The son of Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse and the grandson of HM King Mongkut of Siam, Prince Birabongse (generally known as Prince Bira or, when racing as B Bira) came to Europe at age 13 in 1927 for an education at Eton and Cambridge University.
Only a couple of generations after the redoubtable Mrs Anna Leonowens had turned the Siamese Court upside down (re: the musical, The King and I), the English influence was still strong. So it was natural that the King's nephews, the three young Siamese Princes, Abhas, Birabongse and Chirasakti, should come to England in the 1920s for their education.
Birabongse, the second oldest, had been crazy about cars ever since as a little boy, he had sat on the lap of a chauffeur and steered one of the royal cars. He didn't get the chance to drive on the roads, however, until he was sixteen at Eton; his elder cousin and guardian, Chula, allowed Bira, as he was known, to drive his 1928, 12 hp, sleeve-valve Voisin
For his 18th birthday Chula presented him with an MG Magnette, soon replaced by an Invicta and then by a Rolls-Bentley.
He started racing in 1935 in a team run by his cousin, Prince Chula, and he soon became known for his car which he painted pale blue and yellow, the color of a light blue evening dress a Scandinavian woman named Barbara Grut was wearing. And so, now you know how the national racing colors of Siam came to be. A yellow strip at the chassis was added in 1939
The reasons behind his decision to race were simple. "At the age of 19, I went to watch racing at Brooklands," he said. "I saw a beautiful girl, Kay Petre, and she was a great racing driver. And so I said, 'Well, my God, how could I make this girl?' And the only way was to get near her. That's how I was introduced into the racing game."
Later in the season his cousin gave him an ERA R2B, named Romulus, for his 21st birthday which he raced with success. In 1936 the princes bought a second ERA (Remus) which they raced in Britain, retaining Romulus for overseas competition.
The new ERA cars were just beginning to enjoy their first international racing success, so Chula decided to buy a 1500 cc ERA as a present for Bira's 21st birthday, which fell on the 15th July 1935.
Five days later, Bira took second place in the 1500 cc race at Dieppe, beating such polished drivers as Earl Howe (Delage), Raymond Mays, Dick Seaman and Humphrey Cook (ERA ) and Veyron (Bugatti); only an oiled plug prevented him from taking first place. This success inspired Bira to enter the 1500 cc Swiss Grand Prix at Berne; again he came second after a well driven race,
Chula also bought a Maserati. Bira won the Coupe de Prince Rainier at Monte Carlo, and was victorious in another four races. In 1954, driving a Masarati 250F, he won the Grand Prix des Frontières on the Chimay road circuit and then finished fourth in the 1954 French Grand Prix with his own Maserati.
In January 1955, he won the New Zealand Grand Prix at Ardmore, but promptly retired. "I woke up the next morning," he recalled, "and said to myself, well, what are we doing here? Cups, girls, cars … maybe you're dead the next day. And I quit."
Having raced a total of 19 World Championship GPs for 8 points.
He returned to live in Thailand although he maintained a European base in the form of a schooner berthed at Cannes and a home at Mandelieu.
In later years his business failed as did his marriages and he returned to Europe and eventually to England. His end was undignified for such a flamboyant character. He died at London's Baron's Court subway station when hit by a stroke, but nobody knew who he was, and only after Scotland Yard became involved was his identity discovered.
http://8w.forix.com/bira.html
http://en.espn.co.uk/f1/motorsport/driver/450.html
http://www.uniquecarsandparts.com.au/race_drivers_prince_bira.php
https://primotipo.com/2016/07/26/royal-swig/
https://primotipo.com/2016/03/04/1947-jcc-jersey-road-race/
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