A memorable murder many-many years ago

Eddie. There is another photo of Collins getting into the car in Meda Ryans book "the day collins was shot" But unfortunately the crowd of people in the photo completely obscure the Number plate in the photo. also Meda Ryan mistakenly captioned the car as being A Lancia. Another question I have is that The April 2007 Automobile Magazine article on the Leyland eight states that the clock from the car is now in a Dublin museum. can anyone tell me which museum???????

Kieran was telling me the car was on "approval" from Leylands at the time so went back. It was painted yellow. I also suspect as Collins was shot having traveled in the car others would have felt uncomfortable if they had to use it. If anyone has a photo showing the reg number we could trace the engine number. Will check Army archives to see if it was listed. There are several youtube videos of the Slibh na mBan, one chasing sheep across the Curragh, another with the gun firing on the Army ranges at the Glen. Also one of the restoration. Always kept running It was restored in 2011 and is still used. Just had another new set of tyres fitted this year. Must be the longest serving Armoured car in the world.

The "Collins" Leyland, primrose and black in colour ( as attested by Emmett Dalton who was with Collins at the ambush) was given to the British army for evaluation.
In May 1920 Sir Nevil Macready, GOC in chief of the British army in Ireland demanded and got 234 extra vehicles for his forces. Was the Leyland included in this?
In any event, at the handover of Portobello Barracks to the Irish army, Macready arrived in the Leyland. Collins admired the car and Macready offered him the car.
Did Leyland seek the return of the car on Collins's death as it seems it was not really British or Irish army property.

As I understand it, it was owned at the time of the incident by a senior ( maybe the senior) officer in Ireland in the British Army, and under Winston Churchill's instructions was ordered to make it available to Collins for his touring around Ireland, on his desperately dangerous mission to proclaim the compromise deal to his own side. A suicide mission if ever there was one. A very brave, committed man.
I also understand that the Leyland car, normally so silent in use thanks to its internal manifolding, had lost an exhaust silencer the day before. So an easy approaching signal to the ambushers.

In hugh tours book "the Leyland eight" (profile publications No 26) there is a photo of Parry thomas at behind the steering wheel of a leyland eight which from my own research is believed to be the collins car. If this is information is correct was this photo taken before it came to Ireland???? my second question is who actually owned the car before and at the time of collins death?????

Kieran. I have done some further deep digging.I had originally thought these bits had come from the broken up Ireland car, which could only have been executed by Leylands; its taken only a couple of dozen years to fathom.
My back axle has 2.46:1 ratio, which is outercircuit racer ratio, and ex one of Parry Thomas' Leyland Thomas No 1 's.Ample evidence of it being stroked for racing use.
He had several chassis to achieve his record breaking. The normal touring ratio was 3.2:1. Also the engine has the provenance, thanks to Bill Boddy's letters, and Leyland Ltd 1947 photo, to have come from Brooklands, either ex Parry Thomas from his 1922 -ish era, before he changed to a smaller engine size, different carb set-up,and oiling system, or property of Thomson and Taylor the Brooklands racing preparation firm Parry Thomas helped establish.
It does seem likely that the Collins car went back to be repaired by Leylands Ltd, and be fitted out with a gun rest, and flood light swivel, for big game hunting in Happy Valley.
There was much tourist trophy hunting in East Africa in the 1920's. I have done extensive searching, and have come to the conclusion that, in all probability it was broken up, with possibly a couple of Leyland axled trailers left of the car. I hope this is of some help.

One of the Hispano Suizas I bought in Spain in 1971 had bullet holes in the firewall from where the Governor of Lerida had been shot at, or so I was told. I think the car went to New Zealand when I sold it and would like to see a picture if anyone knows about it.

After the ambush the Leyland got bogged down and was left in a field overnight. This was when the clock was removed from the dashboard.
The car was then brought to Dublin and then sent back to Leylands.
At this point two stories developed. The first was that William Boddy, the late Motor Sport editor interviewed a man who was a Leyland apprentice at the time. His account was that the car was rebuilt and refitted for big game hunting in East Africa. As a result of this report a Dublin bank manager went to Kenya and Uganda during his annual holidays but no trace was found.
The second story is that as part of his severance package from Leyland, designer Parry Thomas got the surviving spares and the Collins Leyland and went racing. Fast forward to the present day: David Haywood has built a Leyland Thomas. From my conversations with him I understand that after extensive research he thinks the engine and back axle in his car came from the Collins Leyland. Over to David
Incidentally among the old motorcycle fraternity here the Triumph the motorcycle outrider used in the convoy was located via a seance!!!

Here are a couple of YouTube links showing British vehicles being used in the 'troubles':

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWVSlgzBTEc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNamn-um2cY