by the late Graham Robson Before Graham passed away last year he asked what topics I wanted him to write about for Moss Motoring. So often he wrote about leaders who influenced the British car industry, but my favorite stories of his were when he gave readers a look into highlights of his own life…
Born in Turin, Italy in the last year of World War I, Virgilio Conrero served as a mechanic in the Regia Aeronautica during the next global conflict. He established the Autotecnica Conrero in 1951 and was one of the most successful Alfa Romeo and Lancia tuners (though often overshadowed by the work of Abarth) and…
One of the most storied names in the British automotive industry, Kenneth Richardson was instrumental in the development of the Triumph Roadster and much of that car’s success can be attributed to his efforts. His career almost ended with ignominy before it had started when he crashed the Ferrari Tipo 125 Grand Prix owned by…
Road & Track published an article earlier this year with the title “Denise McCluggage should be your hero.” In it, the author wrote that despite her advanced age it was impossible for any automotive journalist to keep up with her – “Not in speed, not in writing, and certainly not in grace.” I wish that I…
Later today the checkered flag will fall once more to mark the start of another 24 Hours of Le Mans. As many of you may have read in the most recent edition of Moss Motoring, British sports cars have had a long and (sometimes tragic) association with the great race. Perhaps the single event most…
Inside the 1955 Le Mans Tragedy There were no sponsorship liveries on the 60 cars that started at Le Mans in 1955. Instead, they were adorned in the national racing colors of the countries that each represented: Rosso Corsa, Bleu de France, British Racing Green and German silver. As an endurance contest there was no…
Dick Jacobs already had an MG dealership and was an established racer when he was asked to drive one of the prototype alloy-bodied MGA racers in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955 by his friends in the BMC Competition Department at Abingdon.The race, however, was ill-fated for almost all concerned and shortly after…
Did this car run Le Mans? Amidst the stables and green rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe, California, in a garage filled with legendary race cars, brutes from NASCAR’s steep banks, lies a small terror of the race track. A legend at Willow Springs, it’s something of a historical question mark. The 1965 Triumph Spitfire…
MG re-enters motorsports with the MG Lola EX257 MG has always enjoyed certain measures of racing success. It all began in 1922 when a 12 horsepower Cowley with lowered suspension won a gold medal in the Motor Cycling Club’s (MCC) Land’s End Trial. A variety of MGs have set motorsport milestones since then, including the…
