A similarly glorious Thursday brought a race of popular sub-£250 cars, won by a Humber. Next came £300-£500 cars, best of which was the all-new 16hp Rover, revealed at he show. Darracq then scored its second victory of the week and Daimler its second and third.
Again the afternoon ended with sub-1000kg cars, a Mercedes and a Napier producing a splendid race in which they were never far apart. We did note, however, that the long intervals between the events were rather boring the public…
The Friday was another day of blazing sun but sadly started with tragic news: a mechanic had been killed en route after a driver had to suddenly swerve to avoid a tramp. After a race of steam cars, there was much interest in the ladies’ handicap, won by Herbert Lloyd in a Daimler, before Maud Manville proved that women could also beat men in equal machinery.
There was then an all-comers £1 sweepstake, but we called the handicap formulation “absurd” when a 7hp Panhard triumphed. Of most interest was the Daily Mail Challenge Cup, contested by some of Europe’s best racing cars, with “Titanic power”, for a 100-guinea prize.
Clifford Earp broke the British 1km record in a Napier, averaging 93mph, and he shared most of the applause with Dorothy Levitt, in whom the public took great interest. On the Saturday, spectators were treated to the arrival of speed boats, including the world’s fastest, Napier II (30kts!) offshore Then Autocar’s Challenge Cup, for all comers, sadly lacking Earp, due to a twisted camshaft, but still wowing with near-90mph speeds. Algernon Lee Guinness (yes, that Guiness!) won in a 100bhp Darracq.