An old trunk ...

Bought an old trunk yesterday, from an antiques shop in Buckinghamshire. Incredible 'piece of tat'. Stand it on its end and it's chest high. Of interest were the two labels on the end. Passenger, travelling first class (what else)?, one G.A.Vandervell. Date: 30 June 1949. Travelling: New York-Southampton. Vessel: Queen Elizabeth, Cunard.

Can anyone shed any light on this date as it was this year, I believe, that Guy Anthony Vandervell effectively launched his own Vanwall (nee Thinwall) F1 team. It's the journey he was taking in which I'm more interested - was he coming back from a race or was it a business trip or a holiday?

There's no clue in the Jenkinson/Posthumus book - only a note that Peter Berthon completed a report for GAV on the first Thinwall Special Ferrari at the end of June, after its somewhat disappointing debut at Silverstone on May 14th (bear in mind that Vandervell was still heavily involved with BRM at this stage and the Ferrari was actually bought for them). Doug Nye in "BRM" says that the report was "blunt", which is a bit of an understatement! But again no clue to GAV's movements between mid-May and late June.

The time scale would of course fit with a trip to Indianapolis, which I suspect is what you think he might have been doing. I don't have any 1949 magazines or a comprehensive Indy report for that year though.

Looking again at DSJ/CP's Vanwall book, they record that he was a regular trans-Atlantic flyer during the war, engaged on important war work. On one occasion he found time to attend the 500 (in 1940 or 1941? Probably the latter) but was not impressed, calling it "a circus - all paper hats, streamers and girls": not GAV's idea of a motor race!

There was also a Canadian arm of Vandervell Products, founded in 1946 at Etobicoke between Toronto and Hamilton - he might have been visiting that, although (again from DSJ/CP) GAV had predicted extensive business travel by air once the war ended. So, a sea passage might just indicate a holiday, since he'd be unlikely to have taken a trunk on a plane!

I haven't a clue guys, but this is fascinating stuff......... :)

I agree, what a fantastic thing to come accross

Probably ordinary business travel to try and sell bearings to the US car industry? (Seem to recall references to his initially unsuccessful attempts to do so?). Transatlantic air travel was not normal at that time and most crossings were still by ship for even the most well off, including movie stars etc?

I would agree with the ordinary business travel hypothesis. Remember that his 'Vandervall' Thinwall bearings were manufactured under licence from a US firm.

Although involved with BRM and also with the 'Thinwall' at that time he would still have been actively involved with his business.