Letter of the month
SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS ago, in 1956, the Royal Aero Club said an aircraft could be as economical to operate as a car, and to prove it they staged a ‘race’ between an Auster J4 and a Triumph TR, which each had two seats and 100bhp. A £50 bet was made, which was taken up by the British Automobile Racing Club.
In 2021 I set out to try to recreate this ‘race’ by enlisting the help of the Auster Club and the TR Register. I was surprised to learn that Priscilla, aka G-AIJM, still existed and was being restored to airworthy condition. Searching for the two TR3s that took part in the challenge proved more difficult, as neither SVC 368 nor SRW 990 is recorded with the DVLA or the TR Register.
Nigel Huxtable, the owner of the Auster, told me that due to an engine failure the aircraft wouldn’t be airworthy for another year. Greg Lerigo then kindly offered the use of his ex-works Sebring TR3, SRW 992, which is a sister car to one of the original TRs that took part.
The original challenge involved departing from St Just airport in Cornwall and flying/driving up to Wick, the closest airfield to John O’Groats, and then back to Elstree Aerodrome, London. The officials certified that the TR3 had won handsomely, recording 43mpg as against the Auster’s 22.1mpg. However, the Auster took just 17h
