The BG 110 James Young drophead, CLR 1, is shown outside the front-door of Barlby Road. The car was in the STD Register during the early 1950s, owned by W.E. Tollworthy (T53), but has not been heard of since. With the car is a dapper little Oriental gentleman whom the STD index-card implied might be Prince Bira - whilst the Bowers note accompanying the illustration read: "5.3.36. ex-King of Siam (Chula?)". However, when the writer contacted the late Peter Hull (former Secretary of the VSCC), who in turn contacted Narisa Chakrabongse (daughter of Chula), Hull suggested and Chakrabongse confirmed that the figure in the photo was Prince Abhas, Bira's brother - who must have been the acquirer of the car, there being no record of either Chula or Bira ever having owned a Talbot (although this doesn't necessarily mean that Chula or Bira didn't order the 110 and give it to Abhas). Included herewith is an illustration of Prince Abhas with his wife Mani, taken from "The Prince and I", the life of Bira, by the latter's wife Princess Ceril Birabongse. CLR 1 is the actual car illustrated in Plate 167 of Blight's Bible, but taken from another angle. Only ten of this model were ever made, and the sole-known survivor is that belonging to Danny van Audenaerde in Belgium, painted Oxford and Cambridge blue, which came to Ingestre in 1996
Exract from TOC magazine sept/oct 2004
Year Last known 1954
ex Bira - ON C K BOWERS CD
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