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Babs (Land Speed Record Car)
''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 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. Parry-Thomas rechristened the car ''Babs'' and rebuilt it with four Zenith carburettors and his own design of pistons. 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 d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang was the informal name of a number of celebrated British racing cars, built and raced by Count Louis Zborowski and his engineer Clive Gallop in the 1920s, which inspired the book, film and stage musical ''Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang''. The Chittys were built in Canterbury, Kent and stored at Higham Park, Zborowski's country house at Bridge near Canterbury. The cars were so loud that Canterbury reportedly passed a by-law prohibiting them from entering within the city walls. The origin of the name "Chitty Bang Bang" is disputed, but may have been inspired by aeronautical engineer Letitia Chitty, the sound of an idling aeroplane engine or from a salacious World War I song. Chitty 1 ''Chitty 1'' was a chain-driven customised Mercedes chassis containing a 23-litre 6-cylinder Maybach aero-engine. It won two races at its debut at Brooklands in 1921, coming second to another Zborowski car in a sprint race at the same event. ''Chitty 1'' was fitted with four seats and a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pendine Sands
Pendine Sands ( cy, Traeth Pentywyn) is a beach on the shores of Carmarthen Bay on the south coast of Wales. It stretches west to east from Gilman Point to Laugharne Sands. The village of Pendine ( cy, Pentywyn, link=no) is close to the western end of the beach. In the early 1900s the sands were used as a venue for car and motor cycle races. From 1922 the annual Welsh TT motor cycle event was held here. The firm, flat surface of the beach created a race track that was straighter and smoother than many major roads of the time. ''Motor Cycle'' magazine described the sands as "the finest natural speedway imaginable". Classic record attempts In the 1920s it became clear that roads and race tracks were no longer adequate venues for attempts on the world land speed record. As record-breaking speeds approached 150 mph (240 km/h), the requirements for acceleration to top speed before the measured mile and safe braking distance afterwards meant that a smooth, flat, straight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1926 In Motorsport
The following is an overview of the events of 1926 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people. Annual events The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had own significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles. Births See also * List of 1926 motorsport champions References External links {{DEFAULTSORT:1926 In Motorsport Motorsport by year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tom Pryce
Thomas Maldwyn Pryce (11 June 1949 – 5 March 1977) was a British racing driver from Wales known for winning the Brands Hatch Race of Champions, a non-championship Formula One race, in 1975 and for the circumstances surrounding his death. Pryce is the only Welsh driver to have won a Formula One race and is also the only Welshman to lead a Formula One World Championship Grand Prix: two laps of the 1975 British Grand Prix. Pryce started his career in Formula One with the small Token team, making his only start for them at the 1974 Belgian Grand Prix. Shortly after winning the Formula Three support race for the 1974 Monaco Grand Prix, Pryce joined the Shadow team and scored his first points in Germany in only his fourth race. Pryce later claimed two podium finishes, his first in Austria in 1975 and the second in Brazil a year later. Pryce was considered by his team and most of its contemporaries as a great wet-weather driver. In his four seasons in the sport with the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pendine Museum Of Speed
The Pendine Museum of Speed was dedicated to the use of Pendine Sands for land speed record attempts. It was opened in 1996 in the village of Pendine, on the south coast of Wales, and was owned and run by Carmarthenshire County Council. The museum received 33,522 visitors in 2009. For part of each summer the museum housed ''Babs'', the land speed record car in which was killed in 1927. ''Babs'' was excavated in 1969 after 42 years of burial on the beach at Pendine Sands, and restored over the following 16 years by Owen Wyn Owen. In 2018 it was decided to replace the 1990s museum building, at a cost of £7 million. As of February 2021, the museum was closed and demolished, with a replacement under construction, whose opening date is yet to be confirmed. ''Babs'' was on display at Beaulieu Motor Museum until February 2019, but as of May 2019 was being maintained and no longer on display. See also * British land speed record The British land speed record is the fastest land s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Capel Curig
