Action photo of Le Mans winner and noted privateer Grand Prix driver Peter Whitehead at speed in the
was a modified ex works Ferrari 125 with a 4.5 litre V12 engine from the newer 375 model, whi Thinwall Special Ferrari 125/375 V12 during practice for the 1951 British GP. He finished 9th. The Thinwall industrial mogul, Tony Vandervall bought and entered after falling out with fellow board members at BRM... He figured he could do better...and did!
A second car, this time a full 375 was later used (drivers included Hawthorn, Collins, Taruffi and Parnell) and led to the building of the legendary Vanwall F1 car which won the constuctors tite in 1958 with driver Moss, Brooks and Lewis Evans.
Peter Whitehead was a pre-war era racer who became one of Ferrari's early customers in the late 40s, runnng his own 125 V12 - a car that later became a cornerstone of the Donington Collection. He raced for the factory Jaguar team and won the 1951 Le Mans 24 hours for Jaguar (it's first win in the race) in a C Type partnered by Peter Walker.In later years he cncentrated on sportscars as part of the Aston Martin factory team and was 2nd in the 1958 Le Mans race but two weeks later, on the Tour De France Auto, the Jaguar Mk1 being driven by his half-brother Grahame, crashed off a bridge on a road section. Peter was acting as the navigator on this event and died instantly when the car plunged into a ravine.
10x7 inch (254x178mm)
