Homologation

Browse pages
Current page

1

Current page

2

Current page

3

Current page

4

Current page

5

Current page

6

Current page

7

Current page

8

Current page

9

Current page

10

Current page

11

Current page

12

Current page

13

Current page

14

Current page

15

Current page

16

Current page

17

Current page

18

Current page

19

Current page

20

Current page

21

Current page

22

Current page

23

Current page

24

Current page

25

Current page

26

Current page

27

Current page

28

Current page

29

Current page

30

Current page

31

Current page

32

Current page

33

Current page

34

Current page

35

Current page

36

Current page

37

Current page

38

Current page

39

Current page

40

Current page

41

Current page

42

Current page

43

Current page

44

Current page

45

Current page

46

Current page

47

Current page

48

Current page

49

Current page

50

Current page

51

Current page

52

Current page

53

Current page

54

Current page

55

Current page

56

Current page

57

Current page

58

Current page

59

Current page

60

Current page

61

Current page

62

Current page

63

Current page

64

Current page

65

Current page

66

Current page

67

Current page

68

Current page

69

Current page

70

Current page

71

Current page

72

Current page

73

Current page

74

Current page

75

Current page

76

Current page

77

Current page

78

Current page

79

Current page

80

Current page

81

Current page

82

Current page

83

Current page

84

Current page

85

Current page

86

Current page

87

Current page

88

Current page

89

Current page

90

Current page

91

Current page

92

Current page

93

Current page

94

Current page

95

Current page

96

Current page

97

Current page

98

Current page

99

Current page

100

Current page

101

Current page

102

Current page

103

Current page

104

Current page

105

Current page

106

Current page

107

Current page

108

Current page

109

Current page

110

Current page

111

Current page

112

Current page

113

Current page

114

Current page

115

Current page

116

Current page

117

Current page

118

Current page

119

Current page

120

Current page

121

Current page

122

Current page

123

Current page

124

Current page

125

Current page

126

Current page

127

Current page

128

Current page

129

Current page

130

Current page

131

Current page

132

Current page

133

Current page

134

Current page

135

Current page

136

Current page

137

Current page

138

Current page

139

Current page

140

In my Birkin blower 4 1/2-litre Bentley piece in the June issue it was not explained that the 50 Bentleys of this kind, which Birkin got W O to make against his better judgement, were required for homologation for the 1930 Le Mans race. The ruling was to ensure that only catalogue, indeed production, cars ran in the 24-hour sports car race.

At first the regulations required that duplicates of the entered cars should be bought to the circuit; later that the entrants had to swear on their honour that they had built and sold, or at least stocked, 30 similar cars.

The complexion of the race was changed in 1949, when prototype sports cars were accepted. However, standard cars continued to have their place, provided it was declared that at least ten of the kind raced had been sold. (The SO rule came in later, hence the Birkin request to W O in 1929.) Then the number required rose to 100, with 12 consecutive months allowed for these catalogue cars to be completed. In fact only five Blower Bentleys were sold before the race in June 1930, the remainder by September 1931, with one exception.

One has to assume that the smallest of French manufacturers complied, for they wouldn’t cheat, would they? However, French officials have sometimes managed to eliminate those they felt were a threat to French successes, as with the 1908 GP Austins, unacceptable with their Rudge detachable wheels, Colin Chapman’s 743cc Lotus 23, with which he hoped to win the 1962 Le Mans Index of performance, was rejected at the last moment as “not in the spirit, and unsafe”, when it looked likely to spoil a Panhard handicap win, and you will recall the disqualifications of the victorious Minis in the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally because of a supposed lighting infringement.

The battle for the Brooklands lap record between Don (Sunbeams) and Birkin (Bentley) got a bit obscure in my story; it went actually went: 1929, Don, 134,24mph; 1930, Birkin, 135.34mph; Don, 137.58 mph; 1932, Birkin, 137.96mph.