The Prince Who Built Vauxhall's Legacy

The Legacy of the 1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry

The 1911 Vauxhall Prince Henry is often celebrated as one of the most influential cars of the 20th century, marking perhaps the first true production sports car. But what led to its creation? And who was the man behind the name — Prince Henry?

His actual name was Heinrich, and he was the Prince of Prussia, a prominent state within the German Empire. He was the brother of Kaiser Wilhelm II and the grandson of Queen Victoria. A passionate motorist, Heinrich organized the Prinz-Heinrich-Fahrt, an event that combined elements of a road rally and reliability trial. It was this competition that inspired the development of the Vauxhall Prince Henry.

The inaugural event in 1908 covered a route from Berlin to Stettin (now Szczecin) on the Baltic coast, then west to Hamburg, down to Trier on the Luxembourg border, and finally east to Frankfurt — a total of approximately 1,370 miles. The competition featured special prizes for speed, reliability, and hill climbing.

The regulations were designed to promote proper touring cars rather than racing specials. They included minimum kerb weight of 860kg, engines with four or six cylinders and piston area and bore limits, two independent brakes, reverse gear, front and rear lights, horn, and number plates. This attracted 129 entries from various marques, some of which are still well-known today, while others have been largely forgotten.

Evolution of the Competition

The initial formula did not work as intended. Many cars had special bodywork, and instead of being driven by "gentlemen," they were operated by racers. Dorothy Levitt, the sole British entrant, drove a Napier, and the overall winner, Fritz Erle, represented the Benz factory. This caused dissatisfaction among legitimate competitors. Additionally, the results of each stage were not announced to the public, leading to further disappointment.

Unsurprisingly, Prince Heinrich revised the regulations for 1909, handicapping factory drivers and defining body and cabin shapes. The route became more adventurous, stretching from Berlin to Breslau (now Wroclaw in southern Poland), south through the Tatra mountains to Budapest, west to Vienna, and back over the Salzburg Alps to Munich. The winner that year was Wilhelm Opel, followed by Count Kolowrat driving for Bohemian firm Laurin & Klement (now Skoda).

In 1910, the event faced criticism once again. Most cars were of the torpedo body type, with radiators designed to reduce wind resistance. Benz cars, with wheels entirely encased in tin, resembled "huge slippers." The route took participants from Berlin to Kassel, down to Nuremberg, through the Black Forest to Metz (now in France), and back to Homburg near Frankfurt.

This year also brought some unfortunate incidents. One car was destroyed by a spectator's discarded match while refueling, another hit a tree, killing its driver, and all participants were drenched by thunderstorms. The winner was Ferdinand Porsche, driving an Austro-Daimler of his own design, which was soon added to the Austrian manufacturer’s range, featuring a "remarkably interesting" engine.

Vauxhall also launched its specially bodied 20hp tourer, which performed well in terms of both reliability and speed. Chief engineer Percy Kidner remarked: “The Germans' interpretation of the rules was refined to a degree. His Royal Highness was much disappointed that his rules had not produced the bodies he wished.”

He praised the drivers, noting that they were all good sportsmen and behaved in a very sportsmanlike manner. He was also impressed by the roads in Prussia, stating that even the Irish highways seemed like billiard tables in comparison. The Continental cars endured the rough conditions at speeds of around 30mph.

Earlier that year, while visiting Britain, Prince Heinrich had agreed with King Edward to plan the 1911 route across the Channel. The journey started from Homburg, heading to Bremerhaven, then via steamer to Southampton, up to Edinburgh, and back to the coast.

Speed trials were removed after the previous year's crash, and entrants were grouped into two national teams. The event received much praise, with admiration for both German and British cars and drivers. It was noted hopefully: “Ignorance is the great cause of racial jealousy. It may come about that rival nations by knowing each other better can keep their rivalry to certain forms which will not kill friendship.”