11:17 am, April 12, 2020
Motor racing great Sir Stirling Moss has died peacefully at his London home following a long illness at the age of 90.
‘It was one lap too many,’ said his wife Lady Moss. ‘He just closed his eyes.’
Though Moss famously never won the Formula One title, he finished runner-up four times and came third three times in a career during which he won 16 Grands Prix.
He was a regular at Car Dealer Magazine events as a supporter of warranty business WMS Group.
In 2018, Sir Stirling retired from public life by closing down his website. At the time, his son Elliot said:
‘To all of his many friends and fans around the world, who use this website for regular updates, my father would like to announce that he will be closing it down.’
Sir Stirling had been ill for a number of years. In 2016 he fell ill in Singapore and was flown back to a UK hospital. He returned home in May 2017 after several months in hospital.
Listers Cars CEO Lawrence Whittaker worked with Sir Stirling to create some special edition models.
Whittaker told Car Dealer Magazine: ‘I first met Sir Stirling at Race Retro in Coventry. It was the first Lister Exhibition after my purchase of the company. He bounded straight over to my stand and said the Lister-Jaguar was his favourite racing car.
‘Somewhat taken aback I laughed as I presumed he must be joking. However, it quickly transpired he wasn’t.
‘Sir Stirling and Susie invited me to tea at their Mayfair home and after very few conversations we had agreed to make 10 editions of the Lister Stirling Moss – the only racing car officially endorsed by the great man.
‘There is no doubt in my mind that he was one of the greatest gentlemen that I have ever met. He always showed me great charm and attentiveness whenever I was with him thereafter and he will always hold a very special place in my heart.’
Sir Stirling took 16 wins in the Formula One World Championship, including the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree, which marked the first time that a home driver had won the event. Moss took a second British Grand Prix win in 1957. He is often described as the greatest driver to have never won a Formula One World Championship.
In Sir Stirling’s era, Formula One drivers had the freedom to race elsewhere; notable achievements away from Formula One include multiple victories at the RAC Tourist Trophy and the Nürburgring 1000km.
In total, Sir Stirling took victory at 212 of the 529 races he entered over the course of his 14-years as a racing driver, before a severe crash at Goodwood prematurely halted his career in 1962.
Sir Stirling returned to sporadic action in saloon car racing throughout the late 70s and early 80s, and went on to compete in historic races until 2011, deciding to hang up his iconic goggles and open face headwear at the age of 81.
His sportsmanship cost him the title in 1958 when he defended the actions of rival Mike Hawthorn following a spin at the Portuguese Grand Prix, sparing Hawthorn a six-point penalty. Hawthorn went on to beat Moss to the title by a single point.
Sir Stirling retired in 1962 after a heavy crash at Goodwood which left him in a coma for a month. Born in London in 1929, Moss was the son of amateur racing driver Alfred and his wife Aileen.
He was knighted in the New Year Honours list in 2000 for services to motor racing.
