Stirling Moss Biography Quotes 5 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
Stirling Craufurd Moss was born on 17 September 1929 in West Kensington, London, into a family steeped in motorsport. His father, Alfred "Alec" Moss, was a dentist and keen amateur racer who competed in the Indianapolis 500, and his mother, Aileen, also took part in trials events. His younger sister, Pat Moss, became one of the greatest rally drivers of her era and later married Swedish rally star Erik Carlsson. The family's encouragement, plus young Stirling's love of speed, set him on a course for a life in racing.

Beginnings in Racing
Moss started competing in his teens, quickly making a name in British club racing and the 500cc Formula 3 category. He impressed in HWM and ERA machinery, then in the Maserati 250F, the car with which he would carve his early Grand Prix reputation. Alongside single-seaters, he embraced an extraordinarily broad menu of events, hill climbs, rallies, sports cars, and saloons, revealing the versatility that defined his career.

Grand Prix Ascent
Moss's pace and mechanical sympathy made him a coveted driver by the early 1950s. He debuted in the Formula One World Championship in 1951 and became a regular frontrunner by mid-decade. He would go on to start 66 World Championship Grands Prix, winning 16. Though he never secured the world title, he finished runner-up four seasons in succession (1955, 1958) and third three times (1959, 1961), an unmatched record of near-misses that burnished, rather than diminished, his legend.

Mercedes-Benz and the Breakthrough, 1955
The 1955 season brought Moss into the dominant Mercedes-Benz works team under team manager Alfred Neubauer, alongside Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss took his first World Championship Grand Prix victory at the 1955 British Grand Prix at Aintree in the W196, edging Fangio in a famous one-two. That same year he produced one of motorsport's greatest feats: victory in the Mille Miglia, the 1, 000-mile road race across Italy, in a Mercedes 300 SLR with journalist-navigator Denis Jenkinson. Using a pioneering system of pace notes on a scrolling "roller map", they completed the event in 10 hours 7 minutes 48 seconds at an average near 98 mph, an achievement that became central to Moss's legend. He also contributed to Mercedes' World Sportscar Championship triumph with victories including the Tourist Trophy and Targa Florio.

Vanwall, Maserati, and the First British F1 Wins
Moss spent time in Maserati machinery and spearheaded Tony Vandervell's Vanwall project, the first truly competitive British Grand Prix team. In 1957 he shared victory with Tony Brooks at the British Grand Prix, delivering the first World Championship Grand Prix win for a British-constructed car. He also won that year at Pescara. In 1956, driving a Maserati 250F, he won the Monaco Grand Prix, an early demonstration of his mastery of tight street circuits.

1958: Sportsmanship and a One-Point Title Loss
The 1958 season cemented Moss's reputation for fairness and integrity. While he won several Grands Prix across different cars, he lost the World Championship to compatriot Mike Hawthorn by a single point. The margin owed, in part, to Moss's own testimony on Hawthorn's behalf after a controversial incident at the Portuguese Grand Prix; Moss argued that Hawthorn should not be disqualified, restoring points that ultimately decided the title. It became motorsport's defining example of sportsmanship.

Privateer Excellence with Rob Walker
Moss often chose to race for private entrants rather than factory teams, relishing freedom and close-knit relationships. With Rob Walker Racing Team he produced a string of landmark results. At the 1958 Argentine Grand Prix, Moss won in Walker's rear-engined Cooper, the first World Championship Grand Prix victory for a rear-engined car. He later gave Lotus its first World Championship Grand Prix win at Monaco in 1960, and in 1961 he delivered two of his most storied drives: victories at Monaco and the Nürburgring in a nimble Lotus 18/21 against the more powerful Ferrari "Sharknose" 156s, defeating Phil Hill and Wolfgang von Trips through precision and race craft.

Sports Cars and Endurance Racing
Beyond Formula One, Moss was perhaps the most complete all-rounder of his time. He won the Mille Miglia (1955), the Targa Florio (1955), multiple RAC Tourist Trophies, and marquee endurance events with Aston Martin, Maserati, and Mercedes. In 1959 he was instrumental in Aston Martin clinching the World Sportscar Championship, notably winning the Nürburgring 1000km and the Tourist Trophy at Goodwood, sharing with Carroll Shelby for the latter, in a race memorable for Moss switching to a sister car after a pit fire and still securing the win. Over his career from 1948 to 1962, he amassed more than 200 victories across disciplines, a testament to his adaptability.

