Selwyn Edge
Encyclopedia
Selwyn Francis Edge was an Australian businessman, racing driver, and record-breaker. He is principally associated with selling and racing De Dion-Bouton, Gladiator; Clemént-Panhard, Napier and AC cars.
township
, near Sydney
, on 29 March 1868. He died 12 February 1940 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.
At age three, he was taken to London where in his teens he grew famous as a bicycle racer. He worked as manager of the Dunlop
offices in London and in 1896 bought his first car, a De Dion-Bouton
.
From 1910 until at least 1922 he resided at Gallops Homestead, Ditchling
, Sussex, and from 1912–19, courtesy of his contract with Napiers, he devoted himself to farming.
He died in 1940.
British and Colonial Ltd as importers of cars. He had become friends with Montague Napier
(of Napier & Son
), another keen cyclist, and in 1898 asked Napier to carry out some improvements to his Panhard
. 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
s and Clemént-Panhards.
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.
When the embargo on motor manufacturing expired in 1919 he started to build up a shareholding in AC Cars
, 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
, 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.
, which no other British marque did, Edge entered an 8 hp (6 kW) four-cylinder Napier in the Automobile Club
's 1900 Thousand Miles (1600 km) Trial
of the Automobile Club
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
) at the 837 mi (1350 km) Paris-Toulouse-Paris rally in June; the car would be eliminated due to ignition trouble.
In the 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
, Edge entered a special 17 liter 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).
At the 1903 Gordon Bennett, Edge had an 80 hp (60 kW) Napier, the Type K5, but was disqualified. Edge (with Arthur McDonald
, manager of Napiers' Genoa
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 July 4, Dorothy Levitt
won her class at the Southport Speed Trials driving his 12 Hp Gladiator
, shocking British society
as she was the first woman, a working secretary, to compete in a 'motor race'.
In June, 1907 Edge broke the 24-hour distance record, driving a 60 hp (44.7 kW) Napier six, at the newly-opened Brooklands
track, accompanied by riding-mechanic J. Blackburn. 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
for his drive in top gear in a 60 hp Napier on the route London-Edinburgh-London.
In 1922 Edge returned to Brooklands in a Spyker
setting a new "Double 12" world record covering 1,782 miles 1,066 yards (2,868 km 693 m) at an average speed of 74.27 mph (119.5 km/h) for the aggregate 24 hours.
His final contribution to motor racing was the inauguration of the Campbell Circuit at Brooklands in 1937.
, Ireland, in a boat called Napier I. The 40 feet (12.2 m) steel-hulled, 'Napier
' speedboat fitted with a 3-blade propeller, achieved 19.3 mi/h. It was driven by Dorothy Levitt
, 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.
Personal life
Edge was born in ConcordConcord, New South Wales
Concord is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 15 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Canada Bay....
township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...
, near Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, on 29 March 1868. He died 12 February 1940 in Eastbourne, Sussex, England.
At age three, he was taken to London where in his teens he grew famous as a bicycle racer. He worked as manager of the Dunlop
Dunlop Rubber
Dunlop Rubber was a company based in the United Kingdom which manufactured tyres and other rubber products for most of the 20th century. It was acquired by BTR plc in 1985. Since then, ownership of the Dunlop trade-names has been fragmented.-Early history:...
offices in London and in 1896 bought his first car, a De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
.
From 1910 until at least 1922 he resided at Gallops Homestead, Ditchling
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 1912–19, courtesy of his contract with Napiers, he devoted himself to farming.
He died in 1940.
Business career
In 1899, he went into partnership with pioneering motorist Charles Jarrott and Herbert Duncan to found De Dion-BoutonDe Dion-Bouton
De Dion-Bouton was a French automobile manufacturer and railcar manufacturer operating from 1883 to 1932. The company was founded by the Marquis Jules-Albert de Dion, Georges Bouton and his brother-in-law Charles Trépardoux....
British and Colonial Ltd as importers of cars. He had become friends with Montague Napier
Montague Napier
Montague Stanley Napier was an English automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer. His grandfather, David Napier , had moved to London from Scotland and by 1836 had established an engineering company in Lambeth called Napier & Son...
(of Napier & Son
Napier & Son
D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...
), another keen cyclist, and in 1898 asked Napier to carry out some improvements to his Panhard
Panhard
Panhard is currently a French manufacturer of light tactical and military vehicles. Its current incarnation was formed by the acquisition of Panhard by Auverland in 2005. Panhard had been under Citroën ownership, then PSA , for 40 years...
. In 1899, along with Harvey du Cros
Harvey du Cros
Harvey du Cros was a Conservative Party politician of England. He was the son of Edouard Pierre du Cros and Maria Molloy and was educated at The King's Hospital, Dublin....
