The Story of Brooklands Vol I, II and III.

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

The Story of Brooklands. Volume I,II and III

Author: W (Bill) Boddy
Published by: Grenville Publishing Company
Year of publication: 1948, 1949 and 1950
Language: English
Hardback
Classification: A three volume history totalling 800 pages, beginning in 1907 and ending of course in 1939. Each chapter is devoted to a year comprising work on the track, introductions of new cars and of course descriptions of races, record events and those who took part.

I don't think this has ever been republished as such, but much of the content will be found in the authors more recent works.

Bill Boddy was editor of 'Motor Sport' magazine from 1936 to 1991. He was born in 1913 and died last year.

A couple of pictures from each volume will follow.

Rating. 10/10

Peter.

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

Pictures from Volume I.

1912. Austin used to make big racing cars long before the first '7' appeared.

The car below is Percy Lambert's 20HP Austin 'Pearley 3', after winning the 1912 100mph Long Handicap, with a highest lap speed of 83.2mph.

This of course is the period when the fastest aeroplanes were still slower than the fastest cars....



This car will be known to most enthusiasts in its later form.
This is the 'Higham Special', the 4th Aero-engined car built for Count Zborowski. In pretty much this form the car lapped Brooklands at 117mph in 1924. It was also driven by John Cobb, an LSR holder in later years.
The car then was bought by J.G. Parry Thomas, drastically modified and named 'Babs'. In that form Thomas gained the LSR in 1926 at 171mph, and died the following year trying to regain that record.



Peter.

[Peter Seager-Thomas]

Pictures from Volume II, which takes the story from 1925 to 1932.

Here is the Higham Special in its better known form, as 'Babs'. This car lapped Brooklands at 125.77 MPH.



Vauxhall, John Cobb driving in 1927



One of the two 1500cc straight 8 Thomas Specials, commonly known as 'Flatirons'. This car lapped at 119 MPH in 1927, a year after Thomas's death.



4 litre Sunbeam Tiger in 1929, Kaye Don driving. This car lapped at 137.58 MPH in 1930



One of the best known Brooklands cars, the Birkin Bentley in the 1932 British Empire Trophy, where a Powerplus blower replaced the usual Amhurst Villiers item. That year this car lapped at 137.96 MPH.

Peter.