Aston Martin’s pillar

Roy Salvadori, pictured above at the wheel of his Aston Martin DBR4, during the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort. The English driver qualified at the back of the grid, 13th out of 15, and retired early in the race, as did his teammate Carroll Shelby, due to engine failures.

Roy Salvadori (1922-2012) was an English racing driver who competed in Formula One from 1952 to 1962, driving for the Connaught, Maserati, BRM, Vanwall, Aston Martin, Cooper, and Parnell teams. In 47 starts, Salvadori achieved two podium finishes in the World Championship: third at the 1958 British Grand Prix and second at the 1958 German Grand Prix.

He nevertheless won non-championship F1 races in England, Australia and New Zealand and, most importantly, triumphed alongside Carroll Shelby at the 1959 24 Hours of Le Mans in an Aston Martin DBR1/300, a victory that the English manufacturer had been chasing since 1931 (photo below).