John Godfrey Parry-Thomas

( - March 1927)

Parry-Thomas was the chief engineer at Leyland Motors when he quit to devote his life to his true passion, racing automobiles and pursuing his goal of being the fastest man on land. When Count Louis Zborowski was killed racing for the Mercedes team at Monza in 1924, Parry-Thomas acquired an unusual car from his estate. Dubbed the Higham Special, Count Zborowski’s creation was powered by a massive 27-liter (1,648-cu.in.) V-12 Liberty engine, rumored to produce between 500 and 600 horsepower. With its semi-teardrop shape and low-tail bodywork, Parry-Thomas felt the car would be ideal for pursuing a new land-speed record at Pendine Sands.

His first trip was made in October of 1925, but inclement weather prevented Parry-Thomas from making a serious attempt at the record, then set at 152.33 MPH by Henry Segrave. April of 1926 saw his return to the south of Wales, and on April 27, Parry-Thomas drove Babs to a new land-speed record of 169.26 MPH; a day later, he’d crack the 170 MPH barrier with a run of 171.05 MPH, which brought hearty congratulations from his friend and rival, Malcolm Campbell.

In February of 1927, Campbell stole the record back with a recorded pass of 174.88 MPH in his Bluebird. Aware that Henry Segrave was about to attempt to break the 200 MPH mark at Daytona Beach, Parry-Thomas returned to Pendine Sands in March of 1927, determined to beat Segrave to a new record. History says that Parry-Thomas was sick with the flu when he climbed behind the wheel of Babs for the last time, and a further land-speed record was not to be. During his timed run, the rear of Babs stepped out, likely due to a tire failure at speed. With no way to correct the slide, Parry-Thomas was trapped inside the car as it overturned and slid down the beach. Those first on the scene realized that it was too late to save their colleague and friend, fatally injured in the crash, and period accounts recall that his crew had to break Parry-Thomas’s legs to extract him from the burning wreckage.

Parry-Thomas was laid to rest in Saint Mary’s Churchyard, in Byfleet Surrey, England, the first man to die in pursuit of a land-speed record. Babs was unceremoniously buried in a trench hastily dug at Pendine Sands, and the historic racer would have been lost to history had it not been for the efforts of automotive restorer Owen Wyn-Owen. In 1969, Wyn-Owen received permission to exhume Babs from her resting place on a Welsh beach, and a 15-year restoration project ensued. Today, Babs is a frequent sight at historic motoring events throughout Europe, looking much like she did in the days when Parry-Thomas, Campbell and Segrave battled it out in an ongoing effort to be the fastest man on land.