The car above wasn't the most refined, but it could run with some of the fastest cars of its era and cost a fraction of the price. Does that formula sound familiar?
That's a Frazer Nash up there, one of the definitive British sports car, making its name in the 1920s. The engines were coarse, supplied from outside firms. The steering wasn't what you'd call easily accessible, 7/8ths of a turn from lock-to-lock. But Frazer Nashes were ultra light and ultra simple thanks to them using a chain drive.
Chain-driven Frazer Nashes were rough, crude, and brutally exposed to the elements, but they were adored by a hardcore group of fans (called the Chain Gang) because they would win hillclimbs and rallies left and right.
For not much more than the cost of a weak little MG, you could have a nimble Frazer Nash and run with cars orders of magnitude more expensive.
They were some of the greatest performance bargains ever offered in the car world.
Surely you have a favorite car that punches above its weight, that offers much more performance than its price suggests? Post your favorite below.
Photo Credit: DA Warwick Photography