An Amilcar Avus mystery

The photo of the light-coloured Amilcar with the woman standing in the cockpit, looks to have been taken in front of the pit counters at Brooklands, most likely at the 6th August, 1928, meeting when Miss Margaret Jean Maconochie, aged 22, won the first B.A.R.C. ladies’ two-lap handicap in a C6 Amilcar.

Novice but accomplished, she competed for a season at Brooklands in 1928, driving successfully first time there in a dark blue Salmson on 16th June, when she was awarded a gold medal in the Junior Car Club’s high-speed reliability trial. Her passenger was her brother, Archibald B. Maconochie.

Less than a week later she won the ladies’ race at the first ever Brooklands evening meeting held on the 21st June, 1928. She can’t have been using the C6 Amilcar as it was not imported and “run-in” by Vernon Balls at Brooklands until 21st July. Her brother being her passenger once more confirms she again drove the Salmson. Definitely the Salmson at Brooklands in the 30th June Middlesex Club events, including the 50-mile Grand Prix and Ladies’ Handicap races, and she won the Short Handicap race.

The C6 Amilcar’s first driver, Vernon Balls, raced the make at Brooklands for about ten years from 1925 and as importing agent no-doubt had a choice of cars to race or to enter for others. He was also at the 6th August, 1928, Brooklands meeting, entered for the President’s 9½-mile Gold Plate Handicap in an Amilcar.

Miss Maconochie did drive, perhaps even owned, this Amilcar at that 6th August, 1928, Holiday Meeting, which is when her in-car close-up photo here was taken – identified by her stripey neck-scarf and the ball-topped rod next to the car’s screen. When asked what she thought about the race: “Oh it was simply ripping. I have always been a bit of a demon on the road. I love fast motoring. I am keen on many sports, particularly horse riding. I do not see why women should not make as good motorists as men.” She chose not to tell her recently widowed mother that she had started motor racing.

She appears to have taken part in 1st September, 1928, Surbiton Motor Club events at Brooklands racing “her” Amilcar – there is a photo maybe showing Vernon Balls and Archie Maconochie standing by her car before the start. She definitely drove it in the Boillot Cup at Boulogne on 9th September, 1928, but was unplaced. She was back for the 22nd September, 1928, Brookland’s meeting for a ladies’ two-lap handicap but was last. No more successes were reported in the press and although it reported her entry for the Brooklands’ Double-twelve scheduled for the 10-11th May, 1929, no car make was listed and she did not compete. Her name “disappeared” on Saturday 23rd April, 1932, when she married Major Warren Mackenzie D.S.O. of Oakham, Rutland. She remarried, to Capt. Bryan Parry, in 1947 and died in 1967.

Doubt her ever driving a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at 120mph: only one of its iterations ever achieved such speed and only in racing trim but in 1929 Archie Maconochie became a regular driver of Mercedes sports racing cars - perhaps it was one of those?

Henken Widengren was a successful amateur racer in Britain starting in January, 1929, when he competed in the London-Exeter trial in a 750cc K.C. Austin, through to 1934. He competed in the 1931 Irish GP (curtailing his honeymoon to do so), the RAC Ulster TT, the 1932 Monte Carlo Rally (in an Alvis), the 1932 Le Mans co-driving Newsome’s Aston Martin and many, many races at Brooklands’ meetings, from the Double-twelve in May, 1931, until the end of its season in 1934. He first circuit-raced in a supercharged Maserati, then a 1498cc supercharged O.M., a shared M.G. Midget and only drove a reportedly streamlined Amilcar towards the end of 1932. He took the Class G record with it at Montlhery but was not successful at Avus in June, lasting only two laps. This car must be the one that appears in a May, 1933, Zoltan Glass photo taken in Berlin, very dark, with a rounded streamlined front and a long tail. Web-search: “Zoltan Glass Amilcar”

He and the car were back at Brooklands for the 2nd April, 1934, Easter B.A.R.C. meeting, when he won the Ripley Lightning Long Handicap at 107.81mph. His photo, part of which is the cropped portrait here, was taken sitting on the cockpit side of likely the same streamlined but now two-tone dark and pale-painted Amilcar which had just won. Nothing press-worthy then until he became engaged again in October, 1935, and married at St. Ethelburga’s, London in June, 1936, when, presumably, he quit motor racing in Britain.

