Louis Zborowski
Encyclopedia
Count Louis Zborowski was a racing driver and automobile engineer.
Hillclimb in France near Nice
. His mother was a wealthy American
heiress
, born Margaret Laura Astor Carey (1853–1911), a granddaughter of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
of the prominent Astor family
. She had been Madame de Stuers before her divorce and marriage in 1882 to Count Eliot Zborowski.
He lived at Higham Park, a country estate at Bridge
near Canterbury
in Kent
.
Zborowski was killed when he hit a tree during the Italian GP
.
He was an early patron of Aston Martin
, and raced for them at Brooklands
and in the 1923 French Grand Prix.
In the 1923 Indianapolis 500
he drove a Bugatti
.
He drove in the 1923 Italian Grand Prix
at Monza
in a car designed by American engineer Harry Arminius Miller
, the single seat "American Miller 122".
Louis Zborowski joined the Mercedes
team in 1924 but died in one of their cars, after hitting a tree during the Italian Grand Prix
. He was just 29 years old.
Zborowski designed and built four of his own racing cars in the stables at Higham Park, assisted by his engineer and co-driver Captain Clive Gallop (one of the "Bentley Boys
").
The first car was powered by a 23,093cc six cylinder Maybach aero engine and called "Chitty Bang Bang
". A second "Chitty Bang Bang
" was poweered by 18,882 Benz aero engine. A third car was based on a Mercedes 28/95, but fitted with a 14,778cc 6 cylinder Mercedes aero engine and was referred to as The White Mercedes. These cars achieved some success at Brooklands.
Another car, also built at Higham Park with a huge 27 litre aero engine, was called the "Higham Special" and later "Babs
" and was used in J.G. Parry-Thomas
's fatal attempt for the land speed record at Pendine Sands
in 1927.
In January 1922 Louis, his wife Vi, Clive Gallop and Pixi Marix together with a couple of mechanics took Chitty Bang Bang and the White Mercedes across the Mediterranean for a drive into the Sahara Desert, in the tracks of Citroen's kegresse expedition.
in Kent
, which remains a popular tourist attraction and means of local transport. Zborowski ordered a steam locomotive from Bassett-Lowke
, which ran on the Higham Railway in 1924. The locomotive was purchased by the Fairbourne Railway
in Wales following the Count's death and named "Count Louis" in his honour. The locomotive remained at the Fairbourne until 1988. Zborowski also ordered the first locomotives for the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway from Davey Paxman & Co. of Essex
. The order (and the project) was continued by Capt Howey alone, following the Count's death.
The children's book by Ian Fleming
, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the subsequent musical film
, were inspired by the romance of his exploits. Ian Fleming had known Higham Park as a guest of its later owner, Walter WhighamJeremy Whigham, grandson, chairman of Robert Fleming & Co. To avoid confusion, with the pronunciation of his surname, Walter Whigham renamed the house Highland Court.
Biography
His father, Count William Eliot Morris Zborowski (1858–1903) was also a racing driver, and died in a racing crash, in 1903 at La TurbieLa Turbie
La Turbie is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.-History:...
Hillclimb in France near Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
. His mother was a wealthy American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
heiress
Beneficiary
A beneficiary in the broadest sense is a natural person or other legal entity who receives money or other benefits from a benefactor. For example: The beneficiary of a life insurance policy, is the person who receives the payment of the amount of insurance after the death of the insured...
, born Margaret Laura Astor Carey (1853–1911), a granddaughter of William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
William Backhouse Astor, Sr.
William Backhouse Astor, Sr. was an American businessman and member of the Astor family.-Origins and schooling:...
of the prominent Astor family
Astor family
The Astor family is a Anglo-American business family of German descent notable for their prominence in business, society, and politics.-Founding family members:...
. She had been Madame de Stuers before her divorce and marriage in 1882 to Count Eliot Zborowski.
He lived at Higham Park, a country estate at Bridge
Bridge, Kent
Bridge is a village and civil parish near Canterbury in Kent, South East England.Bridge village is situated in the Nailbourne valley in a rural setting on the old Roman road, Watling Street, formerly the main road between London and Dover...
near Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Zborowski was killed when he hit a tree during the Italian GP
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
.
