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We suspect this is a 'staged' photograph because Ivy understood the value of publicity to help with her love of motor racing - she is of course Ivy Cummings. The picture shows her with a 1925 Singer but a 1916 copy of Lightcar & Cyclecar magazine printed a story about her entitled 'A plucky young lady driver. Her first drive round Brooklands age 11½.' where we learn the first Light Car she drove was a 'Cummikar'. "... I have had the speedometer round to 50 mph many times on the track..." You are forgiven if you have never heard of it - neither had we. It was a French Ronteix sold in UK as Cummikar.
In 1916, when Ivy was 15, her father gave her a Baby Peugeot and she writes, " I drive it all over the place. Sometimes I take out a wounded soldier, my mother or my grandmother. They all tell me they feel safe with me" . Her talent for driving is impressive and you can read here how she raced such cars as a 1912 Coupe de L'Auto Vauxhall, a 3 litre Sunbeam (see video), an Akala-engined GN/Frazer Nash and the famous 5 litre chain drive Bugatti 'Black Bess'. She married in 1925, insisting she drove the Frazer Nash from the wedding.
(Text and pictures Robin Batchelor)
Clik here to view.
We suspect this is a 'staged' photograph because Ivy understood the value of publicity to help with her love of motor racing - she is of course Ivy Cummings. The picture shows her with a 1925 Singer but a 1916 copy of Lightcar & Cyclecar magazine printed a story about her entitled 'A plucky young lady driver. Her first drive round Brooklands age 11½.' where we learn the first Light Car she drove was a 'Cummikar'. "... I have had the speedometer round to 50 mph many times on the track..." You are forgiven if you have never heard of it - neither had we. It was a French Ronteix sold in UK as Cummikar.
In 1916, when Ivy was 15, her father gave her a Baby Peugeot and she writes, " I drive it all over the place. Sometimes I take out a wounded soldier, my mother or my grandmother. They all tell me they feel safe with me" . Her talent for driving is impressive and you can read here how she raced such cars as a 1912 Coupe de L'Auto Vauxhall, a 3 litre Sunbeam (see video), an Akala-engined GN/Frazer Nash and the famous 5 litre chain drive Bugatti 'Black Bess'. She married in 1925, insisting she drove the Frazer Nash from the wedding.
(Text and pictures Robin Batchelor)