Capel Curig (; meaning " Curig's Chapel") is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it lies in the heart of Snowdonia, on the River Llugwy, and has a population of 226, reducing slightly to 206 at the 2011 census. It lies at the junction of the A5 road from Bangor and Bethesda to Betws-y-Coed with the A4086 road from Caernarfon, Llanberis, Pen-y-Pass and Pen-y-Gwryd. It is surrounded by hills and mountains, including Moel Siabod and Pen Llithrig y Wrach. Name Capel Curig takes its name from the little St Julitta's Church in the ancient graveyard by the river bridge on the Llanberis road. This, confusingly, has been known for over 100 years as St Julitta's Church, and is currently being restored by the "Friends of Saint Julitta". Tradition claims this chapel to be the 6th-century foundation of St Curig, a Celtic bishop. Centuries later, probably when the present ancient church was built, the name appears to have been La ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anglesey
Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island, at , is the largest in Wales, the seventh largest in Britain, largest in the Irish Sea and second most populous there after the Isle of Man. Isle of Anglesey County Council administers , with a 2011 census population of 69,751, including 13,659 on Holy Island. The Menai Strait to the mainland is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge, built in 1850 and replaced in 1980. The largest town is Holyhead on Holy Island, whose ferry service with Ireland handles over two million passengers a year. The next largest is Llangefni, the county council seat. From 1974 to 1996 Anglesey was part of Gwynedd. Most full-time residents are habitual Welsh speakers. The Welsh name Ynys M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RAF Valley
Royal Air Force Valley or more simply RAF Valley ( cy, Llu Awyr Brenhinol Y Fali) is a Royal Air Force station on the island of Anglesey, Wales, and which is also used as Anglesey Airport. It provides both basic and advanced fast-jet training using the Texan T1 and Hawk T2 and provides mountain and maritime training for aircrew using the Jupiter T1 helicopter. History World War Two The airfield was constructed in the latter part of 1940 and opened for operations on 1 February 1941 as a Fighter Sector Station under No. 9 Group RAF with the task of providing defence cover for England's industrial north-west and shipping in the Irish Sea. Initial detachments were made by Hawker Hurricanes of 312 and 615 Squadrons. A detachment of Bristol Beaufighters of 219 Squadron provided night fighter cover. No. 456 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) formed at Valley on 30 June 1941 and became operational on 5 September flying Boulton Paul Defiants. By November the squadron ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Walsall. It was transferred from Staffordshire to the newly created West Midlands County in 1974. At the 2011 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 67,594, with the wider borough having a population of 269,323. Neighbouring settlements in the borough include Darlaston, Brownhills, Pelsall, Willenhall, Bloxwich and Aldridge. History Early settlement The name Walsall is derived from "Walh halh", meaning "valley of the Welsh", referring to the British who first lived in the area. However, it is believed that a manor was held here by William FitzAnsculf, who held numerous manors in the Midlands. By the first part of the 13th century, Walsall was a small ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Owen Wyn Owen
Owen Wyn Owen (1925 – 13 March 2012) was a Welsh automobile restorer and mechanic. He lived in Capel Curig, Snowdonia. His working life was spent as a lecturer in engineering at Caernarfonshire Technical College in Bangor, but he is known for his outside achievements. He died in March 2012. Restoration of ''Babs'' His most famous restoration project, which received worldwide attention, was to excavate and restore ''Babs'', after 40 years buried on a tidal beach. "Babs" was the car that in 1927, driven by J. G. Parry-Thomas, whilst attempting the land speed record at the time (180 mph or 290 km/h), crashed and killed the driver. The car was buried where the accident occurred on Pendine Sands. In 1967 Wyn Owen decided to excavate and restore ''Babs''. The car was first successfully tested on The Helyg straight in the early 1970s and was later successfully demonstrated in front of the world press and television on an air field near RAF Valley, Anglesey. The rest ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babs
Babs or BABS may refer to: People * Nickname of Barbara Windsor (1937-2020), British actress * Babs McMillan, Australian actress * Babs Olusanmokun, American actor * Babs Reingold, American artist * Babs Fafunwa (1923-2010), Nigerian educationist, scholar and Minister for Education, full name Aliu Babatunde Fafunwa * Nickname of Barbra Streisand (born 1942), American singer and actress * Nickname of Michael Keating (hurler) (born 1944), Irish retired hurling manager and player * Babs Gonzales (1919-1980), American jazz singer, born Lee Brown * Alice Babs (1924-2014), Swedish singer and actress, born Hildur Alice Nilson In entertainment * ''Babs'' (1920 film), a silent film starring Corinne Griffith * ''Babs'' (2000 film), a 2000 Dutch film * ''Babs'' (2017 film), a 2017 British film biopic of Dame Barbara Windsor * Babs, a character in the animated film ''Chicken Run'' * Babs, a character in the book "Just One Day" by Gayle Forman * Babs Bunny from ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' *B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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