May 1955 - The British motorsport industry

Today, the UK is home to the one of the world’s most vibrant motorsport sectors. Made up of around 4,5000 companies and turning over approximately £6 billion per year it makes a huge contribution to the economy and underpins the wider automotive industry.

But it hasn’t always been the case. And in May 1955, the success of Stirling Moss in Italy’s Mille Miglia road race, prompted The Engineer to take a critical look at an area of UK industry that was lagging behind its continental competitors. 

Moss’s achievement  - which came months before his first Grand Prix victory  - was pretty remarkable. Driving a 3-litre Mercedes, he covered the 992 mile-long route across Italy and back in just 10h 7 minutes at an average speed of 97.8mph. It’s hard to imagine many of today’s cosseted F1 celebrities doing anything comparable. 

But while The Engineer celebrated Moss’s success in what it describes as ‘the most difficult race in the international calendar’ it also bemoaned the relatively lowly status of Britain’s motorsport sector.