Maconochie’s and Widengren’s Brooklands’ heydays did not overlap but Vernon Balls career and agency for Amilcar, covered both.

Very interesting....my father who competed at Brooklands in relay races with Joe Fry remembered this lady - a relative - She held the ladies lap record at Brooklands and he remembered her taking him down the Bath Road near Maidenhead in the original Chitty chitty bang bang - a zeppelin engined monster. They did 120 mph....whether a slightly embellished story not sure. I will do more research.
best
David Maconochie

Henken Widengren did not win the Swedish GP in 1933 as suggested in post #6. It was his brother Per Viktor. Henken raced an Invicta but had to retire.

I met Henken and his swedish wife Margareta ca 1960 (in Sweden). We remained friends for more than 25 years. I knew Henken had been involved in racing as he had his prices proudly displayed in the house. Formula 1 racing on TV was always of special interest.I was told Henken had also been involved in horse racing in the past. Henken and Margareta lived in Spain the latter years of their life and was always socially active. Their cooking skills and food knowledge was wildly known. For many years they continued to travel between Sweden and Spain. Henken died at the age of 79 and Margareta passed away a few years later. Hälsningar, Maria

In the 3 months to the end of June 1932 Margaret J. Maconochie married a Warren R. MacKenzie in the Kensington Registration District. This is from the FreeBMD web site.

This film is from The Swedish Grand Prix on Ice 1933 won by Henken Widegren in his Alfa Romeo. Swedish speaker but I think the film will be interesting. http://www.svtplay.se/klipp/129752/grand-prix-vid-ramen-1933

This film could perhaps be interesting. From The Swedish GP 1933 on ice. http://www.svtplay.se/klipp/129752/grand-prix-vid-ramen-1933

I have found a later record of Widengren, although not racing. According to the VSCC "Bulletin" of Winter 1965, he came to the UK with his wife to attend an "O.M. Party" on 31 July 1965. This is an extract from the article:

Henken Widengren and his charming wife came over from Sweden for the weekend. Henken raced the 1 litre 8 cyl. Grand Prix O.M. at Brooklands as well as many other makes at many another motor race track. Prowling around the paddock he wore the puzzled smile of someone who has that - "I've been here before" feeling. It must be quite a pleasant experience to be transported thus. Henken had not seen a vintage car since pre-war and it had to happen - he spotted a
familiar looking Aston-Martin and told the startled owner that he, Henken Widengren, had raced it at Le Mans in 1932!

Paul Spencer
Assistant Librarian, VSCC

My feeling is that Henken Widengren gave up racing after he married and returned to Sweden. His engagement to Miss Ferelith Mansfield Low was announced in The Times on October 14th 1935, although there is no trace of the wedding in British records - so presumably they married in Sweden.

(Coincidentally, the engagement of Hugh Tours, who later wrote a biography of JG Parry Thomas, is announced in the same issue!)

Fru F Widengren then features in some reports of mixed and ladies' foursomes golf tournaments in 1937, 1938 and 1948. Up to that point it is not clear where she was living, but on September 11th 1950 her arrival in London - and address in Stockholm - are noted in the Court Circular: she played in another golf tournament that October. No further mentions in The Times, but travel records on Ancestry suggest that they settled in Sweden after their marriage and may have also maintained a flat in Grosvenor House in London.

Fru Widengren also appears on London electoral rolls during the 1950s - again at Grosvenor House, but of course that gives no clue as regards Henken (whose real name was Henrik).

I´m also very excited to see the Avions Voisins on the track in Montlhery. I´ve never ever seen one of those wonderful cars "on the road" and only six of them in Museums. For me, this will be THE highlight of the year!
Best Regards, Hubertus

Could be interesting also to see a dozain of Avions Voisin on display at Montlhery during the Vintage Revival, some kind of a tribute to the numerous records got by "la marque" on this legendary circuit ! Best regards, Thierry