What is it? Quiz #439

The picture hows the Lanchester 40hp centre seater Brooklands car that tyre manufacturer Lionel Rapson convinced Lanchester to built after some successes Stanley Edge had with a similar car. It isn't the same chassis Edge used trying to improve on his Spyker Double 12 hour record, as this has cantilever back springs and an otherwise very standard chassis, except for having two Zenith carburettors and a slightly raised compression ratio.Total cost was 3,000 pounds.
If Edge could at times be considered rather boastful, but was a successful racer on Brooklands, Rapson was an inventor and marketeer that for a brief period had quite a following in London society circles and the Prince of Wales and his brothers ran their private Rolls-Royce Motor Cars on his tyres and had his patented jack system fitted. He was very much a marketeer, but his promises didn't always turned out to be true, and his empire floundered. The racing car shown never amounted to much. The chap behind the wheel is A.W.Bird the test driver of Lanchester

It is a lanchester 40hp built for Mr rapson to test tyres. It was known as the rapson racer and succeeded a 40hp racer that took a number of speed records at brooklands in The early 20s. It was scrapped during the war. Lanchesters are probably the most underrated vintage car on the road today, far better than a rolls Royce.

hello pre war there was lots of stuff on Lanchester 40s so I tried to put someof the most colourful stuff about Rapson in as few words as possible.

In 1915 Frederick Rapson was transferred to Arrowe Hall Military hospital which was owned and paid for by Miss Schintz. The two became acquainted and from then on she became his financial backer. At one time he was known as the Edison of the motor world with over 200 patents such as the permant jack, cable dipping headlights and his puncture proof tires!
In 1924 Rapson ordered this Lanchester 40 and entered it in Brooklands events. On 2nd september Rapson offered 10 pounds for each record broken. Driver Thomas got £200 and Duller £100 not bad when a crafsman would earn roughly £200 a year.
Despite some success Rapson did not become wealthy he died of epilepsy aged 45 on the 6th Sptember 1933. On the outbreak of war the race car was sent by Rose Rapson to Ripley´s scrapyard near Eastbourne.
After funding Rapson´s adventures to the sum of £250,000 Miss Schintz was decalred bankrupted in July 1930.

Its a Lanchester Forty. The first was built for CA Bird of Custard fame known as "Wiinie Praps Praps". The second "Battleship" was built for Lionel Rapson, inventor extraordinaire of the Rapson Automobile Patents Company Ltd. Rapson was particularly noted for his unpuncturable tyre. Parry Thomas later lapped Brooklands with "Battleship" at 109.94 mph. She was broken up in a breakers yard near Eastbourne during WW2. I believe the photo is of "Battleship".

It's a Lanchester $0.Purchased by Lionel Rapson for tyre testing. First appeared in 1924. It cost £3000, prepared by Arthur Bird of Lanchester. Probably the same car in a slightly different guisethat was campaigned by Selwyn Francis Edge. Edge being better know for his activities with Napier, winning The Gordon Bennet Trophy in 1902,later partly owning AC. The Lanchester was usually raced at Brooklands by Parry Thomas where he achieved a lap of over 109 mph in 1926. Not to be confused with the 1911 Lanchester; Softly-Catch-Monkey owned and driven byTommy Hann.

Frederick Lionel Rapson had problems whith the tires he produced. He ordered a new Lanchester 40hp racing chassis to demonstrante and test the tireS. In 1924 the compled racer was preparered by Arthur Bird. Car lokkes simular to Lanchester own car. On September 2. 1924 car was brought to Brooklyn and 30 world records was tanken that day. Car was used for racing intill late 1926, and then stored at Ottershaw Park. Car was broken up in a breakers yard near Eastbourne during ww 2. I think MRS Rapson got £7 for the car!

Not a Count Zborowski owned Mercedes as I first thought, but, thanks to the hint given in the picture's enlargement, a Lanchester Fourty, owned by inventor Lionel Thompson for testing tyres at Brooklands during the 1920's. I suppose it's him at the wheel. The driving he left to Parry Thomas, who owned Zborowski's 27 ltr. Liberty V12 engined Higham Special and raced the Lanchester from 1924-26. Parry, the 'Wizzard of Brooklands', died 1927 during a race at Pendine Wales. A similar Lanchester, or maybe it was the same car, was used by Selwin Francis Edge from Napier and AC for his 12-hr. record attack in 1922. During the war at least one was seen broken up at a Sussex yard.
John Elema, 2-time winner.

