Ner-ner-ner..nineteen!

The last car raced professionally by Sir Stirling Moss is up for sale…

The last car raced professionally by Sir Stirling Moss is up for sale.  The Lotus 19 was designed by Colin Chapman and driven by many of the biggest names in British motorsport. 
 
With its fibreglass body, revolutionary spaceframe chassis and propelled by a mid-engined 2.5-litre Coventry Climax engine, it competed with and frequently trounced its V8-engined counterparts making the 19 a giant killing success.
 
This very car, #953, was a leading racing car in the UK in the early 60’s winning six of the seven races it entered and finishing a close 2nd in the other race held at Brands Hatch. In one race, Graham Hill, is recorded as lapping Snetterton at an average speed of over 100mph.
 
In ‘63 the car raced at Goodwood. In the same race the previous year Sir Stirling Moss had a terrible crash where he was very seriously injured.  Racing in those days was a deadly sport. Moss had not been behind the wheel of a racing car since the crash. However, Moss chose this car, #953 to test his skills as a prelude to a return to competitive racing.  No one watching realised they were seeing history being created.  This was the very last car Moss drove before retiring from professional competition racing.  Sometime afterwards, Moss commented afterwards that he felt the instinctive feelings that allowed him to push a racing car around a track so effortlessly were blunted.
 
It is reported less than 20 Lotus 19 were built (maybe the clue is in the name). Cars with this pedigree do not come to market very often. The team at Silverstone auctions must be tremendously proud and honoured to have such a car at their sale, they should be.
 
As yet there is no indication of guide price. We’ll stick our necks out. We think the hammer will fall around £500,000.  We’ll fight you for it.

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