Page 28 - Sample pages "Kim: A Biography of M.G. Founder Cecil Kimber" by Jon Pressnell

AN EYE FOR PUBLICITY
The year 1932 had initially been only modestly successful in motor sport. Troubles plagued the C-types and M.G. could boast nothing better than a third place in the Ulster TT and another third in the Brooklands 1,000-mile race; at least the Ulster event proved a congenial break for Cecil and Rene Kimber, who attended the race with Kimber’s great friend Bill Gibbs. The only ray of sunshine was a class win for Hugh Hamilton in the German GP. But then in September Ronnie Horton in his special Jensen- bodied supercharged single-seater C-type took the up-to-750cc class record at Brooklands, at 115.29mph, and two weeks later he won the 500-mile race at a remarkable average speed of 96.29mph – with, in addition, M.G. coming home with the team prize.
This was followed in November 1932 by Eddie Hall in a supercharged C-type taking the standing kilometre and mile records for up to 750cc at Brooklands, records previously held by an Austin Seven. In December, finally, George Eyston cracked his 120mph target at Montlhéry with the EX127 ‘Magic Midget’, effacing the disappointment of managing only 118.39mph when setting mile and kilometre records in February at Pendine Sands in Wales3. Along with Tommy Wisdom and Bert Denly he also took the 750cc International 24-hour record in a supercharged J3, at an average speed of 70.61mph, pocketing at the same time the 1,000-mile and 2,000-kilometre records. Kimber, who had been an active presence at Pendine, was very much behind Eyston on these ventures, and in particular had been keen to see the two- miles-a-minute barrier broken.
Even ahead of these last two successes, there was thus sufficient cause for celebration at the first Motor Show dinner-dance held by the M.G. Car Club. These events, steered by Kimber and generally
3 In its report on ‘Eyston’s Crowning Achievement at Pendine’ Motor Sport took the opportunity to stir the cauldron of debate on the value of racing. ‘Let us hope that the enterprise of the M.G. Car Company in developing their product by an intensive racing programme will inspire those makers who do not race to take up the sport and reap the benefit which successful entry to the competition world would bring with it,’ wrote the monthly in its March 1932 issue.
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Chapter Nine: Technical Advances but a Marriage in Retreat
The ‘Magic Midget’ EX127 at Pendine in January 1932, with an elated Cecil Kimber. The beret and plus-fours strike an interesting sartorial note.
attended by the club’s patron, Sir William Morris, would be held up to and including 1938, and brought together industry figures, racing motorists and the specialist press. They provided further media exposure for M.G. and a platform for Kimber to ventilate his opinion on matters of import, or to trail his coat about the future year’s activities.
This was a further example of Cecil Kimber’s astute grasp of publicity and public relations, something that began with the close eye he kept on M.G. sales material, working much of the time with Harold Connolly. “He generally sent for me about February or March and said we’d better start getting out some ideas for next year’s Show,” Connolly related to Wilson McComb. “He couldn’t stand a shoddy catalogue: ‘If the car’s good, let’s make the literature
© DALTON WATSON FINE B
© DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS © DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS DALTON WATSON FINE BOOKS TON WATSON FINE B