Guinness Heir: Kenelm Lee Guinness The Racing Driver & Spark Plug Innovator | Season 5 – Episode 56
Wheels Jul 15, 2025
In the early 1900s, wealthy young men were drawn to the thrill of fast cars—and Kenelm Lee Guinness, affectionately known as “Bill” to his friends, was at the forefront. A multi-talented figure, he was not only a trailblazer in motor racing but also an inventive engineer and skilled yachtsman. A proud scion of the Guinness family, he entered racing while still a student, serving as a riding mechanic to his elder brother, Algernon “Algy” Lee Guinness. However, his passion for motor racing soon overtook his academic ambitions, and he left Cambridge University before graduating to pursue the sport full time.
RACING CAREER
By 1907, Kenelm was driving competitively under his own name. He set up his first workshop behind the derelict Bald Faced Stag pub in London—a space that quickly became the epicentre of his engineering and racing efforts. That same year, he entered the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, piloting a Darracq. Mechanical issues cut the race short, but his racing career was well underway. He would go on to compete in numerous high-profile events across Europe, including the 1913 French Grand Prix—a race in which County Louth’s Tommy Greene famously won the motorcycle class.
BROOKLANDS & EARLY RECORDS
Kenelm Guinness made his mark in 1913 by setting several world records at the Brooklands circuit. The following year, he clinched victory at the 1914 Isle of Man TT in a Sunbeam, averaging 90.8 km/h (56.44 mph).
His most famous feat came in 1922 when he set a new official world land speed record at Brooklands, driving an aluminium-bodied Sunbeam to 215.2 km/h (133.75 mph). The same car would later be sold to Malcolm Campbell, becoming the first of many “Bluebird” vehicles. Campbell would go on to break the land speed record in it again, reaching 235.2 km/h (146.16 mph) in 1924 and 242.5 km/h (150.76 mph) in 1925.
In the same year, Guinness won the Spanish Grand Prix, maintaining an average speed of 105.4 km/h over a gruelling 533 km. Two years later, in 1924, he triumphed again at the Swiss Grand Prix, this time driving a Talbot 70. On the track, Guinness seemed unstoppable.
KLG SPARK PLUGS
Frustrated by unreliable engine components, Guinness made one of his most significant contributions to automotive engineering. Spark plugs of the era frequently failed under the high stresses of racing. Starting in 1912, Guinness, alongside his brother Algernon, began experimenting with improved designs. He replaced the standard porcelain insulators with layered mica—a material far more heat-resistant. The resulting spark plug was vastly more reliable and soon gained the trust of racing’s elite, including Malcolm Campbell and Henry Segrave.
Initially produced at his Putney workshop at the Bald Faced Stag pub, KLG spark plugs quickly gained popularity. By 1914, his operation was producing 4,000 units a week.
When World War I broke out, Guinness briefly joined the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve but was soon recalled to civilian life due to the importance of his invention. His spark plugs were now essential to both motorcycle and aircraft engines. By 1918, his company employed over 1,500 people at the Robinhood Works on Putney Hill.
In 1919, Guinness sold global distribution rights to Smiths, and KLG plugs became a standard across motor racing, aviation, and beyond. They were later featured in record-breaking vehicles like Campbell’s “Bluebird” and Segrave’s “Golden Arrow.”
OCEAN ROVER & TREASURE HUNTING
That same year, Guinness acquired a decommissioned minesweeper, Samuel Green, which he converted into a yacht named Ocean Rover. It featured guest cabins and storage space for racing cars. In 1926, he and Campbell used the vessel for a treasure-hunting expedition to the Cocos Islands.
SUNBEAM 350HP
In 1922, Guinness once again broke the land speed record—this time reaching 218.5 km/h (135.75 mph) in a Sunbeam 350HP fitted with a 12-cylinder Manitou aero engine. This would be the last time a land speed record was set on a race track. Future attempts would move to open spaces like beaches and salt flats. This very car was later sold to Malcolm Campbell, who renamed it “Blue Bird.”
TRAGIC END TO A RACING CAREER
Disaster struck at the 1924 Gran Premio de San Sebastián. On the 11th lap, Guinness’s Sunbeam struck a rut on the rain-slicked track, flipped, and crashed. His mechanic, Tom Barrett, died instantly, and Guinness suffered severe head and limb injuries. The incident left him physically and emotionally scarred. Though he never raced again, he remained closely involved with motorsport, even joining Henry Segrave at Daytona in 1927.
That same year, he sold the remainder of his spark plug business to Smiths, staying on in a consultancy role. From 1928 to 1936, he also served on the board of Arthur Guinness Son & Co. Ltd.
Kenelm Lee Guinness passed away in April 1937 at his home in Kingston upon Thames, aged just 49.
Check out our previous stories with links to Kenelm Lee Guinness:
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Sources of Information and Photo Credits
Creative Commons
Getty Images – Hulton Archive
Green and Classic Vintage Spares
GS Spark Plug
Historic Racing Website
The Irish Times
