The company was started by
Noel Macklin, who was looking for a new car-making venture after he sold his
Invicta company in 1933. The name came from
Reid Railton, the world speed record car designer, but his input was probably small, although he did receive a royalty on each car sold. The two decided that an English coachwork on a U.S.-built chassis with a powerful engine would result in a high-performance driving car. Macklin was impressed by the Terraplane's build quality, refinement, and performance, but not its American body styling. The car was at first available as a two-door tourer. Being lighter than the original, it had exceptional performance for the time, with a 0– time of 13 seconds. A saloon-bodied version was soon added to the range. The prices started at £499.
1935 – Railton 8 In 1935, the original Terraplane chassis was replaced with that of the Hudson Eight. The engine was now 4168 cc, producing . A more comprehensive range of bodies from at least seven
coachbuilders were available:
Ranalah, R.E.A.L,
Carbodies, and Coachcraft. Two unique lightweight models were made in 1935, capable of accelerating to 60 mph in 8.8 seconds. They were claimed to be the fastest production cars in the world. A total of 1,379 of the Railton 8s were made.
1939 – demise Noel Macklin turned his attention to powerboats in 1939. He sold the company to
Hudson Motor Car Company of
Detroit,
Michigan, who transferred production to their
Brentford, London works. However, the outbreak of war in 1939 stopped production. After
World War II, a few cars were completed using pre-war parts, and a new model was built and shown at the 1949 London Motor Show. However, at nearly £5000, the new car was expensive and never went into production. == 1989 – Railton revival ==