13 replies to this topic

[graham higgin]

I am seeking information regarding my fathers, (Dan Higgin) motor racing activities during the period 1921 - 1933. He was a member of The Brooklands Club, The Liverpool motor Club, The Southport Motor Club and I believe others. He competed at Brooklands, Southport sands, Colwyn Bay, Phoenix Park, Ards etc. etc. He owned and raced at least the following cars. M.G. Montlhery, Lea Francis Hyper S, Austro Daimler, 1922 Vauxhall 3 litre TT, Austin, Salmson, Peugeot 4.4 Litre, Bentley speed six, Talbot, Sunbeam, Darraqc, Miller straight 8, Triumph etc.. To date I have very limited knowledge of his racing activities. Hence, I would be grateful for any feedback regarding his involvement at any event and/or with any car whether or not mentioned above.

[David McKinney]

To me, the names of Dan Higgin and Southport are almost synonymous. Some years ago The Automobile ran a series of articles on racing there. I would suggest an attempt to get hold of those copies would get you off to a good start

[Allan Lupton]

We had a thread about Dan Higgin in the VSCC Forum recently. It was started by Tony Cox who has presumably passed the information on.
Therefore I'll just repeat what I added there for the benefit of TNF readers:

Dan Higgin drove his Lea-Francis in the 1929 TT and, according to Barrie Price, his car was KD 7361 (14139).
I thought that car had disappeared, and asked a man who knows. He tells me that 14139 was scrapped by Noel Bean in the late 1930s: he then used the engine and gearbox in a special with Riley and Bugatti parts. Prior to building the special, Bean had used the LeaF with great success at Bo'ness.

Although Andrew Dixey's car, which races in VSCC events nowadays does sport KD 7361 it is 14062 not 14139.

[oliver heal]

Graham
If you have looked around on this forum you will have noticed that there is a huge reservoir of knowledge so that normally the most obscure motor racing history questions get answered amazingly promptly. In encouraging you to post your request here I had hoped that somewhere out there would be a guy with a Southport racing database that would have provided you with a list of races your father took part in. Like Allan i can only tell you stuff you already know but for general TNF interest will post the races that I am aware of.

1926 Brooklands Summer BARC meeting "100 Short": D. Higgin Ist, 1922 TT Vauxhall. avg 100.3mph, fastest lap 108.27mph. His first race at Brooklands.

02.03.1927 Southport MC Spring race mtg, 10 mile race: D. Higgin Ist unlimited class, 1914 GP Sunbeam.

April 1927 Southport 100 Mile race: D. Higgin Ist, 1922 TT Vauxhall

July 1927 Colwyn Bay Speed Trials: G.R. Williamson (Entrant/Owner D. Higgin) 3rd, 1914 GP Sunbeam

April 1928 Southport MC Race Mtg 1 Mile: D. Higgin 3rd unlimited Class, 1914 GP Sunbeam

21.07.1928 Brooklands JCC 200 Mile Race: D. Higgin retired (back axle), 1924 1500cc s/c Talbot Darracq

18.05.1929 Southport 100 Mile Race: D. Higgin retired lap 3 (clutch), 1924 1500cc s/c Talbot Darracq. Set up fastest lap.

1931 Brooklands Double Twelve race: D. Higgin retired, MG Midget. averaged 68mph for 10 hours.

October 1931 Brooklands BRDC 500 mile race: D. Higgin retired lap 4 (big end), MG Midget


Perhaps others can fill in more gaps?

[David McKinney]

Possibly some duplication here:

1925
2nd 10-mile race Southport 27/6
DNF 10-mile race Southport 10/8 - when leading
very successful one-mile races Southport; also successful UK speed trials
all in ex-Zborowski Indianapolis Miller

1926
DNF 10-mile race Southport 22/5 - rolled
won several sprint races Southport
Salmson

1927
1st 10-mile race Southport 12/3
DNF 10-mile race Southport 9/4
in 1913 Coupe de l'Auto Sunbeam
1st 20-mile sand race Wallasey 14/5
1st 100-mile race Southport 4/6
3=FTD Colwyn Bay speed trials 16/7
won several one-mile sand sprints
in TT Vauxhall

