Tuesday 27th April 1926

John Godfrey Parry-Thomas established a new Land Speed Record of 169.30 mph driving the 450 hp (340 kW) V12 Liberty aero engine of 27 litre capacity Higham-Thomas Special Babs at Pendine Sands, Wales. Babs began as ‘Chitty 4’, one of Count Louis Zborowski’s series of aero-engined cars named ‘Chitty Bang Bang’. As it was built at Zborowski’s estate of Higham Park near Canterbury, it was also known as the Higham Special. Still not fully built by the time of Zborowski’s death in 1924, it was purchased from his estate by J.G. Parry-Thomas for the sum of £125.