Ernest Eldridge

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name = Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge


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birth_name = Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge
birth_date = 18 July 1897
birth_place = Hampstead, London, England
death_date = 27 October 1937
death_place = Kensington, London, England
death_cause = Pneumonia
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nationality = British
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known_for = Land speed record holder
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occupation = Automobile engineer
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partner = Marjorie M Tooth
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Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge (18 July, 1897 - 27 October 1937 ) was a British racing car driver who broke the world land speed record in the 1920s. His was the last land speed record set on an open road.

Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge.

Ernest Arthur Douglas Eldridge was born on 18 July, 1897 at Hampstead, London. He was born to a wealthy family in Hampstead, London. His father was a "bill discounter" and amassed a very tidy fortune. Educated at Harrow School he quit while in the 6th form to go to the Western Front, in the First World War.

Eldridge joined [Ancestry.com. British Army WWI Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920 [database on-line] . Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2008. Original data: Army Medal Office. WWI Medal Index Cards. In the care of The Western Front Association website.] the British Red Cross Society and Order of St John of Jerusalem, possibly as an ambulance driver. He may have also served in the French Artillery.

He married Majorie M Tooth in 1915 at Brentford, Middlesex.

Not much is known about the years between 1918 and 1921 when he reappeared at Brooklands. There are unconfirmed myths about him flying with Count Zborowski.

The early part of his racing career is littered with corpses of large, often aeroengined, racing cars.

His first racing appearance was in 1921 with a rare chain-driven Isotta-Fraschini which was lapping at more than 90 mph.

The following year Eldridge startled the Brooklands crowd by appearing with a 240 horse-power Maybach aero engine in his 1907 Isotta-Frashini chassis, which had been stretched to accommodate the giant power plant. This 20 litre racer had a tiny two-seater body made by Jarvis of Wimbledon and caused something of a sensation, even when monstrosities were not uncommon in motor racing circles. It won its first race at more than 101 mph but over all was not terribly successful. He sold the it to a Frenchman who went under the nom de guerre of "Le Champion". Eldridge then turned to a 10 litre Fiat, which he drove with some success.

With the proceeds he bought Mefistofele, and embarked on his famous escapades and taking the World Land Speed Record record at an average of 146.013mph over the flying kilometre.

He received his pilot licence (Number 7944) on 21 August, 1923 at Stag Lane Aerodrome, Edgware and Brooklands, flying a Sopwith Gnu. His licence lists his profession as Automobile Engineer.

In 1925 he sold Mefistofele to 'Le Champion' and decided to enter the world of Grand Prix Motor Racing with cars of his own design, the Eldridge Specials. Based on Amilcar chassis with Anzani engines, these cars were entered at many races for the 1925 and 1926 seasons including the Brooklands 200, The San Sebastian, the L'ACF and the Italian GPs. He also entered the 1926 Indy 500, no doubt tempted by the prize money.

Whilst in the USA, he tried a Miller 122, and was so impressed he ran it at Salem, Rockingham, Atlantic City and Altoona before returning to Europe to break records at Montlhéry. Whilst attempting speed records over the Christmas Holidays the front axle disintegrated, the car somersaulted, and Ernest was left with serious head injuries and the loss of an eye.

Once recovered he continued to take records with other cars, including a Chrysler at Montlhéry, and then becamethe "Record Attempt Manager" for Capt Eyston.

In 1929 they meant to co-operate in a joint assault on the 750cc world records with a French-built Ratier. When it was ready for testing at Montlhéry, with Eyston away racing , Eldridge took the wheel.

As Eyston recalled in his book Flat Out [cite book
title=Flat Out
author=George Edward Thomas Eyston
publisher=J. Miles, Ltd
date=1933
asin=B0008978K8] :" "I heard afterwards what a comic sight this had been. Ernest is by no means slim, and here he was sitting in a little bucket seat on the bare chassis, the wind ballooning his trousers and coat. He, I was told, looked like a true 'Bibendum' as he manipulated the chassis round Montlhéry." "

The Ratier project was scrapped, though, as the two friends became involved with the first-ever MG record car EX120. With Eyston at the wheel, it was the first 750cc car in the world to set records at more than 100mph. Eldridge played an important part in the development of the pioneering EX120. He designed a counter-balanced crankshaft as part of the tuning work on the engine, before EX120's first visit to Montlhéry in December 1930. It took several records at speeds up to 87mph. Eldridge told Cecil Kimber of MG that the car would have to be supercharged, if it were to have any chance of heading off a rival 100mph attempt by Malcolm Campbell in a blown Austin Seven.

Kimber agreed, and Eldridge supervised the work as the engine was fitted with one of Eyston's Powerplus superchargers. And he was there at Montlhéry as Eyston's signaller:" "Uncle Ernest stood out in the middle of the straight opposite the timekeepers' box with a little flag in his hand. He would raise or lower it in accordance with the lap speed I was putting up." "

Eyston had also been successful attacking records over longer distances with Hotchkiss and Panhard machinery, as well as the Rolls-Royce-engined, 'Speed of the Wind' record breaker, that Eldridge helped design and went to Bonneville to manage the record attempt.

It was whilst returning from a trip to Bonneville to supervise the record attempts that Eldridge contracted the pneumonia that he subsequently died from in Kensington. He was 40 years old.

Ernest was certainly a colourful chararcter. He spent the family fortune on gambling, racing and flying. He once lost £60,000 playing "chemy", in Monte Carlo in 1922, on the turn of one card.

World Land Speed Record 1924

Speed over 1 km -146.01 mph 234.98 km/h
Speed over 1 mile -145.89 mph 234.79 km/h
Driver - Ernest A. D. Eldridge.
Car - FIAT Special Mephistopeles II (Mefistofele)
Date - July 12, 1924.
Place - Arpajon, France.
Engine - Fiat A.12
This was the last land speed record set on a public road.

Indy 500 results

External links

* [http://www.bigscalemodels.com/cars/fiat_mefistofele/mephistopheles.html] www.BigScaleModels.com - 1/12 scale model information and reference photos.

References

* [http://www.historicracing.com/drivers_alpha.cfm?start=1&page_no=1&driverID=7556] HistoricRacing.com
* [http://www.carkeys.co.uk/features/classichistoric/969.asp] Mephistopheles Returns. by Ross Finlay (15 Jun 01)
* [http://www.landracing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6&Itemid=20] Land Speed Record List at LandRacing.com

See also

Land speed record