Revisiting The Past: A 1954 Dellow Mark II

This is the second time this particular 1954 Dellow Mark II has been featured in Barn Finds, with Michelle having written a great post when the car was for sale in 2025. At that time, the car was for sale in Rhode Island, with a New Hampshire title for $19,500. This time, the car is in Holiday Island, Arkansas, and is priced at $20,000. You can visit the ad here on Facebook Marketplace to learn more. Michelle covered the car quite well in the previous post, but hopefully I’ve added some additional information below.

Dellows were intended to compete in an unusual series of British events called Trials, which had been informally held for some time, but in 1938 were formalized by the newly founded British Trial Drivers Association (BTDA). The organization still exists today under the slightly different name of the British Trial and Rally Drivers Association (BTRDA). It’s hard to explain what a Trial is without seeing one, but imagine trying to climb a really steep hill in muddy terrain with lots of corners thrown in for good measure. According to Motorsport UK, “Trials are all about finding grip to progress as far as possible along a course laid out on a hillside”. Perhaps the mental image of trying to drive up a downhill slalom skiing run without the snow might give you the right idea. The company was formed in 1947 and produced cars until 1959, passing through two owners, with total production being less than 300 cars.

As you can see, this car has been active in historic racing for quite a while. I researched the 1970 “Schlitz Cup” competition, and it was a series of autocross events throughout the country. I’m trying to imagine a Dellow autocrossing, and it must have been quite a sight!

The interior is a typical close-quartered British roadster setup, with buckety-bench seating and some serious-looking seat belts. This car features a probably non-original but gorgeous Motolita steering wheel (the car also comes with the original wheel). The Mark II Dellow was the first of the marque to feature doors, although they were optional (!). The Mark II also featured a redesigned chassis at the rear so that coil springs could be used.

Engine-wise, the Mark II Dellow featured an 1172 cc side-valve four-cylinder engine sourced from a contemporary Ford. It produced all of 44 horsepower at 4,500 RPM and led to a 0-50 time of 12.6 seconds and a top speed of around 70 miles per hour. According to the seller, they know of one other in the USA. Would you like to try Trialing? Have any of our British readers trialed?