Historic Treasures
The Mallalieu Motor Collection Barbados’ first motor car arrived in Barbados in 1903. It was a 1903 Orient Buckboard built in the USA and imported by a Dr. F.S. Dimmick, a dentist. Mr. Bill Mallalieu has a photograph of it as well as a photograph of the island’s first police car, given to the island by the British Government in 1937 and the first two buses, Diamond T’s, brought in by brothers, Reggie and George Eckstein. These are just a few of the fascinating photographs dotted around his “garage” at Pavillion Court, the former Military Hospital of the British Garrison. Bill Mallalieu has had a love affair with automobiles all his life and his passion for the subject is catching as he shows you around his tangible record of Barbados motoring history, in particular the story of the Barbados Rally Club. Number 1 in his star studded line up of automobiles is a one and only of its kind, a Bentley, made for Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands in 1947 and driven in the ‘49 Monte Carlo Rally. Number 2 is another Bentley bought for the sentimental reason that it goes by the name of ‘A Mallalieu’ - hand built by Durham “Derry” Mallalieu, a very distant cousin, using a MK6 Bentley. Derry threw away the original bodies because they rusted and then built sports cars like this one, to order. Mr. Mallalieu’s Mallalieu is #29 of a total of 34 ever built. Number three is a 1953 Daimler Roadster. They only built 54 of these stylish machines and there are only 35 know to exist today. Despite the fact that the Roadster was an outstanding motor car, it was a marketing disaster. The competitor, the Jaguar XK 120, with a bigger engine, sold for a thousand pounds sterling in 1953 and the Roadster hit the road at eighteen hundred. Another very interesting car is the Austin Atlantic, or A90, another marketing failure because it was launched just after, and appeared very much like, the doomed Tucker, of the infamous Tucker fiasco. But of all the vehicles in his impressive collection the one he would choose in a heartbeat, if he had to, is the Volvo 1225, 1963 model, his record breaking rally car. He’s made many records in the Barbados Rally Club that will never be broken, like the Hill Climb at Spa Hill - it’ll never be broken because they don’t do those anymore! Other interesting displays abound like a cabinet donated to the collection by David “Woodie” Goddard of a display of miniature Fiat vehicles of exceptional detail, given exclusively to Fiat dealers years ago. Mr. Mallalieu is still acquiring beautiful old cars that tell stories. Certainly the best way to tour his collection is with him in attendance and you can usually find him there in the morning. Luckily, he says, he has a man devoted to their daily care who is there at 6am to polish and tune. But he feels most fortunate to be able to meet his many interesting visitors and share his passion. To quote him, “I’ve been having fun with motor cars all my life but you can’t enjoy anything if you can’t share it.”
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The Ins & Outs of Barbados