together with associated Class G records. John Howey had a Brooklands racing career which saw him take part in some 61 events between 1923 and 1929. It is difficult to be precise with regard to the Brooklands competition careers of John and Richard as complete sets of race programmes and entry lists for the 1920s are rare. Neverthe- less, we do know that John raced the following cars on the Track – the Leyland Eight, Leyland Thomas Special, ‘Chitty Bang Bang’ I and III, Hispano-Suiza, Ballot and Mercedes. The race results which are available show that he achieved eight first places, two seconds and one third. His fastest lap around the circuit was at 118.02mph.
For a painfully shy man Capt Howey liked wearing hats! Here he is on a ‘business trip’ to Australia (RH&DR Association Heritage Group Collection).
two-seat Speed Model Leyland Eight to which he fitted a streamlined racing body which he raced on the Track. The following year a sister car emerged from Thomas’s workshop adjacent to his bungalow ‘The Hermitage’ on the airfield side of the Brooklands site. This car was to be raced by John Howey over three years between 1923 and 1925, including record attempts in 1923 which resulted in a World 10-mile record at 116.41mph,
His brother Richard had a similar racing career. He competed in 37 races between 1924 and 1926. There were also his Class C records taken in 1924 over five and 10 miles/kilometres as well as his standing and flying start records over the mile and kilometre taken in 1926 driving a five- litre Ballot. Richard also drove Leyland, Leyland- Thomas, Lanchester, Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. His race results included seven first places, three seconds and three thirds, whilst his fastest lap was at 121.18mph.
John Howey’s cars were famous in their day and for many years afterwards. The Mercedes built by Louis Zborowski and Clive Gallop in 1920 was fitted with a 23-litre Maybach aero engine and became known as ‘Chitty Bang Bang I’. It was sold to John in 1924. R G J Nash recalled that friends of his – Adrian and Denis Conan Doyle – purchased the Mercedes around 1933,
Howey at his home, Staughton Manor, with his nine-inch gauge Atlantic
locomotive (RH&DR Association Heritage Group Collection).
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