Not long before his untimely death a few years ago, our Robert Newman wrote this tribute to his friend and hero Stirling Moss. As the director of Public Relations for Pirelli for many years, Robert worked with Moss on a variety of projects and came to know both Moss and Juan Manuel Fangio quite intimately. We mourn the loss of both Newman and Moss, but take solace in the notion that they are now once again swapping tall tales in some ethereal paddock.
An irascible motorcycle cop in a ’70s British TV advertisement for Renault pulled up next to the car he had been chasing and asked the driver gruffly, “Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?” The man at the wheel just turned to the cop and grinned…because he was Stirling Moss! And that just shows the unprecedented popularity this hyper-energetic, extraordinarily efficient human being, who is one of the greatest racing drivers of the 20th century has enjoyed since the early ’50s. Despite his being in his 80s, walk into a London restaurant with him today and the diners will start nudging each other and whispering, “That’s Stirling Moss.” He is an institution.
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