Page 8 - The Origin of the Species

THE ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES
8
A month following the Mille Miglia, SPL 224B (NOJ
391) was tapped, along with its Mille Miglia stablemate
SPL 225B (NOJ 392), to contest the 24 Hours of Le
Mans. For the French endurance race, Marcel Becquart
and Autocar’s Gordon Wilkins were assigned to drive
SPL 224B (NOJ 391), with Lockett and Frenchman
Maurice Gatsonides sharing the duties in SPL 225B
(NOJ 392).
Unfortunately, on the return drive to Warwick’s
rented accommodations following scrutineering,
Wilkins collided with a French delivery truck. “I was
starting to drive back to the château,” the ill-fated
driver recalled in an article published after the race,
“when the local plumber coming towards us in an old and rusty van applied
full left lock and swung across my path when I was only a few feet away. The
impact was considerable. My wife’s face was no longer a pretty sight and I had
a hole clear through mine. As for the car, the front end was folded – steering
and suspension twisted – and it looked as if its racing career was ended before
it begun.”
Despite Warwick’s impassioned pleas to allow them to switch to the reserve
car (SPL 226B, NOJ 393), the officials from the ACO refused their request, forcing
them to resort to more nefarious means to maintain the works effort intact.
Working furiously throughout the night, Menadue and his assistants transferred
the scrutineered and tagged components from SPL 224B (NOJ 391) into SPL
226B (NOJ 393). Once the task was finished, the reserve car was painted with
the number 33 roundels of the damaged car and the NOJ 391 registration plate
was installed on the car to complete the subterfuge.
During the race, the two works 100s circulated without too much drama,
but were unable to catch the faster Gordini T26S, which competed in the same
(ABOVE) Johnny Lockett and
Jock Reid on the Mille Miglia,
where the pair were forced
to retire when their throttle
linkage suffered a catastrophic
failure. Note that vehicle
competed in the Mille Miglia
with 308 AC registration
plate rather than the NOJ 391
with which the vehicle is best
associated. (Hervé Chevalier
Collection)
(BELOW) Donald Healey
and Maurice Gatsonides
watch Roger Menadue’s crew
working on SPL 224B (NOJ
391) prior to scrutineering at
the 24 Hours of Le Mans in
1953. (Guy Loveridge)