Selwyn Edge

Selwyn Edge was a pioneer in the early days of motoring and was of the belief that motoring was a thing for the masses and not just for the priviledged few who enjoyed the thrill and adventure of driving at speed. Born in Australia, he came to England in 1871 when he was three. It was always his intention to join the Army but, after taking up cycling and winning the Westerham Hill Climb in 1877, the sport was in his blood and in the 1880s he had a cycle business. He took up motoring seriously the following decade and in 1898 he purchased the famous Panhard and Levassor No.8 which had won the Paris-Marseille race two years earlier.

Edge encouraged Montague Napier to go into car production and in 1900 the first Napier 9 horsepower (hp). vehicle was built under the supervision of Edge. In 1902 Edge won the Gordon Bennett Cup for Britain as the only finisher in the race from Paris to Innsbruck. In 1904 Napier built one of the first 18 hp. six cylinder vehicles, and by 1907 when the Brooklands track has opened, Napier had produced a 60 hp model which Edge drove around the track for 24 hours at an average speed of more than 65 mph. Napier and Edge were also involved in motor-boat racing until 1912 when Edge sold out his interest in Napier. Edge agreed that he would not take any part in the motor business for seven years, so he turned his attention to a new form of free range pig breeding, in which his animals roamed freely over large areas of land, and in clean and comfortable surroundings.