Stirling Moss’s 10 greatest drives

10 1950

TOURIST TROPHY

JAGUAR XK120 (1ST)

The Dundrod road circuit in Northern Ireland is fearsome, considered too fast for top-line car racing after three driver deaths in 1955.

It is therefore perhaps understandable that Jaguar would not give the then-20-year-old Moss a car for the 1950 Tourist Trophy. But the experienced Tommy Wisdom thought differently: he offered Moss his XK120, one of six works-specification cars with aluminium (as opposed to steel) bodies for the event.

Having set the fastest lap then recorded by a production car at Dundrod in practice, Moss revelled in the torrential rain and gale that hit the circuit on race day. Leslie Johnson led away in an XK120, but Moss got by on lap two and was never headed thereafter – he was 53 seconds ahead after six laps.

Alfred Moss, concerned that Stirling might be under threat in the handicap stakes, signalled his son to speed up. The result was a new lap record on the final tour as Moss led a Jaguar 1-2 from Peter Whitehead.

Autosport described the effort as “an uncanny exhibition of wet-road driving. On this showing, Stirling Moss must be considered as one of the leading road-race pilots of the present day.”

9 1954

ITALIAN GP

MASERATI 250F (1OTH)

It was legendary Mercedes team boss Alfred Neubauer who famously suggested to Moss’s manager Ken Gregory that a privateer Maserati 250F should be acquired to see what Stirling could do in a proper grand prix car in 1954.

Just over £5000 later, Moss had his hands on the finely balanced Italian machine, albeit one that was underpowered compared to the benchmark Mercedes W196 driven by Juan Manuel Fangio. Moss had several standout performances that ultimately persuaded Neubauer to sign him for 1955, and the Italian Grand Prix at Monza was a highlight, despite the poor result.

By now (September), Moss was being treated as a Maserati works driver and