The Frazer Nash Archives
Trustees Report for the Year Ended 31st December 2024
Objects & Activities
The objects of The Frazer Nash Archives (the Archives) are to advance public education in the history and development of motor sports cars, in particular the Frazer Nash marque and to further the study and understanding of specialist low volume car production.
The Archives were founded as a charitable trust in 1998 when settlements were made into the trust by John Aldington that included detailed technical and commercial records, sporting trophies, engineering drawings, commercial reports, photographs and four Frazer Nash cars. These relate to activities in building and supporting Frazer Nash cars and other engineering activities between the 1920s and 1950s by AFN Ltd and others.
The Frazer Nash car owes its derivation to Archie Frazer Nash and his great skills in developing advanced and sporting automobiles, beginning in partnership with Godfrey Nash producing the GN light cycle car in 1911 and leading to the Frazer Nash in 1925.
H J Aldington (John Aldington’s father) took over the AFN business from Archie Frazer Nash in 1928 and continued to manufacture Frazer Nash cars into the late 1930s whilst also importing BMW cars under the Frazer Nash-BMW name. The business was supported by marketing other automobile, motorcycle, aircraft and industrial products. Post World War II, AFN Ltd developed a range of highly successful racing sports cars, whilst continuing to sustain income with nonautomotive products and, ultimately, distributing Porsche cars from 1953. The AFN company was sold to Porsche AG in 1987 and the Archives retain Porsche historical records and memorabilia up to 1972.
Over a period of 75 years, GN, Frazer Nash, FN-BMW and Porsche cars enjoyed prodigious success in sporting events. Supporting this achievement, the Archives has the foremost collection of Frazer Nash cars, records, technical drawings, construction details, trophies, photographs, films, models, artwork, papers and associated memorabilia.
The trustees have readily accepted bequests from a number of families, individuals and in particular the family of Archie Frazer Nash. These have greatly extended the scope of the Archives holdings to include many documents and artefacts about the company producing the GN car, its founders and its products and activities during the period from 1911 to 1924, prior to the inception of the Frazer Nash. Also in the bequests is considerable documentation relating to the career of Archie Frazer Nash as a consulting engineer and innovator after his disassociation from AFN Ltd in 1928, including his personal diaries from 1932 to 1957.
Furthermore, donation of material from other sources relates to the Frazer Nash engineering companies with which Archie Frazer Nash was associated in the years following World War II, most of which is external to the automotive sector.
The Archives has embraced the interpretation of its objects to include both the GN period, Archie Frazer Nash’s post-AFN activities and the early Porsche era and routinely collects material on these subjects. The Archives has published the definitive biography of Archie Frazer Nash covering his lifetime and career and supplies other printed material of significance.
The Archives also contains much related material of wider public interest, such as aircraft, agricultural machinery, motorcycles and other engineered products donated at the time of formation of the Trust.
Achievements & Performance
Each year the archives puts on an exhibition around a central theme. 2024 told the story of the collaboration between AFN and BMW prior to WWII. The exhibition was open to the public, Frazer Nash car owners and enthusiasts together with members of the Vintage Sports Car Club. In addition the archives hosted a special day for the BMW Historic Motor Club.
The work of preserving, cataloguing and digitising the archives collection of photographs and documents continued to make progress. Some 250,000 images have now been digitized for future access and long-term preservation. Several groups of volunteers (Henley branch of The Arts Society and a number of car enthusiasts) meet up regularly to assist in conservation of material, cataloguing and getting ready for scanning.
The Trustees continued to provide information to owners, enthusiasts, commercial organisations and researchers in the UK and across the world. The Archives again was lucky to acquire and to be donated numerous artefacts of significance during the year from historic documents, trophies, unseen photographs to the early motorised bicycle where it all began. The ranks of willing volunteers has happily grown and we are also lucky to have a new trustee.
Financial Review
The archives are making a big push to make its digitized material more available to a wider audience, investing time and money in computer equipment, software as well as the more mundane ongoing building maintenance etc.
The Archives are grateful to the members of the Frazer Nash; Historic BMW and Porsche Car and the Vintage Sports Car Clubs and to individuals for their physical and financial support during the year.
Structure Governance and Management
The Frazer Nash Archives is constituted and governed by Declaration of Trust dated 12th November 1998.
The trustees who served during the year are as follows:-
Louise Bunting, Clive Godsell (Chairman), Tom Hunt, Peter Livesey, John Marsh, Robert Mellors, Roger Richmond, Winston Teague, Matt Vincent.
James Trigwell (Patron),
Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the above trustees report.
Signed on behalf of the Charity's trustees;
Clive Godsell
Chairman
Dated 10[th] June 2025
The Frazer Nash Archives Receipts and Payments Account Year Ended 31st December 2024 Notes 2024 2023 Recelpts Renlal Income 16895 16895 Donations FNCC Gift Aid Tax Refund 5633 5200 1211 4102 5200 999 Sales & Promotions 1238 983 Interest Received 5235 280 35,412 28.459 Payments Conservation and Archiving 95 1781 Car Maintenance and Insurance 1702 2454 Property Costs 5973 8622 Administrative, Travel & Office Expenses 14248 11366 Archive Additions 28 22707 24251 Excess of Recelpts over Payments 12705 4208 R Mellors Dated Treasurer
The Frazer Nash Archives. Trustee Information Only Accountlng Pollcles Basls of Accounts In accordance with section 133 of the Charities Act 2011. the Archives prepares accounts on a receipts and payments basis. The accounts do not therefore show a true and fair view. The accounts do not include all income or expenditure relating to the period. No expendilure of a capital nature has been capitalised and no depreciation charged. The Archives is the custodian and legal owner of its collection the value of which is not included in the accounts. B. Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2024 2024 2023 1 Salés & Promotlon8 Books Porsche Photos Drawings and reports 238 400 600 1238 430 275 278 983 2 Conservatlon and Archlvlng Materials & Supplies Hardware and Equipment Purchases Scanning 95 412 901 1781 95 3 Car Malntenance Insurance 1702 1702 2454 2454 4 Property Costs Insurance including combined risk Rates Security upgrade Pump Service Building Works - Robbins 2587 3052 3095 2325 275 1583 8622 50 5973
The Frazer Nash Archives Notes to the Accounts for the Year Ended 31st December 2024 2024 2023 Adrnlnlstratlve. Travel and Office Expenses Telephone & Broadband Web & Inlemet - Jarrett & Lam, Fasthost Combined Risk Insurance (included above) PayPal and other Commission Stationery & Supplies Disaster insurance- Harwell Computer Additions Exhibition Costs Legal Fe8S Fire and Security - maintanenc8 Travel and other expens8S 398 2068 372 1031 1246 20 1015 396 20 202 432 2103 1183 3000 3002 366 3918 11366 14248 6 Archlve Addltlons and Acqulsltlons Photo and book Engine Stand 53 636 689 28 28 7 Statement of Assets & Llabilities The Archives is the legal owner of Frazer Nash automobiles memorabilia drawings photographs and the like together with cash resources. The Archives does not have any loans or other such liabilities.
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts ••+ Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of The Frazer Nash Archives On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024 Charity no (if any) 1072918 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ('the Trust") for the year ended 3111212024 Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Tt, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with Ihe requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (Ihe Acf). I report in respect of my examination of the Trusys accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination. I have follow,ed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed b81ow ') in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts (lo not accord with the accounting records Independent examinerfs statement I have no concems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understsnding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Date: 2 July 2025 Slgned: Name: James Simmonds Trigwell Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): FCCA Address: 15 Pilgrims Way Guildford, GU4 8AD