Tag Archives: Barclay

The Stockbroker’s Widow – Rolls Royce Wraith #WXA78 Hooper Drophead Coupé

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A month before the public announcement of the new Rolls Royce Wraith model in early October 1938 Scottish agents John Croall & Sons placed an order for today’s featured chassis #WXA78 which was to be fitted with the 6 cylinder motor #D5WU.

Factory records indicate that John Croall & Sons sold the car to a Mrs Tod of Edinburgh, Scotland the widow of a stockbroker who had died in 1935.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod asked that her Wraith be fitted with a Hopper drophead coupé body which was given the Hopper design drawing number 9050 which specifies among other details; accommodation for golf clubs, a sixteen by 8 inch hat box, birds eye maple trim, ivory door and window handles, primrose over black painted wings and side panels and an optional kneeling Spirit of Ecstasy mascot.

Mrs Tod kept the Wraith, the first of what turned out to be just three drophead Coupés built and one of only two with Dickey seats, until 1948 when she sold the car to London Rolls Royce dealer Jack Barclay.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Barclay’s had the car painted Mason’s black and sold it the following year to a gentleman in Wilmsow, Manchester.

Jack Compton, founder of the Rolls Royce and Bentley Drivers Club, and West Norwood, London based dealer brought the car back to ‘the smoke’, London, in June 1949 and kept it there until 1966.

Rolls Royce Wraith Hooper Drophead Coupé, Desert Classic Concours d'Elegance

Mrs Tod’s Wraith was then treated for foot and mouth disease prior to being sent to the United States and the first of an unbroken chain of five owners to the present day with the Calumet Collection in San Diego becoming the present owners in 2010.

The car was used to take the owners daughters to school in Greenwich Connecticut in the late 1960’s, before restorations began in 1986 which were not fully completed until the 1990’s.

My thanks to Geoffrey Horton for sharing his photo’s taken at the 2013 Desert Classic Concours d’Elegance.

Thanks for joining me on this “The Stockbroker’s Widow” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at a chain driven World Land Speed Record breaker. Don’t forget to come back now !

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4th Of Four – Bentley 4 1/2 Litre #TX3246

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Just as May is the month motorsport turns it’s attentions to the Indianapolis 500 and Monaco Grand Prix June is traditionally the sports interest focuses on the Le Mans 24 Hours. This month I have lined up 29 vehicles that either competed in the event, are of a type that competed in the event and or were designed to compete in the event but for one reason or another did not compete on the fastest roundabout in the world.

Humphrey Wyndham Cook is listed on the peerage.com as being born in 1893 to Wyndham Francis Cook and Frederica Evelyn Stillwell Freeland he attending Harrow on the Hill School and Christ Church, Oxford University.

Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Described as quiet and enthusiastic Humphrey started racing in 1914 and continued after The Great 1914/18 war racing Vauxhall’s and Bugatti’s mostly at Brooklands.

In 1928 he entered today’s featured car an unsupercharged 4 1/2 litre Bentley, chassis #TX3246 in the 1928 Tourist Trophy at Ards where he finished 7th.

Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The car next appears to have been entered by W.O. Bentley in to the Double Twelve at Brooklands, two 12 hour races being run in daylight on the same weekend, so as not to disturb the neighbors at night, in May 1929 where Humphrey and Frank Clement retired with a big end failure.

A month later and with the big end repaired #TX3246 powered by it’s original motor #PM3275 was entered into the Le Mans 24 Hour race by Bentley Motors Ltd for Frank Clement and Jean Chassagne to drive. Carrying the #8 They finished 4th completing a 1st to 4th place sweep for the Marque behind the Woolf Barnato and Henry Birkin driving the #1 Speed Six and the #9 and #10 4 1/2 litre cars driven by Jack Dunfee and Glen Kidston with Dr. Dudley Benjafield and André d’Erlanger in the latter.

Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Humphrey Cook and Leslie Callingham drove #TX3246 to a third place finish in the Brooklands 6 hour race at the end of June 1929 where a Bentley 1,2 finish interupted by an ALFA Romeo running in the 2 litre / 122cui class.

Two weeks later in the Irish GP Eireann Cup run at Phoenix Park Humphrey finished 5th before #TX3246 returned to Brooklands where Jack Barclay and Frank Clement drove her to victory lane in the Brooklands 500, the first race ever organised by the British Racing Drivers Club, BRDC, in October 1929.

Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Humphrey Cook went on to fund and race Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon’s English Racing Automobiles, ERA, project.

While Jack Barclay is still best known in London for his Rolls Royce and Bentley Dealerships in Mayfair.

Bentley 4 1/2 Litre, Goodwood Festival of Speed

#TX3246 powered by the 4 1/2 litre motor number #PM3275 is seen in these photographs at Goodwood Festival of Speed last year.

Thanks for joining me on this “4th Of Four” edition of “Getting A Little Psycho On Tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Cubic Inches – Bentley Speed Six #HM2689

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At the weekend I popped up to the Cholmondeley Pageant of Power where several Bentley’s were present that have taken part in Le Mans 24 hour races including today’s featured example chassis #HM2869 which was driven by Sammy Davis and Clive Dunfee in the 1930 race.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

The Bentley Speed Six was the high performance version of the Bentley 6 1/2 litre first seen in 1926. The 6 1/2 litre was conceived to challenge the Rolls Royce Phantom as a preeminent limousine.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

Launched in 1928 the Speed Six used the same 24 valve twin cam, twin spark 6,597 cc / 402.6 cui six cylinder motor as the Bentley 6 1/2 litre but tuned to give 160 – 180 hp, up from the standard 147 hp. This motor was considered the jewel in the crown of W.O. Bentley’s portfolio.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

The Speed Six of Woolf Barnato “Old Number One” is one of a handful of cars to have won the Le Mans 24 hour race twice. In 1929 Barnato shared the driving with “Tim” Birkin leading home three Bentley 4 1/2 litre cars. The following year Baranto and Glen Kidston led home a Speed Six one-two finish with Frank Clement and Richard Watney at the wheel of the second placed car.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

Driving a Mulliner Saloon bodied Speed Six Barnato also won a bet with his pals that he could arrive at his club in London faster than Le Train Bleu could cover the distance between Cannes on the French Riviera and the cross channel port of Calais in Northern France. With his secretary Dale Burn as relief driver he won the bet of £100 by four mins, but was heavily fined by French authorities for racing on public roads.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

The Mulliner Saloon Speed Six with which Barnato won the bet is often incorrectly depicted and confused with a Gurney Nutting Sportsman Coupé Speed Six which Barnato named the Blue Train Special to commemorate his feat. The Mulliner Saloon body on the car Barnato and Burn drove the 570 miles from Cannes to London has recently been restored to the original chassis by it’s current owners Bruce and Jolene McCaw, who also own the Barnato’s Gurney Nutting Coupé.

Bentley Speed Six, Cholomondeley Pageant Of Power

Despite proving W.O’s maxim “that there is no substitute for cubic inches” over the 4 1/2 litre super charged Blower Bentley it is the faster but less reliable latter car that is the better known instantly recognisable “icon” of it’s day.

Clive Dunfee crashed #HM2689 out of the 1930 Le Mans 24 hours on laps 22, the month before Le Mans race Clive and Sammy drove the car car to a 2nd place finish in the Brooklands Double Twelve. “Tim” Birkin and Jack Barclay shared #HM2689 at the Brooklands Double Twelve in 1931 but retired with engine failure.

#HM2689 has been owned by Peter Neumark for the last twenty years and he assured me “it is not going anywhere” in the future when I spoke to him on Saturday.

Thanks for joining me on this “Cubic Inches” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow when I’ll be looking at the 1978 Le Mans winner. Don’t forget to come back now !

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