Simeone Museum’s Sept. 18 Demo Day Spotlights Stirling Moss

Stirling Moss
by VM Staff Targa Florio, 16 October 1955. Stirling Moss in the Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR (W 196 S) with starting number 104 (Photo: Mercedes-Benz Classic archive)In just a seven-year period between 1955 and 1961, the late Sir Stirling Moss would finish the World Championship as a runner-up on four occasions, and in third place three other times.

In his 14-year racing career, Sir Stirling would notch 212 victories out of 529 races entered, equaling an astonishing 40% win rate. Despite that incredible record, he left the sport of racing without ever being a world champion.

In its Demo Day this Saturday, Sept. 18, the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia will take a closer look at this legendary figure’s success, both on and off the race track. Featured in the presentation will be five cars from the Simeone Collection that would have been familiar to Sir Stirling: 1953 Jaguar C-Type; 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing Coupe; 1956 Jaguar D-Type; 1956 Maserati 300S; and 1958 Aston Martin DBR1.

Doors open at 10 a.m., and the technical learning session starts at 11:15. Get more information HERE.

 

Tony Brooks 2022

Motorsport Images archive
87 shares
share
tweet
emailBy RACER Staff | May 4, 2022 12:10 PM ET

Tony Brooks, the last surviving Formula 1 grand prix race winner from the 1950s, has died at the age of 90, his family announced.

Known as the “racing dentist” after giving up his family’s profession for racing, his exploits in club racing caught the attention of the Connaught team, which offered him a last-minute drive for the non-championship 1955 Syracuse Grand Prix. He duly won, making Brooks the first British driver to win a modern F1 event in a British car.

He contested his first full F1 world championship season in 1957 with Vanwall, where he was paired with compatriot Stirling Moss. After Moss’s Vanwall VW5 developed a misfire during that year’s British GP at Aintree, the pair shared Brooks’s car for the remainder of the race – and won, giving them the joint honors of being the first British drivers to win a world championship race in a British car. (They were also the third, and last, pair of drivers ever to share an F1 win).
A milestone victory for Brooks and Moss came with this Vanwall VW4 in the British GP at Aintree in 1957.

Aintree ’57 was far from the last time that Brooks had to show deference to Moss’s number one status within the team, yet his results stacked up respectably against his teammate’s – in 1958, he scored three wins to Moss’s four, and finished immediately behind Moss in the championship with third.

A move to Ferrari in 1959 brought an additional two wins and he entered the final round at Sebring with a shot at the title, but was eliminated on the opening lap after his car was hit by that of teammate Wolfgang von Trips. However, Brooks was not as comfortable in the rear-engined cars that were taking over the sport, leading to his retirement in 1961 when he was just 29.

Brooks was also an accomplished sports car racer, winning both the 1957 Nurburgring 1000 km and the 1958 RAC Tourist Trophy while sharing an Aston Martin DBR1 with Moss.

 

Stirling Moss, I thought about you today.

When the Cigar City Flatheads and the Tampa Drifters finished the Cigar City Winterfest Tour on Sunday, it was at a peaceful park on the East side of Lake Tarpon at John Chestnut Park. Cliff and Maggie Danielson pointed out to me that there was an Eagle in a branch over looking our cookout

Stirling, in your time you did the impossible more than once, outrunning Ferraris that overpowered your outdated
Lotus-Climax Formula 1 car.
I understand that, since long ago I learned that after doing the impossible once, doing the impossible gets easier.

I have an old picture of you and Juan Manuel Fangio racing and winning at Sebring in 1957.
There were no guard rails. There were 50 gallon drums and rubber cones. Telephone poles were right next to the track. There were no roll bars on race cars.
Drivers raced in T-shirts when there were no fire suits and no fire suppression systems, Racers wore shorty helmets at a time when there were no full coverage helmets, and before you quit racing, you had worn the same shorty helmet for at least 30 years.

You once said there were only two states when you race a car. One is full throttle and the other is braking so hard the tires are chirping.
I know first hand what that chirping sounds like. In the 70's, under maximum braking the LeMans Porsches were fish tailing side to side and they really move around like that under high speed braking at Lemans.

In between full acceleration and fish tailing with brakes chirping is where the magic is. Stirling was at the Annual Bathurst 1000 many years ago and did the impossible. Stirling was invited to co-drive one of the works GM cars. Second practice lap out, having never driven the car before on a 4 mile mountain circuit,
he was lapping within 2 seconds of the factory drivers.