Racing career
Louis Zborowski's career as an amateur racing driver encompassed a wide experience of marques and events.He was an early patron of Aston Martin
Aston Martin
Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is a British manufacturer of luxury sports cars, based in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company name is derived from the name of one of the company's founders, Lionel Martin, and from the Aston Hill speed hillclimb near Aston Clinton in Buckinghamshire...
, and raced for them at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
and in the 1923 French Grand Prix.
In the 1923 Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
he drove a Bugatti
Bugatti
Automobiles E. Bugatti was a French car manufacturer founded in 1909 in Molsheim, Alsace, as a manufacturer of high-performance automobiles by Italian-born Ettore Bugatti....
.
He drove in the 1923 Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
at Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
in a car designed by American engineer Harry Arminius Miller
Harry Arminius Miller
Harry Arminius Miller was an influential and famous American race car builder, most active in the 1920s and 1930s...
, the single seat "American Miller 122".
Louis Zborowski joined the Mercedes
Mercedes-Benz in motorsport
Throughout its long history, Mercedes-Benz has been involved in a range of motorsport activities, including sportscar racing and rallying, and is currently active in Formula Three, DTM and Formula One.-Early history:...
team in 1924 but died in one of their cars, after hitting a tree during the Italian Grand Prix
Italian Grand Prix
The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia...
. He was just 29 years old.
Indy 500 results
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Car designs
Bentley Boys
The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive...
").
The first car was powered by a 23,093cc six cylinder Maybach aero engine and called "Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang was the informal name of a number of celebrated English 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....
". A second "Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Bang Bang was the informal name of a number of celebrated English 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....
" was poweered by 18,882 Benz aero engine. A third car was based on a Mercedes 28/95, but fitted with a 14,778cc 6 cylinder Mercedes aero engine and was referred to as The White Mercedes. These cars achieved some success at Brooklands.
Another car, also built at Higham Park with a huge 27 litre aero engine, was called the "Higham Special" and later "Babs
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...
" and was used in J.G. Parry-Thomas
J.G. Parry-Thomas
John Godfrey Parry-Thomas was a 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....
's fatal attempt for the land speed record at Pendine Sands
Pendine Sands
Pendine Sands is a length of beach on the shores of Carmarthen Bay on the south coast of Wales. It stretches from Gilman Point in the west to Laugharne Sands in the east. The village of Pendine is situated near the western end of Pendine Sands....
in 1927.
In January 1922 Louis, his wife Vi, Clive Gallop and Pixi Marix together with a couple of mechanics took Chitty Bang Bang and the White Mercedes across the Mediterranean for a drive into the Sahara Desert, in the tracks of Citroen's kegresse expedition.
Legacy
Zborowski was a railway enthusiast and a 15 inch (380 mm) gauge railway circuit, the Higham Railway, was built around his estate in Kent. This line was part of the inspiration behind the joint decision by Zborowski and his racing friend Captain J.E.P. Howey to construct a long-distance passenger-carrying railway line in the same gauge. Many locations were investigated, but this eventually led to the 14 miles (22.5 km) long Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch RailwayRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, which remains a popular tourist attraction and means of local transport. Zborowski ordered a steam locomotive from Bassett-Lowke
Bassett-Lowke
Bassett-Lowke was a toy company in Northampton, England, founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke in 1898 or 1899, that specialized in model railways, boats and ships, and construction sets...
, which ran on the Higham Railway in 1924. The locomotive was purchased by the Fairbourne Railway
Fairbourne Railway
The Fairbourne Railway is a gauge miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry, where there is a connection with a pedestrian ferry across the Mawddach estuary to the seaside resort of...
in Wales following the Count's death and named "Count Louis" in his honour. The locomotive remained at the Fairbourne until 1988. Zborowski also ordered the first locomotives for the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway from Davey Paxman & Co. of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. The order (and the project) was continued by Capt Howey alone, following the Count's death.
The children's book by Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the subsequent musical film
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The...
, were inspired by the romance of his exploits. Ian Fleming had known Higham Park as a guest of its later owner, Walter WhighamJeremy Whigham, grandson, chairman of Robert Fleming & Co. To avoid confusion, with the pronunciation of his surname, Walter Whigham renamed the house Highland Court.