Salvadori and Shelby first drove together for Aston Martin at Sebring in 1958, but retired after 62 laps that day when the car’s front crossmember broke.
Photo: Ed McDonough Collection
My racing Astons started in 1953, and although the first year brought some results, there wasn’t a win until 1955, and 1954 had been pretty awful. The year 1955 was much better, and I did Le Mans that year with Peter Walker, though we retired. In fact, I retired or we crashed at Le Mans in ’56, ’57, and ’58. The start of the 1959 season wasn’t a lot better, so there was not that much chance of being successful this time at the 24 Hours.
Aston Martin was preoccupied with the Grand Prix car in 1959, so originally it had not intended to do a lot of sports car races. I drove with Carroll (Shelby) at Sebring and we were going well, but he had the gearshift lever come off. Moss and Fairman won at the Nürburgring when only one car was sent for that race.
Become a Member & Get Ad-Free Access To This Article (& About 6,000+ More)
Access to the full article is limited to paid subscribers only. Our membership removes most ads, lets you enjoy unlimited access to all our premium content, and offers you awesome discounts on partner products. Enjoy our premium content.