Style and Approach
Moss combined fluid car control with fierce competitiveness and impeccable mechanical sympathy. He prided himself on preparation and on building strong rapport with mechanics such as Alf Francis. Technically astute, he helped develop cars and chose equipment to suit circuits and conditions, often running lighter or on different tyre strategies to find an edge. He also believed in racing British machinery where possible, a stance that influenced his team choices.

The 1962 Goodwood Accident and Retirement from F1
On 23 April 1962 at Goodwood's Glover Trophy, Moss suffered a serious crash in a Lotus that left him in a coma and temporarily paralyzed on one side. Though he recovered, tests he conducted months later convinced him that his reflexes and sensitivity were no longer at his former level. He retired from frontline single-seater racing at age 32. He continued to compete occasionally in touring cars and later in historic events, but the Goodwood accident closed the chapter on his bid for a world title.

Later Life, Media, and Ambassadorship
Moss transformed into one of motorsport's most visible ambassadors. He wrote and co-wrote books about his career, contributed to magazines, and served as a television and radio commentator. A fixture at Goodwood Revival and historic gatherings, he remained closely involved with manufacturers, sponsors, and the British Racing Drivers' Club. His Mayfair home, famed for ingenious gadgets and a car lift, reflected his embrace of modernity and design. Even after a serious domestic accident in 2010 and a severe chest infection in 2016, he stayed an enthusiastic figure in public until stepping back from appearances in 2018.

Honors and Recognition
Moss received the OBE in 1959 and was knighted in 2000 for services to motor racing. He held multiple BRDC Gold Stars, Segrave Trophies, and later inductions into halls of fame, including the FIA Hall of Fame. The Stirling Moss Trophy at historic events and numerous plaques, corners, and awards around the world commemorate his impact. He is often called "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship", a phrase that captures both the cruel margins of his era and the enduring brilliance of his driving.

Personal Life
Moss married multiple times; his longest and final marriage was to Susie (Lady Susie) Moss, a constant presence at races and events. He had children and maintained close ties with his sister Pat and brother-in-law Erik Carlsson. Off-track he enjoyed skiing, property, and the business of motorsport, but racing remained his defining passion and social world.

Death and Legacy
Sir Stirling Moss died on 12 April 2020 at his home in London, aged 90, after a long illness. Tributes flowed from across motorsport and beyond, praising not only a driver of sublime skill and range but also a man whose sportsmanship set a standard. His career, spanning Grand Prix cars, sports cars, saloons, and rallies, helped popularize motor racing in the postwar era, and his name remains shorthand for speed and class.

People Around Him
Moss's story is inseparable from the people with whom he shared paddocks, cockpits, and pit walls. Among them were Juan Manuel Fangio, his teammate and benchmark at Mercedes; Mike Hawthorn, his friendly rival in the 1958 title battle; Peter Collins, Tony Brooks, and Carroll Shelby, teammates and co-drivers in sports cars and Grands Prix; team leaders Tony Vandervell at Vanwall, Alfred Neubauer at Mercedes, Rob Walker as the privateer patron, and designers and constructors John Cooper and Colin Chapman; trusted lieutenants such as mechanic Alf Francis and manager Ken Gregory; and family members including his father Alec and sister Pat. Together they form the cast of an era that Moss, with talent and integrity, helped to define.

Our collection contains 5 quotes who is written by Stirling, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Wisdom - Never Give Up - Self-Discipline.

• Stirling Moss young: Teen prodigy; raced from his teens, F1 debut 1951, Mille Miglia win at 25.
• Stirling Moss accident: Goodwood, 1962, near-fatal crash that ended his F1 career.
• Stirling Moss car price: His 300 SLR '722' isn’t for sale; a related 300 SLR coupe sold for about €135m (2022).
• Stirling Moss, wife: Susie (Lady) Moss, married 1980–2020.
• What is Stirling Moss net worth? About $20 million (at his death).
• Stirling Moss died: 12 April 2020, London, aged 90.
• Stirling Moss car: Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR '722' (1955 Mille Miglia winner).
• Stirling Moss cause of death: After a long illness.
• How old was Stirling Moss? He became 90 years old

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