The Land Speed Record by The Very Reverend Toredlyne

Count Zborowski with Chitty Bang Bang I: thanks to Wikipedia 

Title: The Land Speed Record 

Author: The Very Reverend Toredlyne

Publisher: Not known 

Source book: The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde 

‘The wealthy son of a Polish count and an American mother, Louis Zborowski lived at Higham Place near Canterbury, where he built three aero-engined cars, all called Chitty Bang Bang, and a fourth monster, the Higham Special, a car he and Clive Gallophad engineered by squeezing a 27-litre aero engine into a Rubery Owen chassis and mating it with a Benz gearbox. At the time of Zborowski’s death at Monza behind the wheel of a Mercedes, the Special had been lapping Brooklands at 116mph - but her potential was as yet unproved. After a brief stint with a lady owner whose identity has not been revealed, the Special was sold to Parry Thomas, who with careful modifications of his own pushed the land speed record up to 170.624mph at Pendine Sands, South Wales, in 1926.’

Most of this information can be found on Wikipedia, but the mysterious lady owner is not named there: she is Miss Haversham of Great Expectations. Any time Miss Haversham finds herself outside Great Expectations she searches out a good car, or speed boat. She is a demon for speed and drives as fast as possible with scant regard for safety or the Highway Code.

However, it seems she is trying to beat the speed record held by Mr Toad. He was clocked at over 180mph much to Miss Haversham’s disgust.

The Very Reverend Toredlyne presumably knows about Miss Haversham’s exploits and includes them in his book.

Hispano Suiza: thanks to Torre Loizaga