|
Lord Strathcarron - the "Motorcycling Peer"
Lord Strathcarron was an IAM Council Member from 1973 to 1992 and was an extremely active Motorcycle Rider (being nicknamed by the press as the “motorcycling peer”) and was the first Motorcyclist to take the IAM Motorcycle Test in September 1976. He was also an active Motoring Journalist as well as a Member of the House of Lords from 1936 to 1999. He continued riding his motorcycles until only a few weeks before he died aged 82. Clad in full leathers, he rode almost everywhere on two wheels: a scooter in town and a high-powered motorcycle for motorways. His collection of bikes over the years included a BMW shaft-drive 750cc twin, a well-tuned 350cc single cylinder Velocette and a 1,000cc in-line BMW capable of speeds of up to 130mph. Some years ago, in pouring rain, he turned up astride his bike with helmet and goggles at the London headquarters of BP Oil and announced himself as Lord Strathcarron, only for the sceptical parking attendant to retort that he was the Queen of Sheba and I assume refused him entry. When he returned a short time later, dressed in his customary chalk-stripe suit, the same attendant asked again who he was. "I'm Lord Strathcarron," he replied, "and you're the f***ing Queen of Sheba".
A Brief history of Lord Strathcarron The 2nd Lord Strathcarron, who died aged 82, was probably the only member of the House of Lords to enjoy a parallel career as a motoring journalist; when Labour abolished hereditaries in 1999 he was the longest-serving peer in the Lords. He was voted out of the Lords in 1999 along with nine-tenths of the hereditary peers, though he was at the time the longest serving member. He voted regularly for the Conservatives but spoke only once or twice in debate. He preferred anecdotal after-dinner speeches to the motor trade. He could speak with authority because he owned virtually every type of motorcycle - and was a founder, in 1960, and partner in Strathcarron and Company, manufacturing agents for the motor trade, among other companies. Strathcarron was the son of Ian Macpherson, a minister in Lloyd George's cabinet, and was elevated to the title aged 13, in 1937, after the death of his father, the first baron. He attended Eton and Jesus College, Cambridge. He joined the RAF in 1941, piloting Wellingtons in Coastal Command on search and rescue missions over the Atlantic. His love of flying kept him piloting light aircraft around Europe until he failed his medical 20 years ago. Strathcarron's passion for cars began as a teenager, and he was bought a Morgan Super Sports for his 16th birthday by his mother. After military service, he began motor racing and was a competitor with Stirling Moss in the pioneering days of 500cc racing. He owned - and raced - a collection of vintage fast cars, including Bentleys, Alfa Romeos, Austin Healeys and Jensens. In addition to his collection of vintage cars he owned virtually every type of motorcycle during his life.
He was still an accomplished racing driver in 2000 when he won the annual Lords v Commons race at Brands Hatch, clocking up the fastest lap. His book Motoring for Pleasure (1963) told stories of his life in motor racing. He started as motoring correspondent for the Field in 1954 and continued until 2002, by which time he was writing for the website Hoot!, where his column was entitled View from a Peer. With his wife riding pillion, Strathcarron would holiday in Europe on a his motorcycle, followed by his butler in a three-wheeler which also containing a parrot in its cage. A problem with a tendon gave him a "claw hand", making it difficult to grip the handlebars, Strathcarron had minor corrective surgery so that he could continue to ride a solo motorbike in comparative comfort; the change, he noted however, had made it "a bit of a bugger getting out of the bath".
|
Email: 