DELWYN MALLETT
MALLETT RECALLS THE LIFE OF BETTY HAIG, ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE CHARACTERS IN THE BRITISH PORSCHE SCENE, WHO OWNED TEN PORSCHES OVER A PERIOD OF THREE-DECADES
Mallett’s mental meanderings
Funny thing, coincidences. In my last column I mentioned that I met, after quite a few years of not meeting, Tony Bianchi, who arrived at the Bicester Heritage ʻSunday Scrambleʼ in his RHD PreA. Tony had owned a Speedster back in the ʼ60s and mentioned he quite fancied getting one again, and wondered if I had any idea what had happened to his old car which, at one point, ended up in the hands of the late Betty Haig? I informed him that to the best of my knowledge it went to Canada, as in those days there was little interest here in leaky, draughty Porsches.
We reminisced for a while about Betty, who was quite a character, and moved on. No sooner had I returned home than I received a phone call from another chum asking if I had seen the new book, ʻBetty Haig: A life behind the wheelʼ chronicling just that – her life, numerous racing exploits and the extraordinary number of sports cars that she once owned? Aminor coincidence but not yet that remarkable. Then I had reason to rummage through my archive – my euphemism for the enormous piles of magazines and detritus in my attic – and opened a box file that probably had not been touched for at least 30years. Within I found a 1975 copy of Veteran & Vintage magazine featuring a cover photo of Bettyʼs treasured BMW 328 and a long feature written by her describing how she had bought it new in 1939 – ordered via the BMW agent in Budapest!
There was also a long letter from Betty to me, dated June 1978, in response to a letter that I had sent to her, and for the life of me cannot recall why. And, if that was not enough Betty coincidences, I dropped in to visit an old friend who had worked for many years at AFN and happened to ask if he was aware of the book? Not only was he aware but, as he had known Betty well, he had been interviewed by the author!
Betty was born into the distinguished Scottish Haig whisky distilling family in 1905, although she was born not in Scotland but her parentsʼ home in London. She was also the niece of Field Marshal Douglas Haig, commander of the British Army in World War I.
Betty grew up a passionate and skilled horsewoman and in 1919 bought her first motorised vehicle, an ex-war Department Douglas motorbike, to enable her to travel to as many hunts as possible. In 1924 she bought her first car, an air-cooled, flat-twin ABC, which within two weeks caught fire and burnt out.
Bettyʼs racing career started in 1933 in a very swift six-cylinder Singer Le Mans. In 1935, seeking something even faster, she visited AFN Ltd, (Archie Frazer Nash) situated in London Road, Isleworth, owned by the three Aldington brothers. It was the first step in a professional relationship that would last for
the rest of her life. Apart from building Fazer Nash sports cars, AFN was the sole British concessionaire for BMW motorcycles and cars. Betty couldnʼt then afford a Frazer Nash but was given a ride in a BMW saloon, which impressed her immensely.
By 1938 it was apparent that the recently introduced BMW 328 was the class of the 2.0-litre field but at £700 it was beyond Bettyʼs reach. (Her Jaguar SS100 cost £395.) However, she was aware that if it was registered in Hungary, where there was no import duty, she could save an astonishing £300. Conveniently, her close friend, flat mate and fellow racer, Enid Ridell, didnʼt have a permanent British residency so she would be able to import it without paying any tax. The pair decided to share the cost of the car and in June 1939 they travelled to Munich to pick up the 328, then on to Budapest where it was registered, then back to England. WWII broke out shortly after.
Post-war Betty returned to racing and rallying with renewed vigour and in 1951 competed at Le Mans with Yvonne Simon in a gorgeous Ferrari 166 MM coupé, finishing third in the 2.0-litre class and 15th overall. As all Classic Porsche readers will be only too aware (I hope?), 1951 was the year that a new sports car marque made its first appearance at the Sarthe: Porsche.
AFN commenced selling Porsches in 1956 and Betty bought her first Porsche there in 1957, a one-year-old ʻNormalʼ which in a 1965 interview she recalled as the most comfortable car that she had ever driven. Her favourite 356, however, was a 1958 356A 1600 Super. This was followed by a 1962 356B Super 90 sunroof coupé. Some were owned for only a few months as she was constantly buying new racing cars and juggling her finances.
In all she owned ten Porsches over a thirty-year period. Most were used as daily drivers or for long distance commuting to relatives in Scotland. Her tally was three 356A coupés, two Super 90 B coupés, a 912, closely followed in 1967 by a 911 and lastly a 1979 3.0-litre SC. In addition she bought a 1956 Speedster circa 1972 and what was then the earliest known 356 in the UK, a 1951 1100cc coupé, which set her back the princely sum of just £20!
Betty was quite possibly the first person in the UK to recognise the importance of the very early 356s and set about restoring it with the expert help of AFNʼS ace body man, the late Ernie Gregory. Eventually Betty did a deal with John Aldington, who took UUL 14 as a trade against the 3.0-litre 911.
Betty, with Guy Griffith, was a founder of the Historic Sports Car Club, which did much to ensure the survival of historic racing cars. She was also a very early member and supporter of the Porsche Club GB, hosting regular picnic meetings at Shellingford House, the historic Jacobean manor that she shared with Barbara Marshall, her long time co-competitor and companion. Quite a gal! CP
SHE OWNED TEN PORSCHES OVER THIRTY YEARS…