AF

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Antique Automobiles Limited (1971)
AT Fraser Limited (1971–1972)
AF (1972–1980)
legal form
founding 1971
resolution 1980
Seat Marlborough , Wiltshire , United Kingdom
management Alexander T. Fraser
Branch Automobile manufacturer

1971 AF Spider
Rear view

AF , previously Antique Automobiles Limited and AT Fraser Limited , was a British manufacturer of automobiles .

Company history

1971 Alexander T. Fraser founded the company Antique Automobiles Limited in Peterborough in the county of Cambridgeshire . He designed a prototype that was to be marketed under the AB 1 brand. However, it remained a unique piece. Later that year, Fraser moved to Sleaford , Lincolnshire and founded AT Fraser Limited . Colin Crabbe supported him. This is where the production of automobiles and kits began . The brand name was AF . In 1972 the company moved to Marlborough in Wiltshire and the name was changed to AF in 1980, and production ended. A total of about 14 copies were made.

vehicles

All models were three-wheelers with a rear single wheel. The Mini with its front subframe formed the basis. A four-cylinder engine from the Mini was mounted in the front of the vehicle. An open two-seater body without doors was mounted on it. The vehicles were similar to the Morgan Motor Company's tricycles .

FROM 1

The body was made of wood and the fenders were made of fiberglass . The front fenders were laid out almost vertically and reached up to the passenger cell. The front headlights were mounted on the fenders. The rounded bonnet and the relatively steep windshield were striking .

AF 1

This was only a slightly more developed version. A vehicle carrying the British mark WMD 982 M . About nine copies were made between 1971 and 1972.

AF Grand Prix

The successor to the AF 1 had small front fenders that were designed with steering. It was therefore possible to attach a spare wheel to the left side of the bonnet . Instead of the relatively steep front window, there were two small windows. The stern was rounded. Four copies were made between 1972 and 1980.

Replicas of classic automobiles

Obviously, in the early days, the company also produced replicas of classic automobiles in miniature form for children . The auction house Bonhams auctioned on August 15, 2014 18 057 EUR a replica of a Bugatti Type 52 as a race car with electric motor , which was estimated to be built in the 1969th

literature

  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , chapter AF.
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 19. (English)
  • Steve Hole: AZ of Kit Cars. The definitive encyclopaedia of the UK's kit-car industry since 1949 . Haynes Publishing, Sparkford 2012, ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8 , pp. 17 and 21 (English).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 , chapter AF.
  2. a b c d e f g George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 1: A – F. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 , p. 19. (English)
  3. a b c d e Steve Hole: AZ of Kit Cars. The definitive encyclopaedia of the UK's kit-car industry since 1949 . Haynes Publishing, Sparkford 2012, ISBN 978-1-84425-677-8 , pp. 17 and 21 (English).
  4. Auction (accessed January 8, 2015)