Aston Martin’s one-of-one record breaking Razor Blade up for sale
The Aston Martin Razor Blade looks unlike any other car, taking its name from the fact it measures just 47cm (18.5in) at its widest point.
Believed to be history’s narrowest racing car, its slender dimensions were in pursuit of one aim: to break the one-hour light car speed record. As well as being paper thin, the 1923 machine was also light in weight and had a focus on aerodynamics. The Razor Blade’s driving characteristics are said to be as distinctive as its looks.
The body was manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and clothes the distinctive inswept chassis that leads to the extra-narrow tail. Powering the car was a 56PS (41kW) four-cylinder engine that featured twin overhead cams and 16 valves. The engine had originally been developed for the 1922 French Grand Prix and was derived from half a 3.0-litre eight-cylinder Ballot engine.
Aston Martin was looking to break the one-hour record that was set by AC in 1923 but didn’t succeed in its aim. On the Brooklands banking, the Razor Blade repeatedly shed its offside front tyre which led to the attempt being abandoned. Tyre failures aside, it had been maintaining record-breaking pace.
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That disappointment wasn’t the end of the road for the Razor Blade, though. Later in 1923, it set a new record for a standing start kilometre and mile, so it fulfilled its potential as a record breaker. It then went on to have a successful racing career later in the decade. Aside from the wartime sabbatical, it continued to be raced regularly until the 1950s.
When the Razor Blade’s racing career came to an end, it was sold to the Harrah Motor Museum (later the National Automobile Museum) in the United States, during which time it was returned to the UK and placed in the care of the Brooklands Museum. It’s no stranger to Goodwood, having appeared at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard as well as VSCC and AMOC events around the country. It’s not restricted to only being used trackside: it’s also road registered. Width restrictors won’t hinder it at all.
The Razor Blade is the fourth oldest Aston Martin in existence and has been immortalised as the inspiration for the British Racing Drivers’ Club badge. The last time ownership of the unique Razor Blade changed was in the 1980s, and it’s now back on the market via pre-war Aston Martin specialist Ecurie Bertelli.