The world of British motorsport is preparing for Kenneth McAlpin, a descendant of Scottish aristocrats and the oldest driver ever to race in Formula 1 and to survive to this day. He recently passed away at the age of 103.
McAlpin, who was awarded the “Order of the British Empire” for numerous merits, acquired two Maserati 8CMs racing cars in the first post-war years, with which he performed quite successfully in various club and national competitions in the late 1940s.
In 1951 he made his debut in Formula 3, but in the same year he was behind the wheel of a more powerful Formula 2 car for the first time. In each case, McAlpin played for Britain’s Connaught Engineering team and piloted the machines built by her troops.
His best result was 3rd place in the unqualified Goodwood Grand Prix in 1954. In 1955 he also started in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and also in Connaughth, but did not finish. Kenneth McAlpin was also one of the main investors in the Connaught Grand Prix team, but this did not save it from bankruptcy in 1958. It is worth mentioning another historical fact: two Connaught cars were then purchased by a young entrepreneur named Bernie Ecclestone.
After retiring from motor racing, Kenneth McAlpin got into several businesses, including founding Lumberhurst in the early 1970s, one of the UK’s first wineries to launch an entire industry. His company’s products have won numerous awards.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
