Look Who it Was Random video

George Daniels - First Bentleys and amateur racing (80/85)

1,356 views · Published 12 July 2017 · 1:40 · Indexed 18 October 2026

Channel: Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People · 2017 · Science & Technology

Watch on YouTube

To listen to more of George Daniels’s stories, go to the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVV0r6CmEsFzkr4WCsqrhvkOpA-pLIGmS

English watch-maker George Daniels (1926-2011) was most famous for creating the co-axial escarpment and could make a complete watch by hand.  In his lifetime, he received many awards, including the rarely-given Gold Medal of the Clockmakers' Company of London. [Listener: Roger Smith; date recorded: 2003]

TRANSCRIPT: I have earlier mentioned the Landaulet... Bentley Landaulet, which I bought, and I don't have to go into all the details about that again, but it was a stirring car and I bought it partially by accident. It weighed over 2 tons and only had a 3 litre engine of 1924 vintage, and so it was a bit struggling for power now and again but nevertheless I enjoyed it very much and my friends mainly had Open 3 litre Touring Bentleys and they would sometimes attempt to show me a clean pair of heels but it wasn't easy. When I wound that Landaulet up through the gears it would really go like a racing car and it made a great deal of fuss about going round corners but if you were 2 tons and rather long, you would make a fuss about corners. And eventually I sold the Landaulet and I bought another Bentley, a 4½ litre Bentley this time. I wanted more speed and it was a 3 litre Bentley with a 4½ litre engine and this was the... then... arrangement that one needed to produce a car that would be light to handle and very quick and I wanted this car for racing. So I took up amateur racing with that and enjoyed it very much and have in fact enjoyed amateur racing for the past 45 years. It's quite enjoyable and very exhilarating and of course a very good social centre. You meet lots of interesting people with like interests.

More from this channel