Brooklands Museum has marked the 100th anniversary of Britain’s first Grand Prix with the most comprehensive gathering of racing cars ever assembled.
More than 120 Grand Prix and Formula 1 cars representing more than 50 marques and a century of motor racing history were represented at the event in Weybridge, Surrey.
They gathered at Brooklands’ historic Finishing Straight at precisely 2pm – the time at which the first Grand Prix of the Royal Automobile Club had been flagged away on 7 August 1926.
Occupying pole position at the centre of the front row was a Delage 15-S-8, identical to the victorious machine shared by French aces Robert Sénéchal and Louis Wagner in 1926.
Flanking it were two actual entrants from Britain’s first Grand Prix – the Thomas ‘Flatiron’ Special and the Halford Special.
Completing the remarkable front row were six more legendary racing cars spanning successive generations of Grand Prix history. Representing the 1930s was a stunning recreation of the mighty Mercedes W125, while an all-conquering Alfa Romeo 158/159 represented the 1950s.
The innovative six-wheeled Tyrrell P34 flew the flag for the 1970s, while the iconic red-and-white, ex-Ayrton Senna Honda V12-powered McLaren MP4/6 represented the 1990s.
Completing the timeline were a Silver Arrows Mercedes-AMG Petronas W01-04 and a papaya-coloured McLaren MCL38 from reigning World Champions McLaren.
Among the many distinguished guests at Brooklands was Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 World Champion and President of the Brooklands Trust Members.
Hill has a special connection with the preservation of the historic venue and was eager to seek out a number of the Formula 1 cars he and his double World Champion father, Graham Hill, had raced during their illustrious careers.
The event also witnessed a moving recreation of the 1926 Grand Prix grid on exactly the same spot as the original race start on the Members’ Banking.
As in 1926, nine pioneering cars lined up, comprising two Delages, the Halford Special and an Aston Martin – this time the 1922 TT1 ‘Green Pea’.
Not only was the 1926 Grand Prix the maiden race of its kind in the UK, Brooklands was also the world’s first purpose‑built motor racing circuit when it was built in 1907.
The circuit hosted its last race in August 1939. War broke out the following month, the wider site was given over to military aircraft production, and what was left the circuit fell into disrepair.
