The racecar driver who chased danger
In the 1950s and ’60s,
Stirling Moss was the swashbuckling star of the racecar world. Regarded as one of the finest drivers of his era, the Englishman won 212 of his 529 races in events that included Grand Prix, sports cars, and long-distance rallying. Moss survived a series of spectacular accidents—his car once lost a wheel at 140 mph— that only added to his legend. “To race a car through a turn at maximum possible speed when there is a great lawn to all sides is difficult,” he said in 1961. But to race at maximum speed “through a turn when there is a brick wall on one side and a precipice on the other—ah, that’s an achievement!” He believed that romance should be a similar high-risk affair. Thrice married, he once drove hundreds of miles to introduce himself to Miss Italy the night before a big race. Danger, he said, is “an aphrodisiac. I believe that racing should be dangerous. If you don’t like it, you should do something else.”
He was born in London “into a racing family,” said the Associated Press. His dentist father had competed in the Indianapolis 500; his mother was a women’s rally champion. Moss got his first car
Stirling Moss
at age 10, a “dilapidated 7 horsepower Austin,” and made his own private racing circuit on the family farm, said The New York Times. By age 20, he was racing in Europe, and in 1953 “became a full-time driver on the Grand Prix circuit, the sport’s big league.” He placed second in the world Grand Prix championship for four years in a row, coming closest to the title in 1958. Moss’ sportsmanship likely cost him the prize: When his archrival, Mike Hawthorn, was accused of a disqualifying infraction in the Portugal Grand Prix, Moss successfully testified on his behalf. Hawthorn went on to win the season with 42 points to Moss’ 41. Moss’ racing career was “cut short by a nearfatal 1962 crash, which resulted in a monthlong coma,” said The Washington Post. After leaving the racetrack Moss made a handsome living investing in real estate and charging for personal appearances. “Basically,” he said, “I’m an international prostitute.” His name remained so famous in Britain that traffic police there still sometimes ask speeding drivers, “Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?” Moss, who was knighted in 2000, was once posed that question. His answer? “Sir Stirling, please.”