Clifford Earp


Walter Thomas Clifford Earp was a British pioneer racing motorist.
He was born in 1879, in Lambeth, Surrey, England. His parents were Arthur Clifford Earp, a sculptor, and Emily Wood. He attended Ardingly College, Sussex. His surname was often spelled Clifford-Earp. He had a brother, also Arthur Clifford Earp, born 1 January 1883, who was also a racing motorist, and on occasion acted as his riding mechanic. He was a protégé of S. F. Edge and sometimes faced adversity, being considered a 'trade' professional in an age of amateurs.
During the eliminating trials for the Gordon Bennett Cup at Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1904 Clifford Earp, with brother Arthur acting as riding mechanic, crashed into a stone wall on the promenade, both being hospitalised.
In July 1905 Earp on a hp Napier finished eighth in The Gordon Bennett Cup on the Auvergne circuit in France.
In July 1905 Earp, on a 90-horsepower Napier, completed the flying-start kilometre in 23 seconds at the inaugural Brighton Speed Trials.
On 27 January 1906 he broke the world record for 100 miles' distance in a race for the Minneapolis Automobile Club trophy at Ormond-Daytona Beach, Florida on a 90 hp Napier in a time of 1 hour, 15 minutes and 40.4 seconds, with riding-mechanic H. H. Baker. At about the 35-mile mark he shed his rear tyre and completed the rest of the race on the rim.
In 1907 he drove his 60 hp Thames car at Brooklands to four new world records:
DistanceTime
50 miles39 min 10 s
150 miles1 h 58 min 34 s

The Thames motor car was manufactured by the Thames Ironworks, Shipbuilding, and Engineering Company Ltd., of Greenwich.

Footnotes