Selwyn Francis Edge (1868–1940) was a British businessman, racing driver, cyclist and record-breaker. He is principally associated with selling and racing

De Dion-Bouton De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1953. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton, and Bouton's brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux. Steam cars T ...

, Gladiator; Clemént-Panhard, Napier and AC cars.

Personal life

Edge was born in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

township, near Sydney, on 29 March 1868; his parents were Alexander Ernest Edge and Annie Charlotte Sharp. At age three, he was taken to London where in his teens he competed successfully as a bicycle racer, winning the North Road Cycling Club's 100 Mile Road Race in 1888 and the Westerham Hill climb when he was nineteen. One of the English Team and aged 23 he came third in the first

Bordeaux–Paris The Bordeaux–Paris professional cycle race was one of Europe's classic cycle races, and one of the longest in the professional calendar, covering approximately – more than twice most single-day races. It started in northern Bordeaux in sout ...

cycle race in 1891. He worked for Rudge then Harvey Du Cros as manager of his new Dunlop offices in London. In 1892 he married Eleanor Rose Sharp who died sometime before 1917; his second wife, Myra Caroline Martin, whom he married in 1917, had two daughters by him. From 1910 until at least 1922 he resided at Gallops Homestead,

Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling. ...

, Sussex, and from 1912 to 1919, courtesy of his contract with Napiers, he devoted himself to farming. He died 12 February 1940 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.

Business career

In 1899, he went into partnership with pioneering motorist Charles Jarrott and Herbert Duncan to found

British and Colonial Ltd as importers of cars. He had become friends with

Montague Napier Montague Stanley Napier (14 April 1870 – 22 January 1931) was an English automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer. His grandfather, David Napier (1785–1873), had moved to London from Scotland and by 1836 had established an engineering comp ...

(of

Napier & Son D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engineering company best known for its luxury motor cars in the Edwardian era and for its aero engines throughout the early to mid-20th century. Napier was founded as a precision engineering company in 1 ...

), another keen cyclist, and in 1898 asked Napier to carry out some improvements to his

Panhard Panhard was a French motor vehicle manufacturer that began as one of the first makers of automobiles. It was a manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its final incarnation, now owned by Renault Trucks Defense, was formed ...

. In 1899, along with Harvey du Cros, Edge formed the Motor Vehicle Company Ltd to sell these improved cars, made by Napiers (Edge paid £400, selling at £500), as well as

Gladiator A gladiator ( la, gladiator, "swordsman", from , "sword") was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gla ...

s and Clément-Panhards, both manufactured in Paris by

Adolphe Clément-Bayard Gustave Adolphe Clément, from 1909 Clément-Bayard (22 September 1855 – 10 March 1928), was a French entrepreneur. An orphan who became a blacksmith and a '' Compagnon du Tour de France'', he went on to race and manufacture bicycles, pneumati ...

In 1907 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' reported: "S. F. Edge (1907), Ltd., has been registered at Somerset House, London, with a capital of £275,000, to carry on the business of motor car, cycle, launch, and flying machine manufacturers." He sold his company, S.F. Edge Ltd, to Napier in 1912, for £120,000. The sale included an agreement not to be involved in motor manufacturing for seven years. During this period he devoted himself to farming at Ditchling, Sussex. In 1917 he was appointed controller of the agricultural machinery department of the

Ministry of Munitions The Minister of Munitions was a British government position created during the First World War to oversee and co-ordinate the production and distribution of munitions for the war effort. The position was created in response to the Shell Crisis o ...

. When the embargo on motor manufacturing expired in 1919 he started to build up a shareholding in

AC Cars AC Cars, originally incorporated as Auto Carriers Ltd., is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car makers founded in Britain. As a result of bad financial conditions over the years, the company was re ...

