MACKLIN: THE EARLY YEARS
In November, Mick Walsh outlined Noel Macklin’s time with Railton. About 35 years ago I bought the above photo, taken from a glass-plate negative, but it has taken 33 years to identify the car – despite my career as a forensic collision investigator!
I knew the image was taken in Bingley, West Yorkshire, and the car had a Wolverhampton registration. After years of searching, I found that it was an Eric-campbell, a marque I’d never heard of. These were made from 1919-’21 in Cricklewood, and 1921-’26 at the Vulcan Works. There is only one survivor, in New Zealand, from a production run of c500 units. They had tuned Coventry Simplex engines, and aluminium bodies made at the Handley Page aircraft works – predating Colin Chapman’s ‘add lightness’ policy at Lotus by years.
The firm was founded by H Eric Ewing and Noel Campbell Macklin. After a fall-out, Macklin started Silver Hawk cars before founding Invicta and Railton. Eric-campbells were sporting cars, and in 1919 a team was entered on the 10th Targa Florio. Cars 23 and 24 were driven by Jack Scales and Cyril Snipe – the latter had been the first British winner of the Targa in 1912, driving a Scat 25/35. Car 24 didn’t complete a lap, and car 23’s steering failed.
Eric-campbells were famously driven by one of the premier lady racers of the day, Macklin’s sister Violette Cordery, with considerable success in the British Motorcycle Racing Club handicap series.
One of Macklin’s backers was Earl Fitzwilliam of Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham. While trying to find out more on Fitzwilliam’s contributions, I discovered that Herbert Austin was raised and educated in Rotherham. His father was the bailiff at nearby Wentworth, and young Austin was educated at Rotherham Grammar School. Fitzwilliam also sponsored Sheffield Simplex, a contemporary rival to Rolls-royce; he was clearly interested in the potential of the car, yet missed Herbert Austin, despite him being under his nose.
My search turned up lots of local history, but I still don’t know who the fine-looking gentleman in the car is. The research continues… John Bashforth Doncaster, South Yorkshire