Amherst Villiers
Encyclopedia
Amherst Villiers was an English automotive, aeronautical and astronautic engineer and portrait painter.
He designed a land speed record-breaking car for Malcolm Campbell
, and developed the supercharged "Blower Bentley", driven by Henry Birkin
and (in fiction) by James Bond
.
and the Hon. Elaine Augusta Guest.
He was educated at Oundle School
and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
.
and supercharging a Vauxhall for racing driver Raymond Mays
.
He designed the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird which Malcolm Campbell
used to break the land speed record
in 1927 with an average speed of 174.88 mph.
The 'Blower Bentley' was developed in 'Bentley Boy
' Henry 'Tim' Birkin
's workshop in 1929, using an Amherst Villiers supercharger
bolted to the front of a Bentley 4½ Litre to boost its maximum power to 175 hp. It never won a major race, but it set new lap records at Brooklands
.
In 1930 he bought from the Air Ministry one of the Gloster IV
biplanes which had been used by the RAF High Speed Flight as practice machines for the Schneider Trophy
. He was planning to install an unsupercharged geared Napier Lion
racing engine and remove the floats for an attempt to break the world air speed record, but the plans did not come to fruition.
In 1936 Villiers developed a 120/130 hp four-cylinder aero engine, the Amherst Villiers Maya I (named after his wife).
The engine was first tested in a B.A. Eagle
and later in Villiers' own Miles Whitney Straight, but did not go into production.
During the Second World War he served as a ferry pilot.
After the war he joined the "Brain drain
" of scientists and engineers moving to the USA to work on the space programme. He became a portrait painter in New York, and his portraits of his friends Ian Fleming
and Graham Hill
hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In Fleming's first James Bond
novel, Casino Royale
, Bond drives a 4.5-litre Bentley with the Amherst Villiers supercharger.
He died on 12 December 1991.
Official Author Website
He designed a land speed record-breaking car for Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
, and developed the supercharged "Blower Bentley", driven by Henry Birkin
Henry Birkin
Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin, 3rd Baronet was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.-Background and family:...
and (in fiction) by James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
.
Early life
Charles Amherst Villiers was born in London on 9 December 1900, the son of Ernest Amherst VilliersErnest Villiers
Ernest Amherst Villiers , was a British clergyman and Liberal politician.Villiers was the son of Reverend Charles Villiers of Croft, Yorkshire, and his wife Florence Mary . His great-grandfather, the Hon...
and the Hon. Elaine Augusta Guest.
He was educated at Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
Gonville and Caius College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college is often referred to simply as "Caius" , after its second founder, John Keys, who fashionably latinised the spelling of his name after studying in Italy.- Outline :Gonville and...
.
Career
Villiers began his automotive career modifying Brescia BugattisBugatti Type 13
The Type 13 was the first real Bugatti car. Production of the Type 13 and later Types 15, 17, 22, and 23, began with the company's founding in 1910 and lasted through 1920 with 435 examples produced. Most road cars used an 8-valve engine, though five Type 13 racers had 16-valve heads, one of the...
and supercharging a Vauxhall for racing driver Raymond Mays
Raymond Mays
Thomas Raymond Mays CBE was an auto racing driver and entrepreneur from Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.He attended Oundle School, where he met Amherst Villiers, leaving at the end of 1917. After army service in the Grenadier Guards in France, he attended Christ's College, Cambridge...
.
He designed the Napier-Campbell Blue Bird which Malcolm Campbell
Malcolm Campbell
Sir Malcolm Campbell was an English racing motorist and motoring journalist. He gained the world speed record on land and on water at various times during the 1920s and 1930s using vehicles called Blue Bird...
used to break the land speed record
Land speed record
The land speed record is the highest speed achieved by a wheeled vehicle on land. There is no single body for validation and regulation; in practice the Category C flying start regulations are used, officiated by regional or national organizations under the auspices of the Fédération...
in 1927 with an average speed of 174.88 mph.
The 'Blower Bentley' was developed in 'Bentley Boy
Bentley Boys
The Bentley Boys were a group of wealthy British motorists who drove Bentley sports cars to victory in the 1920s and kept the marque's reputation for high performance alive...
' Henry 'Tim' Birkin
Henry Birkin
Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin, 3rd Baronet was a British racing driver, one of the "Bentley Boys" of the 1920s.-Background and family:...
's workshop in 1929, using an Amherst Villiers supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
bolted to the front of a Bentley 4½ Litre to boost its maximum power to 175 hp. It never won a major race, but it set new lap records at Brooklands
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England. It opened in 1907, and was the world's first purpose-built motorsport venue, as well as one of Britain's first airfields...
.
In 1930 he bought from the Air Ministry one of the Gloster IV
Gloster IV
|-References:*"". Flight, 6 October 1927. pp. 695—699.*"The “Gloster IV”". Flight, 1 March 1928. pp. 129—134.*James, Derek J. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London:Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0 370 00084 6....
biplanes which had been used by the RAF High Speed Flight as practice machines for the Schneider Trophy
Schneider Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...
. He was planning to install an unsupercharged geared Napier Lion
Napier Lion
The Napier Lion was a 12-cylinder broad arrow configuration aircraft engine built by Napier & Son starting in 1917, and ending in the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day, and kept it in production long after contemporary designs had stopped production...
racing engine and remove the floats for an attempt to break the world air speed record, but the plans did not come to fruition.
In 1936 Villiers developed a 120/130 hp four-cylinder aero engine, the Amherst Villiers Maya I (named after his wife).
The engine was first tested in a B.A. Eagle
British Aircraft Eagle
-External links:* *...
and later in Villiers' own Miles Whitney Straight, but did not go into production.
During the Second World War he served as a ferry pilot.
After the war he joined the "Brain drain
Brain drain
Human capital flight, more commonly referred to as "brain drain", is the large-scale emigration of a large group of individuals with technical skills or knowledge. The reasons usually include two aspects which respectively come from countries and individuals...
" of scientists and engineers moving to the USA to work on the space programme. He became a portrait painter in New York, and his portraits of his friends Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming was a British author, journalist and Naval Intelligence Officer.Fleming is best known for creating the fictional British spy James Bond and for a series of twelve novels and nine short stories about the character, one of the biggest-selling series of fictional books of...
and Graham Hill
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
hang in the National Portrait Gallery in London. In Fleming's first James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
novel, Casino Royale
Casino Royale (novel)
Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors....
, Bond drives a 4.5-litre Bentley with the Amherst Villiers supercharger.
Personal life
Charles Amherst Villiers married, first, Maya de Lisle Adam. They had two children, Charles Churchill Villiers and Jane Villiers. After they were divorced he married Juanita Lorraine Brown.He died on 12 December 1991.
Further reading
- Kenny, Paul. The Man Who Supercharged Bond: The extraordinary story of Charles Amherst Villiers, Haynes Publishing, 2009.
Official Author Website