, gaining full control in 1922. About 1923 Edge was also managing director of William Cubitt & Company, who had entered the car market with the Cubitt ''marque'', but were out of business by 1925. Edge switched the contract for purchasing engines for the AC car from

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

, where he also sat on the board, to Cubitt, who produced what was essentially a copy of the Anzani design. Edge purchased AC cars outright for £135,000 in 1927. When AC collapsed in 1929, Edge sold his interest in the company and took no further business interest in the motor industry.

Motor racing

Recognizing the value of publicity gained from

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

, which no other British marque did, Edge entered an 8 hp (6 kW) four-cylinder Napier in the

Automobile Club A car club or automotive enthusiast community is a group of people who share a common interest in motor vehicles. Car clubs are typically organized by enthusiasts around the type of vehicle (e.g. Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang), brand (e.g. ...

's 1900 Thousand Miles (1600 km)

Trial In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...

of the

on behalf of Edward Kennard; driven by Edge, with Kennard along, on a circuit from Newbury to Edinburgh and back, she won her class, being one of only thirty-five finishers (of sixty-four starters) and one of just twelve to average the requisite 12 mph (19 km/h) in England and 10 mph (16 km/h) in Scotland. He did the same (with C. S. Rolls his

riding mechanic A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during races, and who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. The various duties included manually pumping oil and fuel, checking tire wear, ...

) at the 837 mi (1350 km) Paris-Toulouse-Paris

rally Rally or rallye may refer to: Gatherings * Demonstration (political), a political rally, a political demonstration of support or protest, march, or parade * Pep rally, an event held at a United States school or college sporting event Sport ...

in June; the car would be eliminated due to ignition trouble. In the 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup, Edge entered a special 17-litre Napier which he was only able to test ''en route'' because it had been completed on 25 May, only four days before the event. Montague Napier was the riding mechanic. The car was too powerful for the Dunlop tyres and fitting new French tyres led to disqualification, since they were not of the same national of origin. In the concurrent Paris-Bordeaux rally, it retired with clutch trouble. For the 1902 Gordon Bennett, Edge's Napier was the sole British entrant; with his cousin, Cecil Edge, as riding mechanic, he won, at an average 31.8 mph (51.2 km/h) (though by default, since the French entrants all fell out). The preparation of the car was hurried with some parts being fitted on the train to Paris. Additionally the second gear had not been hardened properly so, on arriving in Paris, Edge got the gear out, contacted his friend

Adolphe Clément ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illicit ...

(Adolphe Clément-Bayard), borrowed his factory, hardened the gear, reassembled everything, and went on to win the race. Miss Dorothy Levitt & the 12h

At the 1903 Gordon Bennett, Edge had an 80 hp (60 kW) Napier, the Type K5, but was disqualified. Edge (with

Arthur McDonald Air Marshal Sir Arthur William Baynes McDonald, (14 June 1903 – 26 July 1996) was a senior Royal Air Force officer. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force from 1955 to 1957. Early life McDonald was born on 14 June ...

, manager of Napiers'

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

factory, as riding mechanic) fared no better with the K5 in the 1904 Gordon Bennett in Germany. In 1903 Edge's eye for publicity created a world first when, on 2 October,

Dorothy Levitt Dorothy Elizabeth Levitt (born Elizabeth Levi; 5 January 1882 – 17 May 1922) was a British racing driver and journalist. She was the first British woman racing driver, holder of the world's first water speed record, the women's world lan ...

won her class at the Southport Speed Trials driving his 12 Hp

, shocking

British society English society comprises the group behaviour of the English people, and of collective social interactions, organisation and political attitudes in England. The social history of England evidences many social and societal changes over the histo ...

as she was the first woman, a working secretary, to compete in a 'motor race'. :... "Selwyn Edge, Director of the Napier Car Company and famous racing driver ... spotted Miss Dorothy Levitt amongst his staff, a beautiful secretary with long legs and eyes like pools. In a bid to promote his cars ... Edge decided that she should take part in a race, though first he had to teach her to drive. She surpassed his expectations by winning her class in the 1903 Southport Speed Trial, and proved such a good driver that she was taken on by De Dion for a major publicity stunt." Jean Francois Bouzanquet