He pulled into the pits. The car had all four brakes on fire and the engine smoking out of the valve cover breathers. He asked for some tire pressure changes and "it could do with another litre of oil. I wont switch it off in case it doesn't start again." This was just untimed practice. Off he went again and broke the class lap record 4 laps later.

Stirling as we are approaching April 12th 2023, I was thinking about you.

 

Sterling Moss, I thought about you today.

I came into a 90 degree right hander, having caught up with the car to my left.
I eased more to my right and accelerated out of the turn. No threshold braking,
no tire squeal, just smooth driving and taking the proper line.
Maybe the driver to my left didn't believe he was seeing it.

Wwhen I looked in the rearview. I was about a block ahead.

 

Sir Stirling Moss owned and raced this Elva Mk VIIS

1964 Elva VII S by J.A. Ackley
Sep 3, 2024

Bonhams says Sir Stirling Moss enjoyed cars that were “neat, and clever, and fast.” This Elva Mk VIIS must have fit that bill.



Moss bought the car in 1987. He competed with it in the FIA Cartier Championship for Historic Cars.



A 2.0-liter BMW inline-four powers the Elva. The car was initially built for hillclimbs. With that 2.0-liter BMW, it won the 1974 Classic Car Championship with Richard Thwaites behind the wheel.



Find this 1964 Elva-BMW Mark 7S Sports-Racing Two-Seater for auction at Bonhams, with an estimated value of $160,000-$200,000.

 

David Phipps/Motorsport Images

By RACER Staff - Apr 12, 2020, 8:11 AM ET

Remembrances of Sir Stirling Moss

The racing world reacts to the passing of Sir Stirling Moss (pictured in 1961) at age 90.

 

Caterham Seven HWM: A Limited-Edition Tribute to the 1951 HWM-Alta Racer

By Tara Hurlin

—

Updated
March 9, 2026
The Caterham Seven HWM Limited Edition represents a prestigious collaboration between the iconic British lightweight sports car manufacturer and HWM (Hersham and Walton Motors), the world’s longest-standing Caterham dealer.

This exclusive production run celebrates the 75th anniversary of the 1951 HWM-Alta single-seater, a vehicle that famously helped launch the international racing career of Sir Stirling Moss. By blending mid-century Grand Prix aesthetics with modern-day engineering, this edition serves as a rolling monument to British motorsport history.

Historical Inspiration and Production Rarity

The 1951 HWM-Alta connection is central to this project’s identity. To maintain an air of absolute exclusivity, production is strictly limited to just 19 units, which directly mirrors the total number of HWM-Alta racing cars originally manufactured. Every vehicle features a bespoke exterior finished in HWM Green, a specific pale shade that was meticulously scanned and matched from a surviving 1951 racer to ensure historical accuracy for collectors.

Period-Correct Design and Retro Craftsmanship

The aesthetic transformation of the Seven silhouette focuses on period-correct details that evoke the spirit of post-war racing. The exterior is defined by unique side panel louvres and a custom-designed nosecone grille that pays homage to the Alta-powered machines of the fifties. To enhance the vintage feel, mechanical elements such as the headlight brackets, suspension wishbones, and anti-roll bars are finished in a flat Retro Grey, mimicking the raw metal appearance of classic Grand Prix components.
Inside the cockpit, the attention to detail continues with a hand-turned aluminum Supersprint dashboard and a suite of Smiths chrome dials. Drivers interface with the car via a polished wooden Moto-Lita quick-release steering wheel, while the seats offer a choice between traditional leather with tartan inlays or contemporary composite shells, both featuring the embroidered HWM crest.

Modern Performance and Engineering

While the visuals are rooted in the 1950s, the performance remains cutting-edge. Built upon the proven Seven 420 platform, the HWM Edition utilizes a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec engine that produces 210 bhp. This powertrain allows the lightweight car to sprint from 0-60 miles-per-hour in a blistering 3.8 seconds, ensuring that the driving experience is every bit as visceral as the heritage it honors. The vehicle utilizes a five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential to provide the mechanical purity that Caterham enthusiasts demand.

Pricing and Heritage Value

Starting at £57,900, the Caterham Seven HWM is positioned as a high-value collector’s piece that bridges the gap between a modern track tool and a historical artifact. It offers a rare opportunity for enthusiasts to own a vehicle that celebrates the legacy of one of Britain’s most influential independent racing teams.

The order process for the Caterham Seven HWM Edition is handled exclusively through the HWM dealership in the UK, as this limited run of 19 units is offered solely to the UK market. Because of its extremely limited production, interested buyers should initiate contact immediately to secure one of the remaining build slots.

Related Vehicles

2025 Caterham Super 7

Current Price

$70,000