EXPANDING AND DOCUMENTING A COMPETITION HISTORY

STARTING POINT
The known history of the car included entry by H.W. Motors in the 1956 Mille Miglia, where John Heath suffered the accident that later proved fatal, followed by an extensive competition career. The supplied documentation also referred to victories at Goodwood, Brands Hatch, Silverstone and Snetterton, together with the car’s later historic-racing career. The existing account identified HWM 1 as the second version of the H.W.M.-Jaguar sports racer and described its post-Mille Miglia rebuild and subsequent ownership history, but several aspects of its early competition activity, technical evolution and later provenance remained only partially documented.

RESEARCH
Automotive Masterpieces carried out a new reconstruction of the history of chassis 52/106, based on contemporary race programmes, period press, photographic evidence and specialist historical sources. The research established that the car was the second of two closely related purpose-built H.W.M.-Jaguar sports racers, using a tubular chassis conceived specifically for sports-car competition, and clarified its original Jaguar engine specification. Most importantly, the investigation identified the car’s documented competition debut at Snetterton on 25 March 1956, where George Abecassis finished second overall. Further period evidence traced appearances at Goodwood and Oulton Park before the Mille Miglia and showed that the car initially competed with unpainted bodywork before receiving its green finish. The 1956 Mille Miglia was reconstructed in detail and, following John Heath’s accident, the car was rebuilt with substantial changes to the front bodywork, grille, lighting, air intake and windscreen arrangement. Research also showed that it returned to competition almost immediately afterwards. The subsequent works and privateer competition history was significantly expanded, documenting further appearances and results with Noël Cunningham-Reid, Dick Protheroe, Duncan Hamilton, Peter Blond, Les Leston, Jack Fairman, John Bekaert, R. M. Milne and Alan Mann. Among the findings were Cunningham-Reid’s outright Snetterton victory in October 1956 and previously less clearly documented 1959 successes with Milne. The research also clarified the later installation of Jaguar engine E2008-9, previously used in Ecurie Ecosse Jaguar D-Type XKD 501, successfully driven during the 1955 season by Jimmy Stewart (Jackie Stewart’s elder brother), and later enlarged from 3.4 to 3.8 litres, although the exact date of its installation in HWM 1 remains undocumented. Finally, the later ownership sequence was refined through Danny Margulies, Paul Gardner, Richard Bond, Kirk Rylands and Paul Grist, whose 2008 restoration returned the car to an earlier body configuration and British Racing Green appearance. The resulting research substantially expanded the known history of HWM 1, establishing a more complete and source-supported chronology of its early competition career, body evolution, engine history and succession of owners.