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GREAT BRITISH HISTORY
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1931 Bentley Blower
The Bentley Blower was a development of the 41/2 Litre, which won at Le Mans in 1928. Faced with intense overseas competition, racer Sir Henry ‘Tim’ Birkin asked Amherst Villiers to produce a Roots-type supercharger for the 41/2.
WO Bentley disagreed with supercharging, however, and refused to let the engine be adapted for the supercharger, so the unit was placed at the end of the crankshaft, in front of the radiator.
This example originally had an unusual body for a Blower, which are usually two-seaters. The Service Record described it as a close-coupled saloon; a more accurate description is the then-fashionable drophead coupé.
In the 1990s it was rebuilt as a copy of the short-chassis Birkin team cars HB3403 and HR3976, with the wheelbase now at 9ft 9½in and wearing a new Birkin-style body. A genuine spare team supercharger was also fitted.
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1934 Invicta S Type
Invicta conceived its S Type sports car to bring Rolls-Royce quality, reliability and refinement to the brand, but with the performance and handling brio of Bentley.
The model was launched at the 1930 London Motor Show with a hugely expensive price of £1500, which equates to £1.75m today. The average house price at the time was about £200. Just 77 of these ‘supercars’ were built up to 1934 – almost all of which are still extant. All had a 4.5-litre straightsix matched to a fourspeed box, which gave a top speed of 100mph.
The S Type proved its mettle in competition, winning the Monte Carlo Rally in 1931, and finishing second a year later with Donald Healey behind the wheel. Sadly production wouldn’t last, with sales ceasing in 1935. This S Type is chassis no. S 165.
1938 Jaguar SS100
As the transition model between the Swallow Sidecar Company and Jaguar as a manufacturer, and marking the first use of the Leaper on the bonnet, the SS100 holds a special place in history. Powered by a 2.6-litre straight-six, it offered vibrant performance at an attainable price.
This 3.5-litre example is chassis no. 39029, and it was sold through Jaguar main agent Henlys in London on February 1, 1938. It first called Australia its home, and while Down Under it competed in hillclimbing in the hands of Peter Moss before passing to well known Australian race/rally driver Keith Thallon, who competed in it in the Australian Grand Prix at Leyburn in 1949.
Subsequently the car passed through more owners to Greg Berkman in 1961. It finally returned to the UK in 2018.
1928 Austin Seven Swallow
The British-designed Seven conquered not only its home market, replacing many economy cars and cycle-cars, but also the world, with many versions made under licence.
The Swallow version came about via the Swallow Sidecar Company, owned by William Lyons. He saw the potential in a rebodied Seven, and commissioned Cyril Holland to sketch the Swallow’s distinctive shape. The new model exhibited luxury-car style but an affordable price. Its immense popularity forced Lyons to move his factory to Coventry, where the story of Jaguar was to begin in 1945.
This Swallow is one of only three preserved from the Blackpool production, and has been in the ownership of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust since the 1980s. It was restored in the mid-1990s.
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1937 Lagonda LG45 Rapide
Lagonda’s LG45 Rapide was born in a tough time for the marque, with financial woes never far away. Under new ownership from 1935, the firm attracted WO Bentley as well as various noted designers and engineers. The result was the LG45 Rapide, which produced 130bhp from its 4.5-litre straight-six engine, making it what Lagonda claimed was the fastest production car in the world at the time.
Just 25 were built, and this one was first delivered to S Baker in London in 1937. Later owners included Dr Hurst, who invented the damp-proof course system used in housing. The car was restored in the 1980s and spent some time in the US, but it returned to the UK within the past decade. It has since been revitalised with the combined efforts of Moto Technique, Bishopgray, O’Rourke Coachtrimmers and Thornley Kelham. It has since competed in the Flying Scotsman rally, as well as toured Europe.
The most famous RollsRoyce of all, the Silver Ghost arrived in 1906, with a wide range of bodystyles cloaking the supremely refined mechanicals. From 1910 it was fitted with a silken 7.4-litre straight-six, producing 50bhp.
This Ghost was built in 1914 as a rare Sports Torpedo Tourer. It was supplied new to one of the Cecil family, of Burghley House in Stamford, UK. In 1918 it was exported to the US by its owner, who had emigrated there during World War One.
It was rebodied in the mid-1920s as an Oxford Tourer, and was repatriated in the early 2000s, when it was fitted with a toolroom copy of the original Barker Sports Torpedo body. It has since travelled far and wide – even to India.
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MARTYN GODDARD
1938 Alvis 4.3 Short-Chassis Tourer
Alvis was known for its advanced engineering, and the 1936 4.3 Litre kept that reputation going. Based on the previous year’s Speed 25, it used a 137bhp OHV engine on triple carbs, and had independent front suspension and a fourspeed, all-synchro box, plus Luvax hydraulic dampers and servo brakes. It was one of the fastest road cars of its day, yet cheaper than similarly quick competition.
This particular example was constructed on a short chassis and bodied as a Sports four-seater by Vanden Plas. After various prestigious owners it was purchased by the Royal Automobile Club in 1994, which has cared for it since.
1929 Vauxhall Hurlingham
The six-cylinder Vauxhall Hurlingham was the manufacturer’s take on the Art Deco spirit of the 1920s, and featured a centre body line that ran from the Speedbird mascot right through to the cropped boat-tail.
Scuttle-mounted vents, twin windscreens and a flip-up ‘mother-inlaw’ dicky seat complete a fascinating design by the Grosvenor Carriage Company. Fewer than 50 examples are believed to have been built in this style. To date only 19 cars are known to exist worldwide.
This example of the Hurlingham is one of just five believed to still be in the UK. Wearing the registration number 844 YUR, it spent most of its life in South Africa before returning to Great Britain in 2013.
RICHARD SKELTON
1935 SS1 Airline Saloon
The SS1 offered extravagant looks for a palatable price, and was available in fixed-head coupé, tourer, sports saloon and drophead coupé form. It was not intended as a performance car, with up to 20bhp available.
The Airline coupé was styled to get the most out of the six-cylinder engine, with a smooth, air-spearing design that reflected the Art Deco fashion of the time. Only 624 were produced, and this one was originally delivered in March 1935 to Captain S Clough by Glovers of Harrogate.
The Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust recently recommissioned it for the Swallow Sidecar Company’s centenary, marking 100 years since the inception of the Jaguar forerunner.
1932 Wolseley Hornet
Wolseley was among the first British auto makers, but by 1927 it was under the control of the Morris Company. The 1930 Hornet had a 1.3-litre straight-six and was based on the Minor, itself a Wolseley design. Special bodies were soon being applied to Hornet chassis, and Swallow offered a boat-tailed twoseater and a four-seater.
This is one of the latter, and was found by Gavin Head in a poor state. He commenced a restoration, which the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust took over in 2003. The Hornet and the later specials were the first sports models William Lyons’ Swallow constructed, and were his first six-cylinders.
