Freik - The Private Life Of The Freikaiserwagen

There are racing cars designed by enormous manufacturers with lavish budgets, teams of engineers and access to the finest technological resources available. Then there are machines created by determined enthusiasts who regard such extravagances as entirely unnecessary, preferring instead to combine mechanical ingenuity, miscellaneous components and an almost heroic disregard for conventional engineering wisdom. The Freikaiserwagen belongs gloriously to the latter category, a remarkable British racing special whose very existence demonstrates that the most entertaining motor cars are not necessarily produced by people possessing sensible business plans.

In Freik – The Private Life of the Freikaiserwagen (2008), Rob and Hugh Dunsterville explore the extraordinary story of one of Britain’s most unusual competition machines. Published by the Midland Automobile Club, this affectionate historical account celebrates the character, engineering and sporting adventures of a vehicle that became a distinctive presence in the wonderfully eccentric world of British hill-climbing.

The Freikaiserwagen emerged from an era when enthusiastic engineers could create extraordinary racing machinery by combining components from different vehicles, modifying practically everything and trusting that the resulting contraption would travel quickly enough to justify the effort. It was a period when originality was not merely encouraged but occasionally appeared to be the only available alternative to purchasing something conventional.

The car became associated with the formidable world of hill-climb competition, where drivers attempted to propel increasingly powerful machines up narrow, twisting courses at speeds that would have caused an ordinary motorist to abandon the journey and seek a more accommodating route.

Such competition demanded remarkable acceleration, agile handling and considerable bravery, particularly when the machinery involved had been developed through successive generations of mechanical improvisation. The Freikaiserwagen’s distinctive engineering and individual character made it a fascinating example of Britain’s tradition of home-built racing specials.

The Dunstervilles’ account offers a more personal perspective than an ordinary technical history, examining the life and adventures of a machine whose appeal extends beyond lap times and competition results. It is a celebration of the individuals, enthusiasm and mechanical creativity that helped sustain a remarkable chapter of amateur motorsport.

Naturally, owning and maintaining an unusual racing special presents challenges that ordinary motorists can scarcely imagine. Replacement parts may not exist, technical documentation can be elusive, and a straightforward repair may require the fabrication of something that no conventional motor manufacturer ever contemplated producing.

Yet these difficulties are precisely what make such machinery fascinating. The Freikaiserwagen represents a world in which imagination, craftsmanship and determination counted for rather more than corporate sponsorship or showroom appeal.

Condition: Good. This is a previously owned copy dating from 2008, displaying ordinary signs of age and handling. Unlike an elderly competition special, it requires no specialist fabrication, mechanical reconstruction or prolonged investigation into components whose original manufacturers may have disappeared decades ago.

Published by the Midland Automobile Club in 2008. No ISBN assigned.

Offered by Crappy Old Books, where we admire the magnificent British tradition of constructing extraordinary racing machinery from unlikely ingredients, particularly when appreciating the results does not require acquiring a workshop, a welding machine or an exceptionally understanding family.

An unusual and appealing addition to any collection of British motorsport history, hill-climbing literature or specialist racing car biographies. Particularly recommended for enthusiasts who appreciate that some of the most memorable competition cars were not designed by committees or manufactured in enormous factories, but created by determined individuals who simply refused to accept that conventional engineering was the only way forward.

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