BABS 100-year anniversary, land speed record, Pendine Sands

The year 2026 marks the centenary of Babs, the fearsome land-speed car driven by J. G. Parry-Thomas that captured the public imagination in 1926. Built for outright speed with a massive racing engine and a stripped-down, aerodynamic body, Babs pushed the limits of early motoring and briefly held the land-speed record, embodying the daring engineering and human courage of the interwar period. Parry-Thomas’s work and tragic death during a later attempt at Pendine Sands only deepened the car’s legend.

To mark 100 years, a commemorative event at Pendine Sands brought together enthusiasts, historians, and photographers on the very stretch of beach where Babs raced. The weather was spectacular, with incredible blue skies and clear light that provided stunning conditions for street and documentary-style photography. Candid shots of spectators mingling with classic cars, close-ups of Babs’ weathered metal and mechanics at work, and sweeping panoramas of the coastline all combined to tell a human story—images that captured both the raw power of the machine and the communal reverence for a pivotal moment in motorsport history.