Babs (land speed record car)

Babs
Overview
Also called	Chitty Bang Bang 4, Higham Special
Production	one-off (1926)
Designer	J. G. Parry-Thomas, originally Clive Gallop & Count Louis Zborowski
Body and chassis
Body style	open-wheel, front-engined racing car.
Powertrain
Engine	Liberty L-12 V12 aero engine
Transmission	final drive by exposed external chain-drive

Babs was the land speed record car built and driven by John Parry-Thomas. It was powered by a 27-litre Liberty aero-engine.

Babs began as 'Chitty 4', one of Count Louis Zborowski's series of aero-engined cars named 'Chitty Bang Bang'. As it was built at Zborowski's estate of Higham Park near Canterbury, it was also known as the Higham Special.

Using a 450 hp (340 kW) V12 Liberty aero engine of 27 litres capacity, with a gearbox and chain-drive from a pre-war Blitzen Benz, it was the largest capacity racing car ever to run at Brooklands. Still not fully developed by the time of Zborowski's death in 1924, it was purchased from his estate by J.G. Parry-Thomas for the sum of £125.^[1]

Parry-Thomas rechristened the car Babs and rebuilt it with four Zenith carburettors and his own design of pistons.^[2] In April 1926, Parry-Thomas used the car to break the land speed record at 171.02 mph (273.6 km/h).

Babs used exposed chains (covered by a fairing) to take power to the drive wheels. It has been rumored that the high engine cover required Parry-Thomas to drive with his head tilted to one side. This story is not true; photographs show that the driver could see straight ahead.

During a later record attempt at Pendine Sands, Wales on 3 March 1927, the car went out of control at speeds in excess of 100 mph. The car rolled over and Thomas was killed. Following the inquest into Thomas's death, Babs was buried in the sand dunes at Pendine.^[3]

At the time it was speculated that Thomas may have been decapitated by the drive chain. Later investigation of the recovered wreckage suggested instead, that the rear right-hand wheel had failed, overturning Babs.^[4]

Restoration

Restored, at Goodwood in 2005

In 1969, After 40 years, the car was exhumed and restored to running order over several years by Owen Wyn Owen.

During part of the summer months, Babs is on display at the Museum of Speed at Pendine.^[5][6][7]

References

1. "Higham Special". British Motor Manufacturers.
2. Jo Payne (2004). "Thomas, John Godfrey Parry (1884–1927)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/69166. Retrieved 9 September 2006.
3. "Wales and the History of the World – 'Babs'". BBC. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
4. Tremayne, David. The Land Speed Record. Shire. p. 9. ISBN 0-7478-0115-0.
5. "History of Pendine".
6. "Babs being recovered from the sand, showing the missing fatal drive chain" (photograph).
7. "Remaining drive chain on the left-hand side" (photograph).