1923 Aston Martin Halford Special

One of the most advanced race cars of the mid-1920s, the Halford Special was built by engine designer Major Frank Halford using Aston Martin chassis, number ‘1916’. In its original configuration, this chassis was the first Aston Martin built for sale and competed at Brooklands in 1923 but crashed in a Voiturette race in Boulogne the following year.

Following the crash, Major Frank Halford purchased the chassis and created a new two-seater body alongside two new engines. Both engines were 1. 5-litre, 6 cylinder, in-line units with aluminium blocks and crankcases, twin overhead camshafts and twelve inclined valves; very advanced for the time. With experience in aircraft design, Halford attempted to fit a turbocharger to one of the engines. Whilst this proved unreliable in tests, it is believed to have been the first ever turbocharged road racing car.

In its new form, its first outing was at Brooklands in 1925, sporting a 2. 0-litre Roots-type supercharger. However, the Aston Martin radiator was not able to dissipate the heat from the more powerful engine and so a bigger engine was installed with the ‘Halford Special’ badge fitted and it has been known as the ‘Halford Special’ ever since. The second engine underwent further development with twin magnetos and produced 120 horsepower; this is the race car’s current engine.

It raced extensively between 1925-1927, achieving fifth place in the Montlhéry French Grand Prix, a rather unfortunate DNF at the British Grand Prix, and numerous race wins and top 5 places. In the 1928 it was sold to Viscount Ridley who dismantled it, fitting one of its engines in a speedboat (which sank shortly thereafter) and the other in a Bugatti Type 35. The late 1970s saw the Halford Special restored with considerable effort by its current owner, who tracked down the original parts including one of the original engines. Its second restoration came in 2008, following a crash at Silverstone during a VSCC race meet. The current owner has enjoyed competing widely in VSCC, Goodwood and AMOC events with considerable success.

The Halford Special has been confirmed as eligible for the 2026 Monaco Historic Grand Prix and would be welcome at the top race events.