Bentley Racing History - Tim Birkin

Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin, 3rd Baronet (26 July 1896 - 22 June 1933) was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.
He was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896. He was the son of Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Bt. and Hon. Margaret Diana Hopetoun Chetwynd. In childhood, Henry Birkin gained the nickname "Tim", after the children's comic book character Tiger Tim, created by Julius Stafford Baker, who was extremely popular at the time. It was his nickname for the rest of his life.
He was born into a wealthy Nottingham family in 1896. He was the son of Sir Thomas Stanley Birkin, 2nd Bt. and Hon. Margaret Diana Hopetoun Chetwynd. In childhood, Henry Birkin gained the nickname "Tim", after the children's comic book character Tiger Tim, created by Julius Stafford Baker, who was extremely popular at the time. It was his nickname for the rest of his life.
In 1931 he won Le Mans with Earl Howe in an Alfa Romeo, even receiving a telegram from Mussolini congratulating him on his "win for Italy". On 24 March 1932 he raised the Brooklands Outer Circuit lap record to 137.96 mph in the Brooklands Battleship, a record which stood for another two years before being beaten by John Cobb driving the 24 litre Napier Railton. On 7 May 1933 he started the Tripoli Grand Prix in a new 3 L Maserati 8C owned by fellow driver Bernard Rubin, finishing third. During his pit stop Birkin burnt his arm badly against the hot exhaust pipe while picking up a cigarette lighter. There are different opinions of what then happened. The traditional view is that the wound turned septic, whilst others say Birkin suffered from a malaria attack. It was probably a combination of both that proved fatal, as Birkin died at Countess Carnavon Nursing Home in London 22 June 1933, aged thirty-six.
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[@tc19948]

Thank you so much for posting this very fine documentary. I tpresents a much more sympathetic picture of this great man than the dramatised version of many years back, despite a fine performance by Rowan Atkinson in the lead role :)

[@scottballantine1329]

Wonderful… Found this video having seen ‘Old Number 2’ at the factory yesterday (Friday 6th May 2022). Fabulous to see, and hear, a piece of automotive and racing history in the flesh…

[@andrewfox4789]

What a fantastic programme, thankyou for uploading it.

[@davidcompton7559]

Wonderful ... well done!

[@shawncurtis3686]

Ian Fleming was surely an admirer of Birkin, hence Bonds car was a supercharged Bentley.

[@Rizzlybear-c2f]

He was my grandpas grandpa

[@markrevelle1]

Bugatti was an Italian but the cars were first built in Alsace when it was German. The cars are generally considered to be French. They are not Italian.

[@carolramsey8457]

When some drivers complained about the Bugatti's poor brakes Ettoré famously retorted "I build my cars to go, not to stop!"

[@goodwood-rc4nx]

so it was alain de cadenet geting the medal from lady pamela daughter of sir tim