From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Article from 'The Autocar' magazine reporting on the 1935 Tourist Trophy (TT) race, won by Dixon's Riley.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 90a\1\ Scan065 | |
| Date | 13th September 1935 | |
| September 13th, 1935. The Autocar 455 Dixon's Riley Wins the TT After the start a group of 1 1/2-litre cars take Quarry Corner. Here C. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} C. Martin leads with his Aston Martin. Bentley Second and Bugatti Third : Aston Martins Again Win Team Prize : Sensational Accident to the Singer Team "I MADE it myself in my own back garden!"—a remark once credited to F.{Mr Friese} W. Dixon after his début with a home-tuned Riley in the T.T. of 1932. Though the Riley with which he won the 1935 Tourist Trophy was not a "home-built" car, but one of the latest 1 1/2-litre four-cylinder Rileys, great credit goes to Dixon, not only for his driving on the Ards Circuit last Saturday, but also for his own personal tuning of the car. His average speed, 76.9 m.p.h., is the highest at which the race has been won by an unsupercharged car, and the second highest winning speed in the history of the race. Nuvolari's average speed with a supercharged M.G Magnette when he won the 1933 race was 78.65 m.p.h., while the highest speed at which any car has finished the Tourist Trophy was 80.53 m.p.h. by Earl Howe in 1932 with a supercharged Alfa-Romeo. This speed was almost equalled by the second car in last Saturday's race, E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall's unsupercharged Bentley, with 80.36 m.p.h. Earl Howe was again prominent this year with an average of 79.72 m.p.h., driving his unsupercharged 3.3-litre Bugatti, which earned him third place. There was no such exciting finish to the 1935 race as there was last year, when E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} R.{Sir Henry Royce} Hall with his Bentley finished second only 17 seconds behind the winner, Charles Dodson, with his Magnette. History was repeated by Hall and the Bentley again occupying second position this year, 1 min. 13 sec. behind Dixon, while for the second year in succession Aston Martins won the team prize, the successful drivers in 1935 being C. Brackenbury, C. Penn-Hughes, and T. E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Rose-Richards. Of these, Penn-Hughes was the only member of the successful 1934 trio. At least six accidents—fortunately in no case was a driver badly hurt— thrilled a huge crowd, estimated as even larger than in other years, and numbering over a hundred thousand. As well as these spectacular incidents the racing provided many thrills all round the course with well-judged driving and fast cornering. * * * Once a year there is a town in the British Isles where a motor race arouses almost the enthusiasm of a similar great event on the Continent. Huge crowds gather, hotels are packed out, the streets are placarded with notices about the race, and shops bear posters: "Tourist Trophy Race. No Business Transacted on Saturday." There is only one topic in street and smoking-room. The drivers are recognised even in their ordinary attire by some uncanny acumen of the small boy, and are the gods of the moment. As such, they are compelled to grant favours incessantly in the way of autographs. The town is not in England | ||