Bolster Special Bloody Mary

Key facts

Year

1929
Country

Great Britain
Capacity

1,962cc
Cylinders

2 x V-twin
Valves

Overhead
Output

110hp @ 5,500rpm
Performance

125mph
Price new

£25 (original cost claimed by builder)
Owner

National Motor Museum Trust
Manufacturer

Messrs John & Richard Bolster

Perhaps the most famous and successful of many amateur-built sprint specials dating from the 1920s and 30s. John and Richard Bolster’s Bloody Mary is constructed around an ash chassis frame and has chain drive. It evolved over many years and by 1934 was powered by two 996cc JAP engines bought for £12 10s each. These engines were later modified to run on methanol fuel. The front springs are from a GN cyclecar and the front brakes and wheels came from a 1928 Austin Seven.

After its first event at Lewes Speed Trials in 1931, Bloody Mary became a familiar sight competing in hill climbs at Prescott and Shelsley Walsh, speed events such as Brighton Speed Trials and even races at Donington Park and Crystal Palace. John Bolster revived the car in the late 1940s and had several more years of success with it.