All photos from © Dacre Stubbs Collection (Martin Stubbs)

Martin Stubbs and Bill Hunter

Photos by Martin Stubbs Video Bill Hunter

It could so easily have turned out to be a fleeting infatuation but as it happened my initial instincts on first acquaintance with a 1929 Alfa Romeo 1750 SS turned into an enduring love affair.   Having admired from a far, with the assistance of my older brother and my husband of those days, we located a car that had been standing for some considerable time lying neglected in the open. The ownership was a complex matter and after much negotiation the car was acquired and joyfully taken home. This was in 1964                                                                                   

There were three of these fabric bodied 2 seat racing cars built by the Austin works in 1923.  The first was registered OK 7095 and was driven by Captain Arthur Waite to the Brooklands Easter Small Car Handicap where he did a flying lap at over 62 mph and achieved a race average of 59.03 mph.  He then drove the car back to his home in Bromsgrove.  The next race he entered was the 250 Km Italian Grand Prix des Cyclecars at Monza on the 4th May which he won at an average speed of 57 mph and set the fastest lap at 64 mph.

Text and Photos: Martin Stubbs