 |
    |
The lead photo showing Gustave Hamel in a racing car at Hendon was the subject of a discussion about the make of the car in 2014. With evidence I recently found in contemporary magazines it appears to be the Mercedes Hamel had owned for several years and which was rebuilt early 1914.
In The Car Illustrated of March 13, 1912 his Mercedes can be seen on a photo with Hamel congratulating Salmet, who had just before reached Paris from London in a Blériot in just over 3 hours, a new record. In The Autocar of April 4th, 1914 a journalist W. reports to have been taken on a ride with Hamel's Mercedes 'which had recently been fitted with more commodious coachwork than that shown in the photograph'. Without the enormous light projector and with the 'minute and uncomfortable seats' replaced by more comfortable ones, the experience of driving this car was nevertheless still impressive, as stated by the reporter: “ … the clean damp air rushed in our faces with a velocity above that of an express train.” We must remember that the car was a 6 cylinder racer dating from 1909 and still capable of doing 100 miles an hour!
Comparing the 'old' version of the Mercedes with the car on the lead photo, it seems likely that this is a rare photo of the rebuilt car and thus the dating of the photo must be 1914 rather than 1913. Within 2 months after the report in The Autocar Hamel would disappear above the Channel during one of his many routine flights to France. A farewell was written in La Vie au Grand Air of June 6th, 1914 by his friend and famous sportsman Roland Garros.
Words and pictures: Ariejan Bos
The lead photo showing Gustave Hamel in a racing car at Hendon was the subject of a discussion about the make of the car in 2014. With evidence I recently found in contemporary magazines it appears to be the Mercedes Hamel had owned for several years and which was rebuilt early 1914.
In The Car Illustrated of March 13, 1912 his Mercedes can be seen on a photo with Hamel congratulating Salmet, who had just before reached Paris from London in a Blériot in just over 3 hours, a new record. In The Autocar of April 4th, 1914 a journalist W. reports to have been taken on a ride with Hamel's Mercedes 'which had recently been fitted with more commodious coachwork than that shown in the photograph'. Without the enormous light projector and with the 'minute and uncomfortable seats' replaced by more comfortable ones, the experience of driving this car was nevertheless still impressive, as stated by the reporter: “ … the clean damp air rushed in our faces with a velocity above that of an express train.” We must remember that the car was a 6 cylinder racer dating from 1909 and still capable of doing 100 miles an hour!
Comparing the 'old' version of the Mercedes with the car on the lead photo, it seems likely that this is a rare photo of the rebuilt car and thus the dating of the photo must be 1914 rather than 1913. Within 2 months after the report in The Autocar Hamel would disappear above the Channel during one of his many routine flights to France. A farewell was written in La Vie au Grand Air of June 6th, 1914 by his friend and famous sportsman Roland Garros.
Words and pictures: Ariejan Bos