Apology. Since writing this article, I have received a communication from the family of Francis Taylor, the racing engineer who died as a result of injuries received in an incident referred to at the foot of this page. They have rightly pointed to the suffering of Taylor's family, which continues to this day - I understand he still has a surviving direct relative. A member of my family once referred to race driver Kaye Don as a daredevil and this was how he was described by his prosecutor. We all know that motor racing is dangerous, but in the 20s and 30s there appears to have been some disregard for the consequences. Indeed, there were instances when racing continued at Brooklands after persons had been killed and others seriously injured. It has not been my intention to treat Don as a hero and I apologise unconditionally for any offence or hurt caused. I have altered the wording of this page, which was based on a contemporary view, and refer you to my account of the incident in question.
Read my account of the crash.

Hampton Wick hasn't any great connections with the Motor Industry, but quite a lot was going on in the surrounding area. I photographed this beautiful little Carden cyclecar in Hampton Wick in June 2006. Captain John Valentine Carden was an engineer who specialised in making things lighter and more compact. He died in 1935, while testing a light-weight aircraft. He had a production facility in Somerset Road Teddington, between 1914 and 1916, when it was sold to A.V. Motors, who built an unusual cyclecar through to the 1920s, partly to a design bought from John Carden. The works was more recently used by Volvo, but all that can now be seen remaining is the old office block. Cyclecars were built using modified motorcycle parts.
Carden

Tamplin had premises in nearby Twickenham and were also associated with cyclecars.

A legendary sports car, the Frazer-Nash, was built at Isleworth, 5 miles north of Hampton Wick. They continued production post-war, then producing a car not unlike the MGA. Earlier, they had premises in London Road Kingston On Thames. However, we may be more interested in the HRG, an off-shoot of Frazer-Nash. A prototype HRG was built in Hampden Road, Kingston On Thames, using the premises of The Mid-Surrey Gear Company. Based on the success of this car, production was set up in near-by Tolworth, in Oakcroft Road. The HRG was a most interesting sports car, usually built using Singer parts. The HRG is rarely seen and this is a pity, in view of it's quality and the fact that over 90% of the original 240 cars have survived - an extraordinary percentage.
Frazer-Nash | HRG

A special place goes to Railton. Their address was given as Fairmile in Cobham, nearly 10 miles away. Before the war, American chassis were imported, about one per week, and a British body installed. Railtons were the sort of big cars that look right in the paddock at Ascot Races, with a picnic-basket on the back. Railton continued production for a time after the war and, in recent years, there has been an attempt to revive the name.
Railton

Surely the most important of the local manufaturers was A.C. Cars. They were situated in nearby Thames Ditton - right in the middle of a small village. They started there before the First World War, then, after the Second World War, they built their famous A.C. Cobra, still a very sought-after car on both sides of the Atlantic. I'm surprised by the reference below to Ferry Works in Thames Ditton, as that property was occupied by Rola-Celestion. It could be that it was shared. Certainly, the A.C factory was round the corner from Ferry Works.
A.C. Cars | A.C. Cars in the Wikipedia

Kingston Hill, just to the east of Hampton Wick, is an oppulent area. Several motoring and motor racing pioneers lived there, including Archie Frazer-Nash, Henry Segrave and Malcolm Campbell. Many will remember passing the old K.L.G. sparking plug factory at Kingston Vale. Set up by motor racing pioneer, Kenelm Lee Guinness, this factory produced the Bluebird and Golden Arrow land-speed-record cars.

In the 1920s, Tommy Sopwith built the ABC motorcycle in a factory at Canbury Park Road, Kingston On Thames. Part of the factory can still be seen and now looks most handsome. This advanced design was bought from the All British Company which was at near-by Walton On Thames. Losses were caused by faulty valve-gear and production was taken over by a French company.

As for formula one, in the 1950s and 1960s, Cooper cars had two facilities nearby - one in Portsmouth Road Kingston On Thames and one in Ewell Road Surbiton. Australian driver Jack Brabham built his cars at nearby Chessington. Tyrrel were at Cobham and Connaught were at Ripley, between Cobham and Guidford.
Cooper | Connaught

In recent years, World Land Speed Record Holder, Richard Noble, has been based in nearby Twickenham.
Richard Noble

Kaye DonKaye Don was probably Britain's most famous racing driver in the late 20s and early 30s. He also held the World Water Speed Record for a short period in 1932. He was a frequent visitor to Hampton Wick. My Aunt Mina has been described as his girl-friend - though I think this idea may have been overdone - and he employed two of my uncles as mechanics. He especially raced cars at near-by Brooklands, in Weybridge. His career came to an abrupt halt in 1934 when, following a fatal crash on the Isle Of Man, he went to prison for manslaughter. Some sections of the public sympathised with Don and thought that he had been harshly treated, but he was driving on the public roads, outside official practice times, and could not expect his actions to be treated as a racing incident. Don could seem difficult at times - he didn't always like being interviewed, and he fell out with his employer, Sunbeam. Yet he got on well with my grandfather, who really could be difficult. His famous Airdale dog, "Boro", is buried in Station Road, Hampton Wick. Aunt Mina ran the Drovana hairdresser's in Fife Road, Kingston On Thames until the 1980s. After leaving prison, Don did a little racing at Donington. After the War he founded the Ambassador motorcycle company at Ascot and retired in the 60s.
more about Kaye Don | Brooklands Race Track with recent photos | Kaye Don at Daytona Beach

V.W. Derrington was a well-known local company, supplying BMC/Leyland tune-up parts throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Victor Derrington supplied parts from the 1920s and, during the 30s, raced a Salmson at Brooklands with some success. This superb car was still with him at his death in 1972. V.W. Derrington stayed in business till 1981.

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