Napier-Railton Revival Concept

The original one-of-a-kind Napier-Railton was a beast of a car. Built in 1933 by Reid Railton for the British racing driver John Cobb, the Napier-Railton was powered by a 24-litre aircraft engine which produced 580 horsepower. The transmission was a three-speed non-synchromesh manual gearbox which sent power to the rear wheels. Interestingly the car only had brakes on the rear wheels, despite the fact it has a 168 mph top speed!

From 1933 to 1947 the Napier-Railton broke no less than 47 World speed records. The car is currently owned by the Brooklands Museum, and it is kept in perfect running order.

Obviously a car of such historic importance and prestige is a worthy of a futuristic homage, and clearly that’s what Detroit-based designer Colin Murach thought when he came up with the Napier-Railton Revival concept.

Designed for the year 2033, the concept uses the same aircraft-inspired technology of the original car. Murach sees his concept as not just a car, but also quite literally a trophy vehicle. In a fictitious air-race series, the car – minus the engine – would be presented to the victor. The engine from the winning aircraft would then be transplanted into the Napier-Railton Revival to make it a complete vehicle.

Styling influences for the Napier-Railton Revival concept include the iconic Supermarine Spitfire WW2 fighter aircraft, luxury watches and of course the original car.