J. G. Parry-Thomas

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The 1924 Leyland-Thomas No. 1

John Godfrey Parry-Thomas (April 6, 1884 – March 3, 1927) was a Welsh engineer and motor-racing driver.

[edit] Biography

Parry-Thomas was born in Wrexham, Denbighshire, the son of the curate of Rhosddu. The family moved to nearby Oswestry when he was five years old and he was educated at Oswestry School. He later went on to study engineering at The City and Guilds College in London.

Parry-Thomas became chief engineer at Leyland Motors, a company whose main products were commercial vehicles. However, in the late 1910s he and his assistant Reid Railton designed the Leyland Eight luxury motor car which was intended to compete with Rolls-Royce. He gave up his career with Leyland to become a professional motor-racing driver at Brooklands in Surrey.

He was killed at Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire while trying to break the world land speed record. His car, Babs, used an exposed chain to connect the engine to the right hand drive wheel while the high engine cover required him to drive with his head tilted to one side – also the right. On his final run the drive chain broke, at a speed of 170 mph, decapitating him. The car, also called the "Higham Special", was powered by a huge 27 litre aero engine, and had been purchased by Parry-Thomas from the estate of Count Louis Zborowski.

Parry-Thomas was buried in Byfleet in Surrey, close to the Brooklands circuit. His car, Babs, was buried at Pendine Sands and later recovered and restored and is now on display at the Pendine Museum of Speed.

In 1980 the UK based pop group The Tea Set released a single entitled "Parry Thomas" on Waldo's records (Waldo's PS 006), which recounted Parry-Thomas's demise.