The car is Tommy Hann's Lanchester "Softly Catch Monkey" pictured at Brooklands. Formerly owned by Lionel Rapson for tyre testing and raced before Hann by Parry Thomas.
Simon Thomas

Quiz #439 is the 1924 Lanchester Forty (6178cc) bought by the Rapson Tyre Company to test their high-speed tyre. This car took the World 12 hour Speed Record that year driven by Rapson, Parry Thomas and George Duller.It was a regular Brooklands competitor usually driven by Parry Thomas for much of the 1920s.
Frederick Lionel Rapson was born in 1887, the son of an Isle of Wight blacksmith. He became Head Chauffeur to HRH Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll until 1914, when he joined the Army Service Corps. He served in France as sergeant-driver to The King's Messenger, later serving in the Union Defence Force in South Africa, before being invalided out of service.
Susan Schintz set up an Auxiliary Military Hospital in Liverpool, where Rapson was a patient; Miss Schintz befriended Rapson, employing him as personal secretary responsible for a fleet of cars including Lanchesters. She financed many of his inventions and business enterprises, including the Rapson Tyre Company, so in all probability the Lanchester 40 was actually bought by her. Lionel Rapson died of epilepsy in 1933.
I am a previous winner (comp #438)

I believe this is a Lanchester Forty, ordered by Lionel Rapson in 1924, for testing tyres.
The car was driven by Lionel Rapson, Parry Thomas and George Duller. It was Parry Thomas who drove the car to most of its seven wins at Brooklands between 1924 and 1926.

I have just remembered that the Tommy Hann car was called `Softly Catch Monkey` when raced at Brooklands and at some point it had an enclosed cockpit (later discarded)

This is the 1924 Lanchester `Forty ` single seater built for the tyre manufacturer Lional Rapson (I think he marketed his tyres as `Rapson Puncture Proof`) for long distance tyre testing at Brooklands. The engine was heavily tuned but the car still used the epicyclic gearbox. parry Thomas drove it in some races at Brooklands as well as taking some long distance records there at over 95 mph. The car`s fastest lap was over 109 mph. Another `Forty` was raced at Brooklands by Tommy Hann (it was dazzle painted and may have been the 2 seater car that George Lanchester had built for racing).

This is the single seater Lachester 40, built on a standard 40 possibly based on the earlier 40 used by SF Edge in 1922. Commissioned by Lionel Rapson, tyre maker and inventor as a test bed for his tyres. Modifications included higher compression, two Zenith carbs, special exhaust manifolds and centralised steering column mounted on the gearbox. Coul was battleship grey. Picture shows A Bird, who prepared the car at the wheel. Weight was 38 cwt and cost £3000. Rapson used the car for tyre testing and J G Parry Thomas raced it at Brooklands in 1925 & 1926, fastest lap of 109.94 mph. Then Rapson exhausted from overwork, retired and the car unsuccessfully offered for sale. Sold by Mrs Rapson during the war and broken up in Sussex.
I'm a three time winner.

no it is not Chitty

Lionel Rapsons Lanchester 40 ? "40" being the RAC rated horse power, I think.

Daimler perhaps?

I forgot to add further information about Chitty's owner, Count Louis Zborowski, who first raced her at Brooklands in 1921. The car started life as a 75hp Daimler Mercedes, its engine being replaced with a fitting 300hp Maybach aero engine. Some of these engines were used in various airships of the time.

Lanchester Forty with 6 Cyl. tuned OHC engine.
Lionel Rapson, a Tyre manufacturer, had ordered this Special single seater for tyre tests. It raced at Brooklands with Perry Thomas and at Long-distance records.

That is Chitty-Bang-Bang I - what an inspiration.

Lanchester 40 with six-cylinder 6.1-litre over head cam. Winnie Praps Praps debuted 1921 on Brooklands. The wealthy inventor Frederick Lionel Rapson (b. 1887) of Rapson tyres fame had a similar car built for him to test his company's products. This version that had central driver's position, was also used for Record breaking. Four wins on the Weybridge track in 1925-1926. Driven mainly by Parry Thomas, its racing career came to an end after his fatal death in 1927. Stod for sale in the early 1930s but not finding any buyer, it was braked up during WWII.

I am a judge