Does anyone have any bioghraphical details of Victoria Worsley ,she raced Austins and MGs and possibly trialed a Jowett in the late twenties and early thirties.She married the Brooklands handicapper Roland King-Farlow....Austin, your help much appriciated. David

This photo was for sale recently on ebay, driving a TT car, (at Brooklands??)



If there are any dates of races / events she was in I should be able to look them up soonish.

David, It always struck me that in B/W pics.that Ms. Worsleys car didn't look orange, perhaps cream or primrose yellow?
What other colours were used for TT/Works type cars?

Google is starting to yield some results;

Top tip is to put the exact term in speech marks, ie in the search box put "Victoria Worsley". This will search for the exact phrase, there are all sorts of extras you can fiddle about with in the advanced options.

Telegraph Article, which leads to the book Fast Women: The Drivers Who Changed the Face of Motor Racing.

She drove an Austin in the 1931 Double twelve, (page seems to have gone but the google cache is still there.

Again from google cache it's claimed she is was the Aunt of the Duchess of Kent!

And an article from Radio 4's Woman's Hour!

Something here about her with Jowetts, and here saying that she lived in Hovingham.

Right must go to bed!

Have the picture of VW in the TT car ,she was sold it by Austins in 1931 specically for the Double Twelve,have seen a letter from Roland King-Farlow which states it arrived unblown and was run as such I had thought she was The Hon VW.

I think I should look up the 1931 double twelve...

Getting quite a backlog of bits and pieces here!

Graham TT Colours
The team cars were painted orange to comply with the TT indentification requirements for class H .There has always been controversy rgarding the actual shade of orange.Old paint found on GW82 is a dark orange and some on the bonnet strap on Martins Duck lighter.Gordon Davidson in Canada has stripped his down to bare metal and reports a red .Photos I have of the 1930 team cars show a distinct difference in the body and presumably black wings.There is a similar difference in 1931.But the 1930 Cooke car which was a Agent entry (Lincoln and Nolan)is very dark(Strictly speaking this car was not a TT but a production car fitted with a short bonnet and large tank) however his 1931 entry was very light (This was a TT) de Farranti's entry in 1931 TT was also an altered 1930 production car fitted with a shortened standard bonnet and large tank.VW's car was sold to her by Austins in 1931 and you are right it does seem lighter.The type of windscreen would suggest it was a 1931 series car.What we must not forget is racing cars of this period were not presented like the immaculate F1 cars of today they were tools to achieve an end and in the main painted with what ever paint came to hand.Martins Duck has traces of three colours including two on the straps which got there when they were done up before the paint was dry!!!
My car was painted green out of a can by Goodacre in the thirties.Its now orange.Something I would like to know more about are the 2 TT cars being sold in the small ads in an early 1931 Light Car and Cycle car.One is for sale from Frazer Nash Cars which makes some sense as FN was closely connected to the works cars and the other thru a London dealer both claim low milages and Double Twelve entries.£140 was the cheapest!!!!and both S/C.

Daivd, I have found some ads from Autocar or The Motor for 2 TT cars as well. Dad has them at the moment. Also. did you get the email I sent today?

As for VW, I have got an article here talking about "Todays big Brooklands race" - the double twelve.

Her car is listed as unsupercharged and co-driver is R. Latham Boote, other drivers in her "team", (all unsupercharged Austins) are;
M. C. Lewis & G. N. Terry and
J. Reeves & H. H. B. Beacon.

In total 10 Austins were entered 4 of which were supercharged. The single entry private supercharged car being Vernon Balls.

David, have you seen a Blood Orange? Sort of dull crimson, much like that bit of red peeking out from under the orange paint on the Canadian car.
Have you any idea where the term "Blood Orange" originated when describing an Austin TT type?

Graham,
I have always understood that Blood Orange is a fairly modern curruption.Lush always refered to the car as Orange David

Hi,

The article written by S.C.H. Davis in the Autocar of Nov.7th 1930 (reprinted in the 'grey' magazine 1974B), refers to something that Sammy Davis overheard in the paddock at Brooklands during the 500 mile race. "Bert, if that blinking blood orange on wheels don't burst soon, our money's gone." Davis adds that the comment was 'apt, if not complimentary, to the brilliant colour of the car.'

Regards, Lance Sheldrick

Picture from report on the British Double Twelve in Austin Magazine June 1931.
" Miss V. Worsley, the only lady driver to finish the race, drove with splendid skill and judgement, and had the satisfaction of piloting her Austin Seven into seventh place - an honour she shared with Mr. E. C. Randall (Austin Seven), as the two cars tied."

Just found this while searching for something else! (Copyright N.M.M.)

Great item has any one done this for the the Grey mag it is fab to us on the web and the Austin Seven Frends forum site but there are a lot of members that do not have internet please allso send to the Editor of the Austin Seven Association Clubs so he can print it in the Grey Mag

Bryan,Great picture dont recall seeing that before.The reason for starting this thread was to gather primarily details of Victoria's life so that I could write an article.

David,
I have just found this picture in the Brooklands Society Bulletin dated June 1975.