ERA A-type

Information

The very first ERA constructed, R1A. Raymond Mays himself used the car early in its career. The ERA showed good potential, but it regularly suffered from new-car gremlins. After these were ironed out, Mays started racking up victories and podium finishes. In the following years, it was raced by a large number of drivers for the Works team. It was eventually sold to Norway late in 1936 and used throughout Europe, again with success. After the War, it was raced to two wins by Reg Parnell.

Like so many ERA's, R1A was never really retired and used regularly in historic racing. Originally fitted with a 1.1-litre engine, it quickly received a 1.5-litre version of the supercharged six-cylinder engine. While it has been restored to its 'original' condition, the larger engine was retained. In one of its many outings, R1A is pictured above during the 2006 Goodwood Revival meeting.