Seen here as a three-year-old, Louis Zborowski (1895-1924) went on to become a famous racing driver and automobile engineer, best known for creating a series of aero-engined racing cars known as the ‘Chitty-Bang-Bangs’, which provided the inspiration for James Bond author Ian Fleming’s children's story, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (published 1964) and culminated in the ‘Highꦦam Special’ which broke the wor🉐ld land speed record shortly after the death of its creator.

Zborowski was born in London to American parents. His father, Elliott, was also a racing driver, and died in a racing crash, in 1903 at La Turbie Hillclimb in Nice. His mother, Margaret, was a wealthy American heiress, a member of the Astor family. On arriving in England, Elliott had assumed the title ‘Count’ and was known generally as ‘Count Zborowski’, although there is no firm evidence that he had any legitimate claim to any such title. Following Elliott's death, Louis assumed his father's fictitious title. On his mother’s death in 1911, 16-year-old Louis instantly became the fourth richest under-21-year-oldꦬ in the world, with cash of £11 million and real estate in the United States, including 7 acres of Manhattan including several blocks on Fifth Avenue.

Zborowski's career as an amateur racing driver encompassed a wide experience of marques an🎉d events. He was an early patro𓆉n of Aston Martin, and raced for them at Brooklands and in the 1922 French Grand Prix. He joined the Mercedes team in 1924 but died in one of their cars, after hitting a tree during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. He was just 29 years old.