VAUXHALL PRINCE HENRY. One of the better known ancestors of the sports car, the Vauxhall `Prince Hen

Numerous racing and record-breaking successes at Brooklands track and in sprints, hill-climbs and reliability trials further enhanced the performance, stamina and reputation, and in 1910 the marque tackled the big German Prince Henry Trial, for which the premier award was donated by the Kaiser's brother, Prince Heinrich (Henry) of Prussia.

The regulations for this forerunner of the modern rally en-couraged long-stroke, large-capacity engines, but Vauxhall's chief designer, L H Pomeroy, adapted his 1908 four-cylinder A-type for the contest.

A team of three cars was prepared, their L-Head monobloc side-valve engine of only 3 litres capacity, with a five-bearing crankshaft which was fast-revving for the time at 2500rpm, assisted by raised compression, modified camshaft and special valves to give an effective 60bhp.

A light open four-seater body was graced by a sharp vee-radiator embodying vestigial flutes, which then featured on all Vauxhall production models until the late 1970s. The Vauxhall trio completed the very rugged 1900km (1205miles) course without trouble, although with their relatively small engines their performance was eclipsed by European cars with engines of over 7 litres.

They returned with 'Prince Henry' plaquettes nevertheless, and in 1911 a production version of the Trial cars was marketed with 55bhp, 3-litre engine as the C-type Prince Henry, 43 examples being sold. In 1912 Vauxhall introduced an improved version, the D-type, with an enlarged 4-litre engine giving 75bhp at 2500rpm. This proved an extremely brisk performer, with over 130kph (80mph) maximum speed and pleasing flexibility. It shone brightly in British hillclimbs and races, while many speed records also fell to a special single-seater Vauxhall using a D-type engine.

Still more significantly, the 4-litre Prince Henry provided the basis of the 41-litre 30/98. The birth of the 30/98 was almost accidental.

A prosperous tex-tile engineer, Joseph Higginson, chose speed hillclimbing as one of his hobbies and aspired to break the Shelsley Walsh record. He asked LH Pomeroy, the Vauxhall designer, to build him a suitable car. Pomeroy took one of the Vauxhall 4-litre Prince Henry engines, enlarged it by rather drastic methods to 41 litres, and inserted the resultant 90bhp unit into one of Vauxhall's 1912 Coupe de l'Auto racing chassis.

In 1913 Higginson got his record, over 8 sec faster than the old one, and Vauxhall got a hefty fee and the basis of a fine new sporting model. With a new crankshaft and a stronger cylinder block, the new engine went into limited production in a short, whippy two-wheel-braked chassis carrying stark open four-seater bodywork.

This car, the E-type 30/98, was announced late in 1913 and only 13 were built before the First World War. In 1919, however, the E-type was revived, its design more Edwar-dian than Vintage yet with charms including superb flexibility, stirring acceleration and over 130kph (80mph) from the lusty, thumping 'big-four' engine, limited only by the inadequacies in-herent with rear-wheel and transmission brakes only.

Early in 1923 a new 4.2-litre ohv edition, the OE, was introduced; 22 extra bhp meant even more vigour, making the 30/98 the fastest British sporting car of its time, while the same year also brought the sorely needed four-wheel brakes. Exponents reaped a rich harvest in sprints, hillclimbs and short races, although the car was never seriously raced in long-distance events as was its great rival, the Bentley.

Fewer than 600 30/98s were built, the last appearing in mid-1927 when the company had been taken over by General Motors. The last few months' cars had hydraulically-operated front brakes, several engine improvements, and a new gearbox, bringing con-siderable refinement, but the 30/98 epitomised the rugged spartan, and immensely lively early-Vintage sports car.