Ninety years ago today, the usual assortment of dashing drivers, frantic mechanics and stony-faced works officials were preparing for their annual ritual of sending cars around the 8½ miles of the Circuit de la Sarthe as fast as possible all day and all night, all in the hope of being pronounced class or outright winners of the 1934 24 Hours of Le Mans.
While the Italians were represented by some Alfa Romeos and the Americans by some Duesenbergs, the ’34 race was to be mainly be a battle between the British and the French. Naturally, Amilcar, Bugatti and Salmson were all prepared to do their bit to win glory for France, and so were BNC, Tracta, Rally and Derby. From Britain, there came Aston Martins, Lagondas, MGs, Singers and Rileys.
Peculiarly, there had been very little interest from the various factories that year. Only the Riley, Aston Martin, Singer and Tracta works made the effort, fielding four, three, two and two cars respectively; the remaining entries were made up from private individuals and independent écuries.
Spectators certainly would have expected a lot from Aston Martin, but they were let down. The entire three-car team failed to finish, although the private entries of Reggie Tongue and John Noël fared better, finishing 10th and 11th respectively in their 1½-Litre models. Riley, on the other hand, would go back to Britain the conquering heroes.
Riley flies the flag
The works team consisted of two 12/6 MPH models, one manned by Jean Sébilleau and Georges Delaroche and the other by Freddie Dixon and Cyril Paul, plus two Nines, the Brooklands model of Kenneth Peaco*ck and Bill van der Becke, and the Imp of Sammy Newsome and Edgar Maclure. Notably, two more Imps were privately entered, one by Jean Trévoux with René Carrière, and the other by Miss Dorothy Champney, who was betrothed to Victor Riley, and her co-driver was none other than Brooklands belle Kay Petre. All were running in the 1-1½-litre class, the 12/6 engines being of 1,458 cc and the Nines 1,087 cc.
Champney’s Imp was not just any Imp. She’dalready had success with it before, winning the Ladies’ Prize at the Scottish Rally, after which she had the engine rebuilt to full race specification. Ulster-style front wings allowed for it to be fitted with a four-branch exhaust manifold leading to a Brooklands silencer, while bonnet straps and extra-bright Solara headlights were among smaller improvements.
Among the 44 cars which appeared on the grid, many spectators would have glued their eyes at first to the supercharged 2.3-litre straight-eight Alfa Romeos and the various Bugattis, which anyone might reasonably have expected to storm through the pack. Favourite to win was the Alfa Romeo 8C Monza of Raymond Sommer, who led early on, chased by the 8C of Luigi Chinetti and Philippe Étancelin. Pierre Veyron pursued them in the 4.9-litre supercharged Bugatti Type 50S, while the third Alfa Romeo, manned by Earl Howe and Tim Rose-Richards, tried to muscle its way into the top three. At this early stage of the race, Dixon was putting up the best performance for Riley, running in eighth behind the three Alfas, two Bugattis and an MG K3.
The fastest 1500s
Before too long, Sommer’s engine packed up and he was out of the race. The Veyron-Labric Bugatti was similarly afflicted later on, while it was transmission problems which were to be Earl Howe and Rose-Richards’s downfall. Chinetti and Étancelin motored steadily on to victory, but now the excitement and competitive element of the race hinged very much on the 1-1½-litre class. For the Riley works, it was a walk in the park. The Sébilleau-Delaroche and Dixon-Paul MPHs breezed along to finish second and third, covering 200 and 199 laps respectively (Chinetti’s Alfa won with 213). Only the little 1.1-litre MG K3 of Roy Eccles and Charlie Martin upset Riley’s 1½-litre dominance, finishing fourth after 197 laps, but the Peaco*ck-Becke and Newsome-Maclure Nines were still going hell for leather, and finished fifth and sixth after 195 laps, narrowly vanquishing the 1½-litre Singer Nine of Baron Essendon and Johnny Hindmarsh.
Further down the field, the privately-entered Nines of Trévoux-Carrière and Champney-Petre came home in 12th and 13th, beating both the Amilcars and Lord de Clifford’s tuned Lagonda Rapier, which were running in the same class. Both had done well to finish that high up, as each suffered their share of misfortune. Victor Riley was supposed to be present to see his fiancée away at the start of the race, but he failed to show and, in a moment of agitated distraction, Champney caught her thumb in the door of her car, which set it bleeding. Her own attempt at first aid proved inadequate, and after racing for an hour with the blood flowing down her hand, she eventually had to pit to have it properly dressed. By that stage, an apologetic Victor was present, and all was well. Trévoux’s trouble resulted from a major skid at the Mulsanne Corner. He rejoined the race in last place and had to claw his way back up.
Second, third, fifth and sixth, plus victory in the 1½-litre class, was a lot for Riley to be proud of, but it was by no means all. Van der Becke and Peaco*ck won the Biennial Cup, having previously driven their Brooklands Nine to fourth in 1933, and the ladies’ team set the furthest distance and fastest average speed to have been achieved by women in the history of the Le Mans 24 Hours. What was most impressive, however, was the fact that, for the first time ever, six cars from a single marque had not only started but also finished the gruelling race.
That brings us to the moral of the story: going fast is no good if you can’t go all the way, but the results of Le Mans 1934 show us that in a Riley, speed and reliability go hand in hand. That’s why, of course, they’re one of the most useable post-vintage thoroughbred sports cars, as well as being brisk and responsive and in possession of all such qualities as make driving a joy.
You may already own a Riley, or perhaps you have fond memories of one you used to own. If you’ve never owned one, it’s certainly something you’d do well to consider. Whatever your situation, the Riley Register, the club for all pre-war Riley cars, caters for every kind of enthusiast. If you’d like to learn more about the Register or the cars, or you’d just like to enjoy a good day out with other pre-war car enthusiasts, this year’s Riley Rally will be worth a visit.
Jointly organised by the Riley Register and the Riley Motor Club, it takes place this year at Woodford Grange Hotel, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, on June 28-30th. For more information, visit
www.rileyregister.co.ukPhoto copyright: The Riley Register and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest
Published:
Monday June 17th, 2024
