Page 121 - Cool Britannia

121ROLLS-ROYCE SILVER GHOST 1910Chassis Number 1367Sold to H.M King Rama V1 of Siamwas sold to Aan de Stegge in Holland. The car sold again at Sotheby ¨s Monaco in May 1986 for £280,000. Should the car still have its original Barker tourer body it would now be worth around £5 million, as a replica unfortunately only the chassis value, today I suppose maybe £1m.Prince Birabongse Bhanudej Bhanubandh (born 15 July 1914 – 23 December 1985), better known as Prince Bira of Siam (now Thailand) or by his nom de course B. Bira, was the only Thai race car driver to race in Formula One. He raced in Formula One and Grand Prix races for the Maserati, Gordini, and Connaught teams, among others. Birabongse was the only Southeast Asian driver in Formula One .Prince Bira was not only a racing driver, he was also an excellent pilot of gliders and powered aircraft. In 1952 he few the remarkable distance from London to Bangkok with his own twin engine Miles Gemini aircraft. Prince Birabongse's parents were Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse and his second wife. Birabongse's paternal grandfather was King Mongkut.His mother died when Prince Birabongse was only four years old.Birabongse was sent to Europe in 1927 to complete his education in England at Eton College, where he joined one of his own nephews, a grandchild of his father through his frst marriage.While he was at Eton Bira's father died, leaving him an orphan. He was placed under the care of his cousin, Prince Chula Chakrabongse, who ultimately became Prince Bira's legal guardian. On leaving Eton at age 18, in early 1933, Prince Bira moved in with Prince Chula in London, while he decided on his future.Prince Birabongse had been registered to attend Trinity College, Cambridge, but on leaving school had not yet passed the Cambridge University entrance examination.Initially, Prince Chula hired a tutor for Prince Bira, to better prepare him for the exam, but Prince Bira changed his mind and expressed a desire to learn sculpture rather than attend university. Prince Chula approached leading sculptor Charles Wheeler, and Wheeler took Prince Bira on as a pupil within his studio. Although Prince Bira showed some talent as a sculptor, his real interest was to be speed and racing cars.Photograph courtesy of Rolls Royce Motor Cars