Is something up with a date somewhere? If there is a photo of KLM 1 at Monaco having completed the 1950 Monte in January, how could the car be handed over at Abingdon in November 1950?
I came across a couple of photos of KLM 1 - and it's drivers - in the Monte report from the 10th February 1950 copy of The Autocar magazine.
Link to photo below - if this works!
The reason for the date discrepancy is quite simple............... Frank Cooper competed in the 1950 Monte Carlo in a 1949 Riley RMB KLM 1. By cutting the route rather like Couper did in his Rolls, Frank Cooper arrived at Monte Carlo undamaged (unlike Couper) not classed as a finisher but still eligible for the Concours de Comfort, in which he picked up an award.
In Late 1950 Cooper ordered another 2 1/2 litre from Rileys this time with many more modifications to make the journey more pleasant, this is the car in the picture being handed over, although it went back to Rileys for more modifications before competing in the 1951 event.
I cant prove this but I believe that Cooper intended to drive carefully down again and have another attempt in the Concours, cutting controls as required to stay with the Rally body and arrive with everyone else. However to prevent a situation like the previous years with Couper badly damaging the Rolls in an accident but still winning the Concours the organisers made it nesseary to visit each control to finish the rally and to enter the Concours you had to be a finisher.
David Marsden