, Edge formed the Motor Vehicle Company Ltd to sell these improved cars, made by Napiers (Edge paid ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
400, selling at ₤500), as well as Gladiator
Gladiator Cycle Company
The Gladiator Cycle Company was a French manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine.Throughout its productive life from 1891 until its demise in 1920 the company was variously owned by the founders Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq; from 1896 by Adolphe...
s and Clemént-Panhards.
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.
When the embargo on motor manufacturing expired in 1919 he started to build up a shareholding in AC Cars
AC Cars
AC Cars Group Ltd. formerly known as Auto Carriers Ltd. is a British specialist automobile manufacturer and one of the oldest independent car marques founded in Britain...
, 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
Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani , which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy.-Overview:...
, 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 racingAuto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
, which no other British marque did, Edge entered an 8 hp (6 kW) four-cylinder Napier in the Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
's 1900 Thousand Miles (1600 km) Trial
Classic Trials
Classic Trials are one of the oldest forms of motor sport, dating from the beginning of the 20th century. In those days, the challenge was just to make a long road journey. The three Motor Cycling Club long distance trials in the UK – the Lands End, the Exeter and the Edinburgh – date...
of the Automobile Club
Royal Automobile Club
The Royal Automobile Club is a private club and is not to be confused with RAC plc, a motorists' organisation, which it formerly owned.It has two club houses, one in London at 89-91 Pall Mall, and the other in the countryside at Woodcote Park, Surrey, next to the City of London Freemen's School...
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
Charles Rolls
Charles Stewart Rolls was a motoring and aviation pioneer. Together with Frederick Henry Royce he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in a flying accident, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display near Bournemouth,...
his riding mechanic
Riding mechanic
A riding mechanic was a mechanic that rode along with a race car during the race who was tasked with maintaining, monitoring, and repairing the car during the race. They communicated with the pits and spotted from inside the car. Riding mechanics were used by most cars in the Indianapolis 500 from...
) at the 837 mi (1350 km) Paris-Toulouse-Paris rally in June; the car would be eliminated due to ignition trouble.
In the 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup
Gordon Bennett Cup in auto racing
As one of three Gordon Bennett Cups established by James Gordon Bennett, Jr., millionaire owner of the New York Herald, the automobile racing award was first given in 1900 in France....
, Edge entered a special 17 liter 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).
At the 1903 Gordon Bennett, Edge had an 80 hp (60 kW) Napier, the Type K5, but was disqualified. Edge (with Arthur McDonald
Arthur McDonald
Air Marshal Sir Arthur William Baynes McDonald KCB AFC RAF was a Royal Air Force and Royal Pakistan Air Force officer who held senior command positions in the 1950s.-RAF career:...
, manager of Napiers' Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
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 July 4, Dorothy Levitt
Dorothy Levitt
Dorothy Elizabeth Levitt, was a motorina and sporting motoriste of the early 20th century. On 4 July 1903 she was reported as the first woman ever to compete in a motor race...
won her class at the Southport Speed Trials driving his 12 Hp Gladiator
Gladiator Cycle Company
The Gladiator Cycle Company was a French manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars based in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine.Throughout its productive life from 1891 until its demise in 1920 the company was variously owned by the founders Alexandre Darracq and Paul Aucoq; from 1896 by Adolphe...
, shocking British society
History of British society
The social history of England evidences many social changes over the centuries. These major social changes have affected England both internally and in its relationship with other nations...
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
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...
track, accompanied by riding-mechanic J. Blackburn. 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
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, to be awarded each year by the Royal Automobile Club of England "to the motor car which should successfully complete the most meritorious...
for his drive in top gear in a 60 hp Napier on the route London-Edinburgh-London.
In 1922 Edge returned to Brooklands in a Spyker
Spyker
Spyker was a Dutch car manufacturer, started in 1880 by coachbuilders Jacobus and Hendrik-Jan Spijker, but to be able to market the brand better in foreign countries, in 1903 the 'ij' was changed into 'y'...
setting a new "Double 12" world record covering 1,782 miles 1,066 yards (2,868 km 693 m) at an average speed of 74.27 mph (119.5 km/h) for the aggregate 24 hours.
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 for speedboats held on the River Lee, Queenstown, Cork HarbourCork 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" . Other contenders include Halifax Harbour in Canada, and Poole Harbour...
, Ireland, in a boat called Napier I. The 40 feet (12.2 m) steel-hulled, 'Napier
Napier & Son
D. Napier & Son Limited was a British engine and pre-Great War automobile manufacturer and one of the most important aircraft engine manufacturers in the early to mid-20th century...
' speedboat fitted with a 3-blade propeller, achieved 19.3 mi/h. It was driven by Dorothy Levitt
Dorothy Levitt
Dorothy Elizabeth Levitt, was a motorina and sporting motoriste of the early 20th century. On 4 July 1903 she was reported as the first woman ever to compete in a motor race...
, 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.
Books
- My motoring reminiscences, Selwyn Francis Edge, Foulis, 1934. For a review of this book see: The Manchester Guardian, October 18, 1934, Page 7.