Ken Miles’ last race in his “Flying Shingle” R-2 Special at Torrey Pines on Oct. 23, 1955. By the end of 1953, the R-1 was having difficulty in keeping ahead of the Porsche and OSCA opposition. The overstressed MG engine couldn’t yield any more power, so Miles chose to make a lighter car to increase his chances. The result was the R-2 “Flying Shingle,” which featured a tubular space frame and low center of gravity. Though the R-2 won its debut race, Miles struggled all year long with the very fast “Pooper” of Pete Lovely.
Photo: Jim Sitz
Ken Miles
Many of the cars he drove – and in fact helped develop – are among the best known and most recognized racecars in motorsport history, names like the Shelby Cobra, Ford GT40, Sunbeam Tiger and Porsche Spyder, just to name a few. Yet, the contributions of Ken Miles to postwar racing have been all but overlooked by history.
Ken Miles, at the wheel of his first R-1 MG special, enroute to victory at Reeves Field, Long Beach in 1953. Miles designed and built the car himself using a mild steel ladder frame and modified Morris Minor front suspension and steering. At the time, MG was attempting to break several speed records at Bonneville, which resulted in Miles obtaining a special factory block that featured a larger than normal 72 mm bore. Photo: Jim Sitz
“One of his great strengths as a driver was his ability to focus. He took racing very seriously… it was the most important thing in his life. Also, he was very mechanically oriented, which I think was more of an asset back then.” John Morton
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