Page 7 - The Origin of the Species

THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES 7
“When I returned to England, the car had covered
3,000 miles and was ready for a partial strip and
critical examination.” With this work done, SPL
224B (NOJ 391) and SPL 225B (NOJ 392) were
sent to compete in the Mille Miglia, marking the
international competition debut for the new marque. SPL 224 B was issued
race number 552 with motorcycle road racer Johnny Lockett behind the wheel
and Jock Reid, Menadue’s trusted assistant in the Experimental Department
serving as navigator.5 With the recent establishment of the World Sports Car
Championship, the fabled Italian road race became the second round in the
series, following the opener at Sebring in March, which had attracted a single
international entrant in the form of Aston Martin’s works team.
At Brescia, however, factory-backed efforts were in abundance, with those
from Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Gordini, Ferrari, Fiat, Jaguar, Lancia, Maserati
and Nash-Healey all harboring realistic hopes for positions among the top ten
finishers. Warwick entered three cars at the event: the long-tailed Nash-Healey
with American John Fitch and Ray Willday as the prime candidate for a podium
finish and class honors and SPL 225B (NOJ 392) with Bert Hadley and Bertie
Mercer and SPL 224B (NOJ 391) with Lockett and Reid hoping to record a solid
finish that would provide good promotional copy in the motoring press.
Almost from the start, however, Fitch and Willday suffered from various
mechanical maladies, including a small engine fire whilst awaiting departure
from Brescia, a whine from the rear axle that portended imminent doom and a
cracked brake line that eventually put them out of the race. Messrs. Hadley and
Mercer in SPL 225B (NOJ 392) did not fare much better, having succumbed to
clutch problems resulting from oil seeping from the gearbox onto the pressure
plate. Meanwhile, Lockett and Reid in SPL 224B (NOJ 391) suffered from their
own issues, withdrawing when their throttle linkage disintegrated into an
assemblage of broken parts not long after the other two works cars had retired.
Despite results that Geoffrey Healey called “disappointing,” the outing provided
“valuable competition experience with the new cars and (we) were able to take
action to prevent the same faults recurring in later events.”
(LEFT) Johnny Lockett and
Jock Reid prepare to depart
on the 1953 Mille Miglia in
SPL 224B (NOJ 391). (Hervé
Chevalier Collection)
(ABOVE) The entry form
for Johnny Lockett and Jock
Reid who drove SPL 224B
(NOJ 391) at the Mille Miglia.
(Hervé Chevalier Collection)