From the archives of Bob Montgomery, motoring historian
CHAMBERS MOTORS: The Chambers brothers, Robert and Charlie, set up in business as general millwrights at Cuba Street, Belfast in 1897. Their brother Jack was managing director of the Vauxhall Iron Works in London but resigned in January 1904, apparently after a boardroom disagreement. While at Vauxhall, Jack had designed a two-cylinder car, and later a light van for Alford and Adler Ltd. He joined his brothers and they began making a car named the Downshire, but this name was soon dropped in favour of Chambers. This first car was followed by an 8 hp car which gained a good reputation amongst the medical fraternity. The cars were of the highest quality, built by craftsmen using good materials and incorporated a unique design of epicycle gearbox in the rear axle.
For the first 10 years of their existence, Chambers could claim to be the only company manufacturing cars in Ireland. They acquired a good reputation amongst users, but their many unconventional features frightened off mechanics who might have to work on them.
The start of the first World War caused major disruption and the manufacture of Chambers cars quickly came to a halt, although a number of ambulances continued to be made. Instead, the factory turned to the production of munitions. They designed innovative machinery for munitions manufacture, and also made aircraft parts under sub-contract from Harland and Wolff.
The end of the war caused severe financial problems for Chambers, as the factory was geared to a high level of production, which stopped overnight, and was then followed by a long delay in payments from the British government, resulting in major cash flow problems. Struggling to restart car making, the brothers felt they needed to replace their ageing engines, eventually buying off-the-shelf engines from Henry Meadows Limited of Wolverhampton.
Despite acquiring an agency for Karrier commercial vehicles and later for Renault cars and commercials, the writing was on the wall for Chambers, and in August 1929 the firm went into voluntary liquidation. Today, only four examples of Chambers cars are known to have survived.
THE ICE-MAN: In motor racing history the bitter rivalry that existed between team-mates Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost has only one parallel - that which existed in the 1920s and '30s between Tazio Nuvolari and Achille Varzi. Nuvolari was all Latin temperament while Varzi remained cool and calculating. The two could hardly have been more different and, despite Nuvolari's flair, it was more often the cool calculation of Varzi that was victorious in the early days of their rivalry. Then, just as with Senna over Prost, Nuvolari began to gain the upper hand. Nowhere was this more apparent that in the 1930 Millie Miglia.
This Italian race was one of the toughest and most hazardous in the world, run over tight twisting roads that were impossible to learn, no matter how often they were practised. The cars started at intervals of one minute, and on the second day Nuvolari was well ahead on time, if not on the road. As dawn came up, he spotted Varzi ahead. Switching off his lights, he caught up to him without being seen until at the last moment, he turned on his lights and swept past on his way to victory. Varzi was humiliated - and knew it.
Three weeks later, he had his revenge. The two found themselves together with Campari in the Alfa team for the Targa Florio at the Madonie circuit in Sicily. Team manager Enzo Ferrari brought a modified Alfa P2, but Nuvolari and Campari declared the car too difficult for the demanding roads over which the race would be run.
Varzi thought differently. On the first lap he set a new lap record. On the third he had a fuel leak which allowed his pursuers to close up on him. Entering the final lap he was in second place. But instead of stopping for fuel he told his riding mechanic to take a fuel can on board, telling him to refuel as they sped along the road. Inevitably, some spilt on the hot exhaust, causing a fire which the mechanic put out with a seat cushion. Somehow, they took the lead again and won to wild cheers. Campari was third and Nuvolari fifth. The Ice-Man had made his point.