Stirling Moss

Born in London, Moss came from a car-loving family and competed in his first race in 1948 at the age of 19. As the season progressed, he won 12 of the 15 competitions he entered. It was a lightning start to a great international career.

After several stops in between, the highly talented Briton was signed up for the Mercedes-Benz works team in 1955, but only drove there for one season due to Daimler-Benz's withdrawal from motorsport. But this one has it all: In a thrilling duel with his team-mate, the experienced champion Juan Manuel Fangio, Moss was able to secure victories in the Formula 1 racing car W 196 R and in the 300 SLR racing sports car (W 196 S) at his home Grand Prix in Aintree, England, at the Targa Florio in Sicily and the Tourist Trophy in Northern Ireland. In the Belgian and Dutch Grands Prix, he finished second behind his Argentinian rival and in the opening race in Argentina he shared fourth place with Herrmann and Kling. He finished runner-up in the Formula 1 championship.

His greatest success at the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz came in 1955 when he won the Mille Miglia together with his compatriot Denis Jenkinson in the 300 SLR. They covered the gruelling 1600 kilometres on public roads at an average speed of 157.65 km/h, which is still unsurpassed today.

After the temporary end of Daimler-Benz's racing activities at the end of the 1955 season, Moss drove very successfully in Formula 1 for various manufacturers until he ended his active career in 1963 after a serious accident with a Lotus-Climax at Goodwood. Although he was always one of the best drivers and was runner-up four times between 1955 and 1958, he was never able to win a World Championship title. In 1999 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. Sir Stirling Moss was still associated with Mercedes-Benz into his old age and often enjoyed driving the vehicles that once helped him to victory at historic racing events.