1928
3rd main race Southport 31/3
Sunbeam
DNF 100-mile race Southport 23/6
unpl JCC 200 Miles Race Brooklands 21/7
1st main race Southport 11/8
FTD Southport kilometre sprint 8/9
successful 1-mile sand races
Talbot

1929
1st main race Southport 30/3
DNF 100-mile Southport race 18/5 - led
2nd main race Southport 28/9
Talbot

1930
5th Saorstat Cup Phoenix Park 17/7
4th in class Tourist Trophy 23/8
Lea-Francis

1931
DNF Brooklands Double Twelve May
7th Saorstat Cup Phoenix Park June
MG C-Type Midget

[john medley]

I can supply( and so can David McKinney I reckon) more info on your father's Miller 8 after it left his hands and ended up in New Zealand and Australia before being currently in Germany

[David McKinney]

True

And perhaps Oliver Heal can help with the Sunbeams?

I believe Dan had two - maybe three - 4-cylinder Talbot voiturettes - don't know where they got to

[oliver heal]

All I know is that today no 1914 GP Sunbeams survive. not much help. When were they scrapped? As far as I can make out this is the only Sunbeam he had despite references in the press to other models.

I'm very interested to know why you think Dan Higgin had several Talbot Darracqs? I've only seen a few grainy pictures and I thought it looked like the same car each time. Do you think he bought up the team or was one the single seater? Cannot put my hand on WB's article about Jack Field at the moment but from memory he had both. I had not realised both came from Higgin. Martyn Flower's article on Southport 100 Mile race (Automobile March 1991) gives three names 'Hells Angel', 'Golden Barrow', and 'Golden Beach'. Is this what makes you think there were three cars and not just three names applied to one car at different times - which is what I assumed.

Edited by oliver heal, 01 May 2011 - 19:59.

[David McKinney]

I'm sure you know more about Sunbeams than I do, Oliver, but weren't the 1914 GP cars re-engined TT cars?

Can't remember why I thought DH might have had three Talbots. He apparently had a single-seater and a two-seater, both of which moved on to Jack Field. I have a note in my files saying Higgin "might have had a third" car

He can't have bought up the whole team, as at the same time Materassi reportedly had two (as well as his eights)

[oliver heal]

I had forgotten there was one/two Talbot Darracq 4 cylinders in Italy.

In 1914 the TT and GP Sunbeams were quite distinct. The TT cars had 8ft 10in wheelbase and 3.3 litre engines. The GP cars had 9ft 2in wheelbase and 4.5 litre engines. It was only afterwards they got horribly mixed up!

Two 1914 GP cars ran at Indianapolis in 1915. For 1916 Indianapolis two of the 1914 GP chassis were fitted with new 4.9 litre 6 cylinder engines. For 1919 Indianapolis the 4.9 litre 6 cylinder engines were fitted into the shorter 1914 TT chassis.

This left the factory with two TT engines without chassis which were too good to waste so they were put into touring car chassis with proper bodies and sold off. Since WWII these have been converted back to TT racing spec by their owners. The TT car that went to New Zealand in 1925 seems to have gone with original racing body and chassis but subsequently lost them when over there.

At least one of the 1914 GP cars survived in the UK after WWI with original 4.5 litre engine as it was raced at Brooklands by Mr Spencer in 1924. It seems probable that this was the car Dan Higgin acquired and baptised "Old Iron".

[David McKinney]

Thanks for straightening me out on the differences between the TT and GP models (which I probably could have looked up )

[john medley]

Type "Austin Harris" into "Search". There are photos there

[fuzzi]

As a footnote to this thread, I came across this quote from The Light Car about Dan Higgin at the last Colwyn Bay meeting on 5 September 1925 which was hit by rain and strong winds, which blew spray from breaking seas across the course:

"Dan Higgin driving a Miller 8 gave a most dangerous exhibition getting into three separate and distinct skids, which were however well controlled."

[gacocks]

Is there any evidence that Dan Higgin was the riding mechanic for Hugh Hamilton in the 1933 Ulster Tourist Trophy?

Graeme