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Revealing Retromobile


letters


The Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost that achieved 78.26mph during the London to Edin- burgh Trial in 1911. It was on display at Retromobile in Paris.


Dear Sir,


Rolls-Royce is not a name normally associated with Brooklands, but on the Lukas Huni stand at February’s Retromobile was Silver Ghost chassis 1701E which used the track whilst playing a signifi cant part in endorsing the marque’s reputation as ‘The Best car in the World’. In the early years of the 20th century, Napier was the leading British car but the emergence of the 40/50hp Silver Ghost represented a signifi cant challenge, especially after its famous 14,371-mile reliability run in 1907. Napier’s SF Edge threw down the gauntlet by completing the 1911 London to Edinburgh Trial which was run in top gear only and for which fuel consumption and a fl ying lap of Brooklands were the key measures, achieving 19.35mpg and 76.42mph. Roll-Royce’s Claude Johnson responded and 1701E, driven by EW Hives with


Lost plaques


Dear Sir, I don’t know what happened to the Parry Thomas memorial as Jeremy Wood asked in the January-February Bulletin, but there is another missing memorial to Eric Fernihough, who was killed in Hungary in 1938.


This was unveiled at the BMCRC (British Motor Cycle Racing Club) championship meeting on 13 May, 1939 and was presented to Mrs Dorothy Fernihough in July 1951, presumably because it was then no longer in the public gaze. Dorothy died intestate and without children in 1982 and her nearby house was cleared, at which point I imagine the plaque went for scrap. Fortunately, most of Eric’s papers and trophies emerged on the local antique market and then found their way to Brooklands. Others ended up in places as near as Guildford and as far away as Adelaide. These I have for the time being and if there are any more out there, I am sure the Museum would like to hear about them. Perhaps the Parry Thomas plaque was given to his family as I understand he was not married, so it may yet turn up? But exactly where was it? I have seen no sign of it in my recent search for the location of the Fernihough plaque. When the Fernihough plaque was unveiled, it was just to the right of the large lap record board on the far right of the eastern elevation of the original Clubhouse building. Andrew Lewis has cleverly found a photograph from 1939 showing it having been moved to the left of the record board where it was presumably thought to be more noticeable. As there is a detailed photograph of the Fernihough plaque available (it is also on page 225 of the Venables history) it would be


three passengers including an RAC observer, repeated the run with decisively better fi gures of 24.32mpg and 78.26mph. Later, 1701E was fi tted with a streamlined, light aerodynamic body and completed the fl ying half mile at Brooklands at a speed of 101.816mph. Also spotted at Retromobile was a Squire on the Fiskins’ stand, the British Alfa Romeo of the 1930s and of which only 10 were built in Henley on Thames. Each car came with a certifi cate confi rming that it had achieved 100mph at Brooklands. Retromobile is not only a car show. French trader Art-Aviation specialises in model aircraft for display and its stand included a large- scale cut-away model of the VC10, the last Brooklands-built plane in BOAC livery. It was an unexpected fi nd. On a similar stand, I also spotted a model of Concorde in BOAC colours, a reminder that when the supersonic airliner was conceived British Airways was yet to be formed. As ever, Retromobile 2020 proved fascinating and surprising in equal measure.


Kind regards Gareth Tarr


The Eric Fernihough plaque can be seen to the left of the lap record board behind Flight Lt Harry Torin’s Maserati. Bill Boddy is in the passenger seat in James Brymer’s photograph.


straightforward to create a close replica and I would be happy to raise funds for this. However, others would fi rst have to decide if a replica was the right thing to have. It would also seem like a good idea to replicate the records board too, but again others must judge. What I do feel qualifi ed to suggest is the Clubhouse elevation to the east facing the Finishing Straight is a little sad looking when compared to pre-WW2 photographs. There is what looks like a later rainwater downpipe that is awkwardly placed above, over and then beside the entrance door, as well as a lot of external horizontal cabling which does not help. The original downpipes were boldly featured in white and I do not think the building is enhanced by their being in black. Perhaps something might be planned to improve the Grade 2 listed ‘front door’ of Brooklands?


Yours sincerely, Terry Wright


MAY - JUNE 2020 | BROOKLANDS BULLETIN 19


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