car passed through several owners and eventually made its way to the United States, where it resided during the 1970s and early 1980s. It later returned to the UK and was notably present at the ERA/BRM event in Bourne in 1999, an evocative homecoming given Raymond Mays’ deep connection to the town. More recently, the car formed part of a motor museum collection in Oakland, California, prior to its current ownership. Today, the Raymond Mays Special chassis ‘RM5’ stands as a remarkable survivor from a pivotal moment in British automotive history. It represents the direct lineage between ERA’s dominant voiturette racers and the post-war BRM Grand Prix programme, encapsulating Raymond Mays’ lifelong pursuit of British engineering excellence. With unmatched rarity, documented history, competition provenance, and unquestionable significance, this car offers collectors a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a cornerstone of pre-war British motorsport heritage. Interestingly, the only other Raymond Mays Tourer in existence, Car RM1, is now residing in Washington State as stablemate to one of the better-known ERAs!
Available for viewing by prior appointment at our Cheshire Showrooms.
