ERA was founded in November 1933 by Humphrey Cook, Raymond Mays, and Peter Berthon and established at Bourne, Lincolnshire, adjacent to Eastgate House, the family home of Mays. Cook financed the operation from the wealth of his family drapery business, Cook, Son & Co. of St Paul's Churchyard, London. Berthon oversaw the overall engineering direction, while Mays became the team's principal driver.
With the cost of full Grand Prix racing beyond their means, the founders aimed ERA's efforts at the voiturette class — 1500cc supercharged — which was the Formula 2 equivalent of the period. The chassis was designed by Reid Railton, who had also created the Bluebird land speed record cars for Malcolm Campbell, and was constructed by Thomson & Taylor at Brooklands. The engine drew from the well-proven Riley six-cylinder unit, substantially modified with a stronger forged crankshaft, an entirely new aluminum cylinder head, and a bespoke supercharger designed by Murray Jamieson. The base unit displaced 1488cc for the 1500cc class but could also be built in 1088cc and 1980cc forms. Running on methanol, the 1500cc engine produced roughly 180 to 200 bhp; the 2000cc variant exceeded 250 bhp.
The bodywork was hand-fabricated by the brothers George and Jack Gray to a design attributed to a Mr Piercy, who had previously styled Campbell's Bluebird.
The first ERA — chassis R1A — was unveiled to the public at Brooklands on 22 May 1934. After initial chassis problems were resolved the car proved a winning formula almost immediately. By the end of 1934 ERAs had beaten many more established marques, and in 1935 the cars finished first, third, fourth, and fifth in a major race at the Nürburgring. Driver Dick Seaman was among those who campaigned ERAs during this period, and the marque came to dominate voiturette racing through the latter half of the decade.
In 1935 production of the minimally revised B-Type began. Notable among the B-Type campaigners were the two Siamese princes Chula Chakrabongse and Bira Birabongse, who ran their own team from The White Mouse Garage in Hammersmith under the name Hanuman, Romulus, and Remus. Prince Chula owned the team; Prince Bira drove. Thirteen B-Type ERAs were produced, three of which were later modified to subsequent type specifications.
The C-Type appeared in 1937 with a revised engine range, new front suspension using trailing arms with transverse torsion bars and hydraulic dampers, and hydraulic dampers added to the rear. The D-Type designation applied to a single car — R4B — modified from C-Type specification in 1938. The more technically advanced E-Type appeared just before the Second World War but was not fully developed before the conflict halted European motor racing; only one E-Type car, GP1, actually raced.
The Second World War ended ERA's operations at Bourne, and the site was sold to bus operator Delaine. Mays and Berthon moved on to the British Racing Motors project. ERA restarted in Dunstable in 1947 under new ownership when Leslie Johnson acquired the company along with E-Type chassis GP2. Johnson campaigned GP2 in national events with mixed results — a tie for fastest lap at the 1948 British Empire Trophy, a practice fastest time before the 1948 British Grand Prix — but mechanical failures repeatedly prevented top results.
The 2-litre G-Type was designed for the 1952 World Championship, the first season run under Formula Two regulations. Its fundamental layout was established by Robert Eberan-Eberhorst, the Austrian engineer who had replaced Ferdinand Porsche at Auto Union and designed the Auto Union Type D Grand Prix car; his protégé David Hodkin completed the design. The frame used two longitudinal magnesium tubes with four crossmembers, double-wishbone front suspension with coil springs, and a de Dion rear axle. A modified Bristol engine powered the car. Stirling Moss drove the G-Type but found the engine unreliable, and results were disappointing. Johnson subsequently sold the project to Bristol, which used it as the foundation for a Le Mans assault that yielded several class wins in the mid-1950s.
Johnson eventually sold the remaining ERA business to Zenith Carburettor Ltd, which was later purchased by Solex.
In 1949, Eberhorst, while working for ERA, designed the space-frame chassis for the Jowett Jupiter sports car.
Although ERA continued in a reduced form as Engineering Research and Application Ltd — primarily an R&D contractor — the racing cars it produced in the 1930s represent a high point in pre-war British competition engineering. The vast majority of pre-war ERAs survive with continuous and verifiable provenance, and they remain active in historic events. The cars have a particular association with Shelsley Walsh hillclimb, where Raymond Mays won the first two British Hill Climb Championships in 1947 and 1948; an ERA also held the hill record for a pre-war car for many years. A permanent exhibition about Mays' career, including his ERA years, is maintained at Bourne Civic Society's heritage centre in Bourne. The ERA trademark is currently held by Tiger Racing.