Zborowski's first grand prix experience was the
French Grand Prix at Lyon in 1924. His automobile was
a Miller, bought whilst in the U.S.A. at lndiannapolis.
S.C.H. (Sammy) Davis was his riding mechanic on this
occasion (yet another of Count Louis's friends to
become one of the “Bentley Boys")
Count Zborowski was now a team driver for
Mercedes, Chitty lll was entered as such in the
Brooklands Whitsun meeting and was unplaced in the
Private Competitors Handicap, but in the short-
handicap Gold Vase event she lapped the track at 105
m.p.h. and won by a ‘A of a mile.
Zborowski's last appearance at Brooklands was at the
summer meeting,,Chitty lll was just beaten by Parry
Thomas in a Leyland-Thomas Special.
During the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on 19th
October 1924, Count Louis Vorow Zborowski was killed
aged, 29. During the 43rd mile the brakes failed, the
Mercedes left the track at immense speed, went over
some banking, hit a tree, spun around several times and
came to rest with Len Martin, Zborowski's riding
mechanic pinned underneath. Zborowski was thrown
out and fatally injured, Len Martin survived. The
Mercedes team retired from the race as a mark. of
respect for their team-mate. Clive Gallop brought his
body back to Higham Court, then to Burton Lazars to lie
at rest with his mother and father.
Following the Count’s death the “Higham Special"
was bought by John Godfrey Parry Thomas, a Leyland
Motor designer, for it was reputed, £125. He remodled
and renamed her ‘BABS'. Parry Thomas raced her at
Pendine Sands, sadly she crashed, Parry Thomas was
killed and BABS burned. She was buried at Pendine
and there she remained under the sand until the early
.1970's when Owen Wyn dug her up and BABS was
restored to her full glory.
Count Louis VorowZborowski combined the advantage
of immense wealth and inexhaustible enthusiasm with
something but little short of engineering genius. He was
patron of new ideas and all the more valuable a patron
because he was a competant critic. Louis was without
doubt the most interesting and colourful character to
reside at Higham Court.
The house passed through many owners, one of
which changed the name to Highland Court. lt is now
Highland Court Hospital for the mentally handicapped,
and my gratitude and thanks go to Sister Barbara
McGuinness for her kind assistance and Janet Marsh
for photographs of the Count.
©Anne Vansverry 1983
  The  
John Trafford
Column
BREAKlNG THE
SPEED LIMIT
Ever been caught speeding? A
if you haven't, you probably know somebody who
has and there's always but always someone in the pub
who has so “unjustly" been nabbed. A cobvictiion will
cost you several pound notes pluspenalty p5ints which
could lead to you lossing yourlicence.
So is it worth it? it
Financially it's not, of course, but when you look into
it a bit deeper, there really seems very little point in
speeding at all.
Excluding the large Metropolitan Areas, most speed
limits are not overlong in length and have been
estabished for good reasons anyway. For example take
a main road with a 30 mph limit running through the
suburbs of a town. ln many cases this would not be
more than about 2 rniles in lengthbefolre culrninatingin
the conguested town centre. Prercumingi there were no
hold ups, driven at 30 mph (‘/2 mileiper minute) itwould
be traversed in 4 minutes. At 45" mph (1% mile per
minute) it takes 2% minutes. The earlier arrival —— a mere
80 seconds - does not even warrant placing your liberty
to drive, in jeopardy. ln any case it usually means you
join the traffic jam a bit earlier or wait a little longsterfor a
green light or slot in the car park, and you chance being
held up even longer while a traffic policeman writes out
a ticket.   A  
But, apart from all that, a speed limit is imposed
because of the difficult nature of the road, e.g. heavily
built up, concealed or difficult junctions etc. - in other
words, areas where sudden or concentrated
movements of vehicles and pedestrians could take
place. Take the situation where a car is attempting to
emerge from a side road in a 30 mph limit say 40 yards
from a bend. The driver is obliged to take proper care
when joining the major road but he must be given the
chance to move off in safety. If the speeding vehicle
suddenly appears at say 40 mph -— that's above 60 feet
per second — it will take it 120 feet 4- or 40 yards - to
stop. Even if a collision is avoided it would be a nasty
scare for all concerned. Had the vehiclebseen driven at
30 mph — 44*feet» per second — it would stop in 75 feet
-— 45feet before the collision point. a
lf the speeding vehicle is a motorcycle then the rider .
could well come off worst. If only the youngsters
roaring round town would realise the speed they are
covering the ground they might stop to think of the
consequences.
REMEMBER -— ITS BETTER TO ARRIVE LATE
THAN TO BE DEAD ON TIME.  
-fie