ERA B-Type
Thirteen B-Type ERAs were produced, three later modified to C or D specifications.
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The ERA B-Type was a British voiturette racing car produced by English Racing Automobiles (ERA) from 1935. It was a minimally changed development of the earlier A-Type, designed to compete in the 1500cc supercharged class, with options for 1.1-litre and 2.0-litre engines as well. The B-Type became notable for its success in voiturette racing and for its association with the Siamese princes Chula Chakrabongse and Bira Birabongse, whose trio of ERAs—named "Hanuman", "Romulus" and "Remus"—were operated from The White Mouse Garage in Hammersmith.
Quick Facts
- Manufacturer
- English Racing Automobiles (ERA)
- Production start
- 1935
- Predecessor
- ERA A-Type
- Engine options
- 1.1-litre supercharged, 1.5-litre supercharged, 2.0-litre supercharged
- Total produced
- 13
- Notable owners
- Prince Chula Chakrabongse, Prince Bira Birabongse
- Notable cars
- R5B Remus
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Production of the B-Type began in 1935, with minimal changes from the A-Type. The car retained the same ladder-frame chassis and aluminum panel bodywork, and was offered with three engine sizes: 1.1-litre, 1.5-litre, and 2.0-litre supercharged units. The engine was based on the Riley six-cylinder unit, modified with a stronger forged crankshaft, a new aluminium cylinder head, and a bespoke supercharger designed by Murray Jamieson. In its 1500cc form, the engine produced around 180–200 bhp, and in 2000cc form it could exceed 250–275 bhp, running on methanol.
Two Siamese princes, Chula Chakrabongse and Bira Birabongse, ran their own team with three B-Type ERAs that became famous as "Hanuman", "Romulus" and "Remus". Prince Chula owned the team, having bought Romulus as a present for his cousin, Prince Bira, who was the team's driver. The cars were operated from The White Mouse Garage in Hammersmith. Of the 13 B-Type ERAs produced, three were later modified to subsequent C-Type or, in one case, D-Type specifications.
Reader's Guide
The ERA B-Type represented the core of ERA's prewar production, with 13 examples built—the largest number of any ERA model. Its significance lies in its dominance of voiturette racing through the remainder of the 1930s, driven by talents such as Dick Seaman. The car's design, credited to Peter Berthon with chassis work by Reid Railton, proved effective and adaptable, allowing it to compete in multiple engine capacity classes.
The B-Type's association with the White Mouse Garage team of Prince Chula and Prince Bira added to its legacy, as their trio of cars became some of the most recognizable in prewar racing. The B-Type's basic architecture—ladder frame, aluminum body, and supercharged Riley-based engine—was carried forward into the C-Type and D-Type, showing the soundness of the original concept. After the war, ERA's focus shifted to the E-Type and later the G-Type, but the B-Type remained a benchmark for British voiturette engineering of the 1930s.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: English Racing Automobiles (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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