What happened to Zelia? (update: or is it Lelia?)

[quote name="David Smallacombe"]Thanks for that David but that is where the two photos of Zelia came from. I do have the book which has some fantastic photos in it. Thank you once again for your offer.[/quote]
Be careful with that book, there's lots of mis-identification of the cars in the photos!

you will find that picture also in: A History of Sportscars by G.N.Georgano, page 12. The photo is from the Montagu Motor Museum.
Perhaps they have more information.

Thanks for that David but that is where the two photos of Zelia came from. I do have the book which has some fantastic photos in it. Thank you once again for your offer.

In the book "The Golden Age of Motoring" by Roy Bacon, where-in most photographs are by Bill Brunell, on pages 15 and 16 you will find much larger pictures of that exact scene, one from the front showing around forty cars and one from the rear showing fewer, but both with 'Zelia' prominent. If David Smallacombe E-Mails me his address I will send him copies of both. I will attempt to send one to PWC as well by E Mail. The photos are not dated, but a very young Raymond Mays is in another of the same venue in his Brescia.

I love the surrounding cars - a Hispano, Humber, and what looks like to me a TT Humber, but exhaust on wrong side and radiator not quite right - Nic or Judy Portway, would you care to put us all right?

David, That's an interesting car to research. I don't remember seeing it before. The radiator cowl is the same as the 1926 Bullnose "Red Flash"
(http://tinyurl.com/on3xne5) perhaps influenced by Sunbeam's rad cowl as early as 1913?
Good luck with your rebuild.
Robin.

Mrs Google says-

Leila a girl's name pronounced LEE-lah, LAY-lah, LYE-lah. Of Arabic origin, and the meaning of Leila is "night beauty". Used by authors for the names of exotic female characters in the early 19th century. The name is popular in the Middle East.
Leila has variant forms: Lelia, Leyla, Lila, Lilah and Lyla.

Tony.

It could well be Lelia - if you look at some fonts - try 'Harlow Solid Italic' or similar the capital L has a very Z look about it.

Tony.

Thank you gentlemen for your comments. First of all Siegfried, you are right, I am sure that the wheels are in fact Sankey type artillery wheels with discs attached. It is possible to make out five bolts on the covers. I made the comment about disc wheels because of the wheels on the car listed in the catalogue. Gareth, Frazer is correct, the car is definitely a White and Poppe model which was only produced between 1913-1915. Yes I am a member of the Bullnose Club, Margaret Goding has just finished dating my car which I am rebuilding as a roadster as it was originally. I will send a photo to the editor.
Richard, good idea, thanks for that but do you have to be a member of the Brooklands Society to receive information from them?
Kit, yes it could be Lelia but I really like the idea of Zelia, it sounds more exotic to me. Though if you look up "Zelia" there seems to be a great variety of different meanings. Regards, David

It might be interesting to note that Countess Lelia and Count Karl Kevenhuller were avid motorists of the pre-Great War period , owning a 1905 Mercedes Simplex.
Did he ,perchance ,dabble in racing at Brooklands and name his mount in honour of his paramour??

It might be worth contacting the Brooklands Society: before the Great War it was common practice for Brooklands cars to carry 'pet names'. A few at random from Bill Boddy's book: Pobble, Guarded Flame, Samson, Firefly and - of course - Mephistopheles and Blue Bird.

The long tail and and disc wheels are also typical of pre-1914 Brooklands practice.

Definitely not "Xelia," but could it possibly be "Lelia"?

You are of course quite correct Frazer, although the Bullnose retained three quarter elliptics until the end of production in 1926. I had meant to write 1920's rather than 1929.

Gareth, the cars surrounding 'Zelia' are all 1912/14 period, particularly the Alfonso Hispano Suiza in the background. The wheelbase of the car coupled with the right hand change and three quarter elliptic rear suspension would render the 1929 period you suggest incorrect.

Although I am in no doubt that 'Xelia' was a Bullnose Morris with a special body, I am less sure that the car was of such an earl date. As I am sure you are aware, the model was in production until 1926. Although the photo isn't very clear, this example appears to have a tie bar between the front dumb irons which suggests a front wheel braked chassis of 1929's period.
The Bullnose Morris Club is as you might expect a vast repository of knowledge on all things Morris of the period; if you are not already a member I can recommend the Club wholeheartedly. It would be great to see this fascinating photo reproduced in their magazine.

I dont know about the Zelia , but two things i saw on other cars, the cowl over the radiator was fashon for race cars, to get more air to the radiator.
The wheels look for me like like discs which cover the Wooden or Spoke wheels.