Stirling Moss was born in London in 1929, and his passion for auto racing was deeply rooted in his family history. His father, a dentist, had been a skilled race car driver, participating in the Indianapolis 500 in 1924 and 1925. Moss's early fascination with cars led him to begin racing at the age of 17, and by the time he was 19, he had already taken fourth overall and first in his class at the prestigious Bugatti Owner's Club Hill Climb, driving a Cooper Formula 3.
By the end of his first year of racing, Moss had won six more races, and he soon transitioned to sports car racing, where he would go on to earn his greatest fame. In the 1950s, Moss dominated the auto racing scene, winning every major race, except for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1950, the World Driving Championship circuit was established, and although Moss was the favorite to win, Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio ultimately took the title. However, Moss consoled himself by winning the British, New Zealand, Monaco, Moroccan, and Italian Grand Prix, and his 1961 Monaco Grand Prix victory is widely regarded as his greatest achievement.
Moss's incredible skill and technique allowed him to overtake the competition in his underpowered Lotus-Climax, taking the race by a mere 3.6 seconds. In 1962, Moss suffered a severe crash during a race at Goodwood, England, leaving him in a coma for an extended period. When he finally recovered, his left side was partially paralyzed, and his reaction times were significantly slower. Despite his best efforts to regain his former abilities, Moss ultimately realized that his body and reactions were no longer what they once were, and he made the difficult decision to retire from racing on May 1, 1963.
