The ex-Kenneth Ball, John Landless
1913 Vauxhall 25hp Prince Henry Sports Tourer

• Restored and re-bodied by Ken Ball in the early 1960s
• Owned by former VCC president John Landless for 35 years
• Present enthusiast ownership since 2001
• Maintained with no expense spared by N P Veteran Engineering

"The years from 1908 to 1925 mark Vauxhall's golden age." - Michael Sedgwick, Vauxhall, Dalton Watson, London, 1981.

Prior to 1925, when Vauxhall was taken over by General Motors, the firm was renowned for producing handsome, finely engineered cars that put it on a par with Bentley or Sunbeam. Famous by the end of the 19th Century for its marine engines, Scottish engineer Alexander Wilson's Vauxhall Ironworks Ltd built its first automobile in 1903: a single-cylinder, tiller-steered runabout designed by F W Hodges and J H Chambers. Around 70 cars were sold in the first year of production. A range of three-cylinder cars with wheel steering followed, the first of which – the 12/14hp – was seen in 1905; 9hp and 12/14hp versions followed. Vauxhall's first four-cylinder design appeared at the Motor Show in November 1905, by which time the factory had relocated to Luton. The 18hp newcomer was powered by a T-head sidevalve engine of 3,336cc, with separately cast cylinders, which drove the rear wheels by chain.
With chief engineer Hodges abroad on holiday, managing director Percy Kidner tasked 24-year-old draughtsman Laurence Pomeroy with preparing three cars for the 1908 RAC 2000 Mile Trial. Rather than merely tweaking the existing design, Pomeroy opted for a radical rethink, adopting a monobloc casting for the cylinders and single-camshaft, L-head valve gear.
In this form Vauxhall's the 3.0-litre four had a power output of 40bhp compared with 23 horsepower from the preceding 3.3-litre version. Pomeroy's approach was vindicated when Kidner's car won the Trial, defeating a Rolls-Royce 40/50hp in the process, and he took Hodges' place as chief engineer and works manager. Known as the A-type, this new 20hp model was made up to 1914, by which time around 950 had been sold.
Laurence Pomeroy's tenure as chief engineer saw Vauxhall produce some of the truly outstanding designs of the Edwardian period, commencing with the 20hp Prince Henry in 1910. According to The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile: "Encouraged by the 2000 Mile success, Kidner decided to enter two cars in the 1910 Prince Henry Trials. Pomeroy worked their output up to about 60bhp at 2800rpm and they carried narrow doorless 4-seater bodies fronted by pointed vee-radiators. They were no match for the much bigger Austro-Daimlers, but two of the three cars made non-stop runs. Replicas went on sale towards the end of 1911; officially they were known as the C-type, but they have gone down in history as the Prince Henry model."
Possessing a better than average all-round performance, the Prince Henry was widely used in hill climbs and reliability trials, including demanding winter events on the Continent where it performed with distinction. A 4.0-litre engine was introduced for 1913 and production continued up to early 1915, by which time 140 of the larger cars had been made and 40 of the smaller.
The larger (4.0-litre) version of the Prince Henry's four-cylinder sidevalve engine was further developed for its successor, the D-Type, which, with some 60bhp on tap, was good for 70mph-plus when not overburdened by formal coachwork. The model is perhaps best remembered for its role as a WWI staff car, some 1,500-or-so seeing service with the British Army. Manufacture continued after the cessation of hostilities, though Pomeroy departed and his place was taken by Charles Evelyn King, who designed a new overhead-valve detachable cylinder head for both the D-Type and its legendary sporting stablemate, the 30/98. Updated with King's OHV 'head in mid-1922, the model was known thereafter as the '23/60' or 'OD' and was built until 1926, by which time the Luton firm had become part of the General Motors conglomerate.
The history of this magnificent Prince Henry can be traced back to an advertisement of 2nd August 1919 when the car was offered for sale by its Army officer owner, who had been posted to North Russia (copy on file). It quotes chassis number 'C127' (see below) and states 'small mileage, very fast excellent order £895 with 2/3 seat body hood and screen and speedometer'.
An old-style continuation buff logbook on file records the vehicle's status as 'light bus' and the owner from March 1926 as a James Ditton. The Vauxhall was registered 'LX 4502', as it is now. Apparently, it was Mr Ditton that converted it into a light bus, in which form it remained until 1930. Later listed as a 2/3 seater, the Vauxhall was in a dilapidated state when it was acquired by Ken Ball (of Profile Publications fame) in Crowborough, East Sussex in 1961. Percy Crittall of Crowborough had discovered the car in 1948 and Ken bought it from him.
On file are copies of 'as found' images of Ken Ball with the car on his trailer, showing the rolling chassis, scuttle, screen surround, bonnet, wheels, engine, transmission, etc. Also on file are images of the new four-seat body being made by Ken in the early 1960s. Ken participated in various events with his restored Prince Henry, including the Brighton & Hove Motor Club Speed Trials where it was a class winner; the VCC and VSCC International Rally; and the anniversary of the founding of the RAC Country Club at Epsom, all in 1963. A photograph of the car on Madeira Drive was published in the Veteran & Vintage magazine, and another of it at Epsom in The Autocar (2nd August edition). The Price Henry is also known to have taken part in the Firle hill climb in the 1960s.
In November 1966 Ken Ball offered the Vauxhall for sale at a UK auction where it was purchased by a Harold Webb. Mr Webb was followed by Mary and Rex Broughton, Humphrey Milling, and then by former VCC president, John Landless. John owned 'LX 4502' for many years, and there is a photograph on file of him with the Prince Henry taken at Shelsley Walsh in 1993. The current enthusiast vendors purchased the car from John Landless in June 2001, since when it has been expertly maintained with no expense spared by Nigel Parrott of N P Veteran Engineering, as evidenced by numerous bills on file totalling in excess of £60,000.
Additional paperwork includes starting instructions; DVLA correspondence; VCC correspondence and a Certificate of Date; a quantity of expired MoTs; a (copy) instruction manual; and a V5C Registration Certificate. It should be noted that the date of first registration is given as 4th August 1921, this being shortly after the introduction of the Roads Act of 1920, which required local councils to register all vehicles at the time of licensing and to allocate a separate number to each. (Many vehicles, although in existence for several years in some cases, were only registered for the first time after the Act's passing). It should also be noted that the V5C incorrectly lists the chassis number as 'C127'. Writing in The Vauxhall, marque guru Nic Portway explains that the '1' is a later addition, while the aforementioned VCC Certificate of Date confirms that the chassis number is 'C27'.
David Marsh's 30/98 Register of 2005/6 refers to 'LX 4502' as the oldest surviving 4-litre car to original specification on the standard narrow tapered chassis 34" wide number 'C27' and with engine 'D135C'.
Now in his ninth decade, Ken Ball has let us know that he would be happy to meet the new owner for lunch at The Bull in Ditchling, East Sussex to discuss his memories of the car and share the information in his archive.