Makes › Higham Special › "Babs" (Parry Thomas) · Historically significant · 1924–1926
Higham Special
"Babs" (Parry Thomas)
Liberty-engined LSR car (Zborowski's 'Chitty 4'); Parry Thomas killed at Pendine 1927; buried and recovered 1969
Still being researched: identification guide, full specifications. Everything shown is checked against the cited sources. Know more? Send us a source.
Photo: edvvc from London, UK · CC BY 2.0
Contents
01Overview
At a glance
- Built
- 1 Built
- Years
- 1924–1926
- Engine
- V12 (Liberty aero engine), front-mounted · 27,000 cc / 27 LFactory: 27 L
- Power
- Not yet verified
- Top speed
- 275.23 km/hFactory: 171.02 mph · converted
- Body
- Not yet verified
- Designer
- Clive Gallop (builder for Count Louis Zborowski); modified by J.G. Parry Thomas
- In this archive
- Not yet verified
- Surviving
- Not yet verified
Sources and any conflicting figures are in the sections below.
Why it matters
Babs, originally the Higham Special, was the car in which John Godfrey Parry Thomas took the world land speed record in April 1926 and was killed in March 1927. It is one of the best-known early record cars and carries a 27-litre Liberty aero engine.
How rare is it?
Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.
Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.
02Production & history
Production
Every figure says what it counts.
| What is counted | Figure | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total model productionindividual car – the Higham Special/'Chitty 4' renamed Babs by Parry-Thomas (identity confirmed) | 11 | Factory production | Independently researched |
Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.
History
Clive Gallop built the car for Count Louis Zborowski at his country house near Sevenoaks in 1924, fitted with a 27-litre American Liberty V12 aero engine, driving through side chains and a Benz gearbox. After Zborowski's death in 1924, Parry Thomas bought it, modified it over a year, painted it white with a blue frame and named it "Babs".
Thomas attempted the record at Pendine in October 1925, but conditions were wrong. In April 1926 he took the record at 171.02 mph (273.6 km/h). After Malcolm Campbell took the record in February 1927, Thomas modified the car again. In March he overturned on the return run and was killed. The car was buried in the sand until 1969, when Owen Wyn Owen exhumed it and rebuilt it.
Variants
How each version differs from the standard "Babs" (Parry Thomas).
No variants documented yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
03Specifications
Technical specifications
Engine
| Engine family | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Engine code | Not yet verified |
| Layout | V12 (Liberty aero engine), front-mounted2 Independently researched |
| Cylinders | 122 Independently researched |
| Displacement | 27,000 cc / 27 LFactory: 27 L2 Independently researched |
| Bore | Not yet verified |
| Stroke | Not yet verified |
| Compression ratio | Not yet verified |
| Fuel system | Not yet verified |
| Power | Not yet verified |
| Power at | Not yet verified |
| Torque | Not yet verified |
Transmission & drivetrain
| Gearbox | Chain drive via Benz gearbox2 Independently researched |
|---|---|
| Gears | Not yet verified |
| Driven wheels | Not yet verified |
Chassis, body & dimensions
| Chassis | Not yet verified |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | Not yet verified |
| Rear suspension | Not yet verified |
| Brakes | Not yet verified |
| Steering | Not yet verified |
| Body construction | Not yet verified |
| Wheelbase | Not yet verified |
| Length | Not yet verified |
| Width | Not yet verified |
| Height | Not yet verified |
| Front track | Not yet verified |
| Rear track | Not yet verified |
| Kerb weight | Not yet verified |
| Dry weight | Not yet verified |
Performance
| Maximum speed | 275.23 km/hFactory: 171.02 mph · converted2 Independently researchedLand speed record average, 1926. |
|---|---|
| 0–100 km/h | Not yet verified |
| Fuel tank | Not yet verified |
“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.
04Colours & options
Factory colours & interiors
Original paint and trim, with the number of cars in each where a source gives it.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Factory options & codes
Codes are shown exactly as written by the manufacturer.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
05Individual cars
Chassis register
Every documented car, with its colours, history and where it is now. Open a row for the full record. Known chassis are not automatically authenticated originals.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Competition history
Every race result of the individual cars, in date order. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Auction & sale history
Documented public sales of the individual cars. Click a chassis number to open its full record in the register.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
See one in person
Museums where an example of this car can be seen.
No example is documented on public display yet. Have a source? Contribute it.
06Reference
Identification guide
How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.
Not yet documented. Have a source? Contribute it.
Sources
Each number links to the exact facts it supports.
-
1
Grace's Guide – Babs Level C
- 1 individual car – the Higham Special/'Chitty 4' renamed Babs by Parry-Thomas (identity confirmed)
-
2
British Motor Manufacturers 1894-1960: Higham Special Level C britishmm.co.uk · 2012-02-07
- American V-12 Liberty aero-engine of 27 litres
- V-12 Liberty aero-engine
- driven by side chains via a Benz gearbox
- taking the record to 171.02 mph
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