Owen Wyn Owen (1925 – 13 March 2012) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

automobile restorer and mechanic. He lived in

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 ...

Snowdonia Snowdonia or Eryri (), is a mountainous region in northwestern Wales and a national park of in area. It was the first to be designated of the three national parks in Wales, in 1951. Name and extent It was a commonly held belief that the nam ...

. 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 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 ...

'', after 40 years buried on a tidal beach. "Babs" was the car that in 1927, driven by

J. G. Parry-Thomas John Godfrey Parry-Thomas (6 April 1884 – 3 March 1927) was a Welsh people, Welsh engineer and motor-racing driver who at one time held the land speed record. He was the first driver to be killed in pursuit of the land speed record. Ear ...

, whilst attempting the

land speed record The land speed record (or absolute land speed record) is the highest speed achieved by a person using a vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C ("Special Vehicles") flying start regula ...

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 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 wester ...

. 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 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 ...

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 ...

. The restoration work took place in Owen's garage in

, and "Babs" was displayed in the

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 muse ...

during the summer months until its demolition in 2019. The car will return to display on completion of the new Sands of Speed Museum. In 1999, Owen was awarded the Tom Pryce trophy, engraved with the words ''Atgyfodwr Babs'' ( en, Resurrector of Babs).

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Owen, Owen Wyn 1925 births 2012 deaths Car restorers Welsh engineers Welsh craftspeople People from Caernarfonshire British automotive engineers 20th-century British engineers