On first sight the above drawing has nothing to do with prewar cars. But it does! It's an angry, shouting peasant, holding his bleeding goose that has just been run over by a passing motorist. The pen-and-ink drawing was made in 1904 by Hubert von Herkomer, who was born in Bayern, Germany, but grew up in England. Herkomer was a very talented painter, most famous for his portraits and The Last Muster a study of Chelsea pensioners. As a motoring enthusiast, Herkomer wanted to help the development of the motorcar by presenting a trophy to the Bayerische Automobil Club. Herkomer designed the 40 kilogram sterling silver trophy himself. It was to be the first prize in the so-called Herkomer-Konkurrenz, a series of reliability trials that were held between 1905 and 1907. Rumour has it that the drawing was made by Herkomer during the discussions with the B.A.C. about his prize.


















images collection Rutger Booy

March 26, 2006