In June 1907 Edge broke the 24-hour distance record, driving a 60 hp (44.7 kW) Napier six, at the newly opened

Brooklands Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...

track, accompanied by riding-mechanic Joseph H Blackburn.(Born 17 December 1875 D 8 May 1919) He covered 1,581 miles (2544 km), 1,310 yards at an average speed of 65.905 mph (106.06 km/h). This record stood for 18 years. In 1910 Edge was awarded the

Dewar Trophy The Dewar Trophy was a cup donated in the early years of the twentieth century by Sir Thomas R. Dewar, M.P. a member of parliament of the United Kingdom (UK), to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club (R. A .C.) of the United Kingdom "t ...

for his drive in top gear in a Napier on the route London-Edinburgh-London. In 1922 Edge returned to Brooklands in a

Spyker Spyker or Spijker was a Dutch carriage, automobile and aircraft manufacturer, started in 1880 by blacksmiths Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker. Originally located in Hilversum, the company relocated to Trompenburg, Amsterdam in 1898. Notable produ ...

setting a new "Double 12" world record covering 1,782 miles 1,066 yards (2,868 km 693 m) at an average speed of for the aggregate 24 hours. Edge lent

Mrs Victor Bruce Mildred Mary Petre (10 November 1895 – 21 May 1990) was a British record-breaking racing motorist, speedboat racer and aviator in the 1920s and 1930s, and later, successful businesswoman. Commonly referred to as Mrs Victor Bruce, she was also k ...

an AC Six car (PF6465) which she drove in the 1927 Monte Carlo Rally, travelling 1,700 miles (2,700km) in 72 hours without sleep, finishing sixth overall, and winning the ''Coupe des Dames'', for the women's class. His final contribution to motor racing was the inauguration of the Campbell Circuit at Brooklands in 1937.

Motor yachting

In 1903 Edge won the inaugural British International

Harmsworth Trophy The Harmsworth Cup, popularly known as the Harmsworth Trophy, is a historically important British international trophy for motorboats. History The Harmsworth was the first annual international award for motorboat racing. Officially, it is a cont ...

for speedboats held on the River Lee, Queenstown,

Cork Harbour Cork Harbour () is a natural harbour and river estuary at the mouth of the River Lee in County Cork, Ireland. It is one of several which lay claim to the title of "second largest natural harbour in the world by navigational area" (after Port Ja ...

, Ireland, in a boat called ''Napier I''. The steel-hulled, ' Napier' speedboat fitted with a 3-blade propeller, achieved . It was driven by

, but as both owner and entrant "S.F.Edge" is engraved on the trophy as the winner. The third crew member, Campbell Muir, may also have taken the controls. In May 1905 ''The Rudder'' reported that : :The first event of the season, the Monaco meeting, from 2 to 16 April, ... is without precedent or quantity of entrantsin yachting history; beginning with an exhibition of all types of motor-boats, lasting four days, after which three days afloat were allowed for preparations, the races began on 9 April and continued for the following week. Edge, driving '' Napier II'', won the race for racers in the eight to 12 metres classes in 1 hour 5 minutes, he also finished second in ''Napier 1'' as it was common practice to describe the owner and entrant as the driver, even if he did not take the wheel.Hydroplane History – French Launches and Launch Engines of 1905 by W. P. Stephens. (Transcribed from ''The Rudder'', May 1905, p. 283-287)
/ref>

References

Books

* ''My motoring reminiscences'', Selwyn Francis Edge, Foulis, 1934. For a review of this book see: ''The Manchester Guardian'', 18 October 1934, Page 7. {{DEFAULTSORT:Edge, Selwyn Brighton Speed Trials people Brooklands people Racing drivers from New South Wales 1940 deaths 1868 births Australian emigrants to England Businesspeople from London English racing drivers English male cyclists