An Austin 747 cc takes a gnarly turn at the Donington Park Race Meeting, May 13, 1933. The on-lookers' calm expressions exemplify the typical nature of this kind of wild driving. 
An Austin 747 cc takes a gnarly turn at the Donington Park Race Meeting, May 13, 1933. The on-lookers' calm expressions exemplify the typical nature of this kind of wild driving.
The Motoring Picture Library 
Skinny tires make for slippery turns. Notice the enormous steering wheel on the car. Here, the Austin 7 team, with an unknown woman in the driver's seat, preps for the race in 1937.
Skinny tires make for slippery turns. Notice the enormous steering wheel on the car. Here, the Austin 7 team, with an unknown woman in the driver's seat, preps for the race in 1937.
The Motoring Picture Library Mechanics make final adjustments before the start of the Irish Grand Prix in Dublin, 1930.
Mechanics make final adjustments before the start of the Irish Grand Prix in Dublin, 1930.
The Motoring Picture Library An unnamed driver feeds a deer in a 1922 BSA 1075 cc in Richmond Park, Surrey. Notice the crank start knob at the bottom of the grille.
An unnamed driver feeds a deer in a 1922 BSA 1075 cc in Richmond Park, Surrey. Notice the crank start knob at the bottom of the grille.
The Motoring Picture Library Driver Raymond Mays in a Bugatti Brescia 1496 cc at the Porthcawl Speed Trials, June 29, 1922. Mays was a major figure in British racing with a decades-long career.
The Motoring Picture Library A mechanic wrenches on a Lea-Francis 1496S cc that was retired from the race due to engine issues. May 8 or 9, 1931.
A mechanic wrenches on a Lea-Francis 1496S cc that was retired from the race due to engine issues. May 8 or 9, 1931.
The Motoring Picture Library An MGJ2s leads the Barnstaple Trial race through a river in 1932.
An MGJ2s leads the Barnstaple Trial race through a river in 1932.
The Motoring Picture Library Kitty Brunell, the photographer's daughter and race driver, stands in a Singer 8. Date unknown.
Kitty Brunell, the photographer's daughter and race driver, stands in a Singer 8. Date unknown.
The Motoring Picture Library Crowds and a nonplussed constabulary watch a Singer 1937 B37 1.5-liter at the Torquay Rally, July 16/17, 1937.
Crowds and a nonplussed constabulary watch a Singer 1937 B37 1.5-liter at the Torquay Rally, July 16/17, 1937.
The Motoring Picture Library Kitty Brunell works on a Singer Junior 848 cc at the Monte Carlo Rally, January 1928.
Kitty Brunell works on a Singer Junior 848 cc at the Monte Carlo Rally, January 1928.
The Motoring Picture Library Kitty Brunell drives the Talbot 14/45 known as the Kitty II at the January 1930 Monte Carlo Rally. She placed 40th out of 87.
Kitty Brunell drives the Talbot 14/45 known as the Kitty II at the January 1930 Monte Carlo Rally. She placed 40th out of 87.
The Motoring Picture Library 
The race car drivers of the 1920s and 1930s were total badasses, and if you don’t believe it, these glorious shots from photographer and part-time rally and trials driver Bill Brunell will prove you wrong. Five thousand of his shots were recently added to the Motoring Picture Library, and they reveal what racing looked like in the days before helmets, seat belts, air bags, and traction control had made high speed driving much safer.At the time, auto racing in Britain was a hobby for the rich, and victory brought enormous prestige for the car maker and the driver. “I think it was because of all the nationalism associated with auto racing during the Interwar period,” says John Heitmann, president of the Society of Automotive Historians. “It intensified the competition, even before Mussolini and Hitler got involved. And it was so exciting, and deadly.”
One of the recurring stars in Brunell’s photos is his daughter, Kitty. Among her smattering of high-place finishes in major races throughout Europe, she drove a Talbot 14/45 in the 1929 Monte Carlo Rally, with a body she designed herself. Talbot, impressed with her driving and design acumen, built a car dubbed the 1930 Kitty II in her honor.
Brunell’s images, most of where were shot on glass plate, have now been digitized. National Motor Museum staff and volunteers researched the context of the scenes he captured. The photographs, along with over 20,000 others, are available from the Motoring Picture Library. An 8 x 6-inch print of Kitty wrenching on an old MG will cost you $20.
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