Brooklands Museum
Double 12 Event poster.2012.
An annual highlight of the historic motoring calendar, the Double Twelve Motorsport Festival at the Brooklands Museum. I was commissioned by the Museum to produce this painting for the 2012 poster.
At the annual Double 12 event once more with the Brooklands Museum the year that Time Birkin’s Blower Bentley was offered for sale by Bonhams Auctioneers. The Daily Telegraph had a campaign up to keep the car in the UK. It sold for more than 5 million pound shortly after ( making it then the most expensive Bentley in the world and I had the opportunity to sit in this iconic vehicle). The car was custom made for Birkin who presumably wasn’t overly tall. I am a smidge over 6’ 3” and I couldn’t possibly drive this car…my legs are concertinaed under the steering wheel. Conveniently the car was parked in front of the Shell Pagoda where I had my show of paintings. W O Bentley's cars were designed to win the Le Mans 24-Hour races and succeeded in setting many records at the French track. The supercharged 'Blower' version I’m sitting in was developed by Birkin with the financial backing of Joel Woolf Barnato and was based on the original 1927 design by W O.
Old Number 1. 2012. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches.SOLD.
Barnatto inherited his family's fortune and supported the troubled Bentley brand and like Birkin was one of the 'Bentley Boys' who achieved several wins at Le Mans. On the demise of Bentley in 1931 he teamed up with engineer Walter Hassan to produce the Hassan-Barnatto ‘Old Number One’ car made from Bentley bits. Hassan went on to help produce Jaguar XK, Coventry Climax and Jaguar V12 engines.
Brooklands Banking. 2012. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches. SOLD.
The Car was raced at Brooklands track with its famous sloped banking….a rough and fractured concrete circuit described by Birkin as the most dangerous track in the world... Brooklands was built for speeds up to 120mph, and racers who went faster would invite disaster. The fractures in the concrete would jolt the cars causing momentary air travel.
Life of Riley. 2012. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches. SOLD
Of course not all cars racing at Brooklands were Bentleys. Above, racing legend and Riley driver Freddy Dixon completing the Brooklands 500 mile race who also raced motorcycles at the track.
Sidney Does It. 2012. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches.SOLD.
Sidney Horstmann, Inventor, Engineer and car maker founded an engineering company in Bath in the early part of the 20th century. The firm produced cars until 1929 that raced at Brooklands fitted with their own unique gearbox and suspension systems. The company ‘Horstmann Controls’ exists to this day.
Bentley Speed Six. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches. 2013. SOLD
Lady drivers were often more successful than the men. The most famous being Kay Petre. See my print gallery for a painting of her.
MG R-Type. Oil on canvas 20 x 30 inches. 2012. SOLD.
Doreen Evans the daughter of a MG dealership family in London raced this rare MG R- Type of which only 10 were built by MG. The colour of Evans’s car was pale ‘cornflower’ blue. The car still survives in private hands.
International Girl Racer. Oil on Canvas 2012. SOLD.
Here is Doreen Evans again in what has been my most successful print to date. A few still remain from this 35 limited edition run. Head to the Print gallery to see this and my other selection of available prints.
