72 New Zealand Classic Car | themotorhood.com
to the past. In 1950, he took part in his first
London to Brighton Veteran Car Run with a
1903 6hp De Dion-Bouton two-seater, and he
rarely missed competing in the annual event
after that.
“My first historic car race was at
Brands Hatch and I won in a 1915 Prince
Henry Vauxhall,” he said.Ultimate experience
Of long-distance rallying, Montagu ranked
the 12,000-mile (19,312km) Peking to Paris
event in 1997 as his greatest experience. He
entered the same late-Edwardian Vauxhall,
but it came to a halt on the first day with a
punctured radiator, forcing him to grab a lift
in a Phantom V Rolls-Royce belonging to
Sydney surgeon John Matheson.
“There are few experiences moreexhilarating than travelling through exotic
landscapes, on testing roads, in classic
cars, and in the company of like-minded
enthusiasts. I have been lucky enough to do it
all my life, and it has been a huge privilege,”
Montagu declared in 2000.Multifaceted life
Lord Montagu was a prolific writer, penning
the first-ever biography of Jaguar, a book
that has been updated seven times. He
wrote a history of Daimler, published in
1996 to mark the centenary year of the
marque with which his family had long been
associated. Other works included a biography
of Charles Rolls, Rolls-Royce: 80 Years of
Motoring Excellence, and The Gordon Bennett
Races. He also founded Veteran and Vintage
magazine in 1956.
In addition to his fondness for Daimler,
Montagu enjoyed a special affection for
Jaguar. In early in 1959, he had just taken
delivery of a new red 3.4 Jaguar saloon
from Mike Hawthorn’s garage in Surrey
when he was shocked to hear that the then–
recently crowned world champion driver
had been killed in a road accident. In 1999,
Montagu bought a new Daimler Sovereign
and recalled, “There can’t be many families
who can boast they own and drive the same
marque after a hundred years.”
On the opening day of the original smallmuseum 67 years ago, Montagu told his
house guests that if more than 100 visitors
arrived by 6pm, they would have champagne
with dinner. The doors opened at 11am, and
by 12.30pm the hundredth visitor had paid
the entry fee of 2s 6d. “We had champagne
with lunch,” Montagu said.
Within a few years, more than half a
million visitors a year were flocking to
see the growing collection. Writing in
his autobiography Wheels Within Wheels,
published in 2000, Montagu said, “I
had no idea that my car collection would
one day become the National Motor
Museum, one of the country’s top tourist
attractions and a crucial record of Britain’s
motoring heritage.”
The two interviews I had with Montagu
in New Zealand were brief as he seemingly
dashed from one thing to another in
his hugely busy and industrious, if
unconventional, life. I made several visits to
the Beaulieu museum over three decades, and
there was always something new and exciting
to see. I also enjoyed a fascinating day at one
of the Autojumble swaps in Hampshire.
When Lord Montagu died in August 2015,
aged 88, after a short illness, he left a huge
and permanent motoring legacy. He had two
marriages and three children, one of whom
is Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu, fourth
Baron Montagu of Beaulieu.The National Motor Museum, opened in 1972“I had no idea that my
car collection would
one day become the
National Motor Museum,
one of the country’s top
tourist attractions and a
crucial record of Britain’s
motoring heritage”