Clessie Cummins with the car at Brooklands.
diesel motor and made it show a speed as high as 109mph’ – and run it non-stop for a 500-mile race.
12-day tour
Just 11 months later Clessie and William Glanton Irwin, a family friend and mentor to Clessie, set off for Europe on the SS Leviathan from New York, berthing at Cherbourg on 3rd May 1932. Whilst in Paris visits were made to the Citroen factory and the banked test track at Montlhéry. Here Clessie demonstrated ‘number eight’ to his ‘riding mechanic’ Prince Nicholas of Romania. Clessie and William then set out on a 12-day tour of the continent, eventually arriving at Turin and the Fiat works. Despite all not being well with the engine, ‘number eight’ was soon lapping the test track situated on the roof of the Fiat factory. Then it was a leisurely return to Paris and across the Channel to the UK, arriving on 5th June. ‘The main event in England was a 14th June demonstration of the car at Brooklands. Wakefield Oil made the arrangements and provided the publicity. An article published in the Sunday Times on 12th June described the engine, its US accomplishments and mentioned its appearance on the Track. The programme called for a 2.00pm inspection of the car prior to its 2.45pm to 3.30pm running on the Track and a further inspection afterwards. It said the car had just made a 4,000-mile continental tour and there was no time to ‘...put it into racing trim and that no attempts to reach high speeds will be made’. Unfortunately ‘number eight’ was almost
36
wrecked before the official run. Kaye Don asked Clessie if he could drive the car. Clessie was apprehensive because of Don’s unfamiliarity with it, but considered that the publicity would do the project no harm, so long as Kaye didn’t drive it at high speed. However, Don ‘
...kicked the throttle wide open and cut loose...’ whereupon the engine seized and the car went in to a long and danger- ous skid before Kaye regained control. Clessie spent the night changing pistons and cylinder lin- ers prior to next day’s demonstration. This went well with Clessie driving and although not really ‘on song’ 'number eight' impressed the industry representatives and the press gathered in the Paddock. Brooklands had seen the first diesel- powered car on the Track, but not the last. Eyston in the AEC ‘Black Magic’ and Munday in the Perkins-engined Thomas Special both were to take records on the Weybridge concrete. On the 15th June 1932 ‘number eight’ was loaded aboard the Empress of Britain at Southamp- ton for its return journey. Sadly it appears that the car was to languish in a shed behind the Cummins plant. At some stage employees tried to restore it but nothing came of it. Eventually ‘number eight’ was removed from its resting place, dismantled, refurbished and put back together ready for both display and demonstra- tion. Allan Girdler was then able to recognise ‘a boy racer’s dream’ and take the diesel car on a test drive on the Indianapolis track, an experience he wrote about in the May 1973 edition of Road and Track: ‘The clutch is light, the transmission isn’t.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
