Stirling was reunited with the first car he ever drove competitively, 65 years after he first got behind the wheel, over the weekend of the Prescott Hill Climb.

The now vintage BMW 328, owned at the time by Stirling’s father Alfred, was loaned to him, allowing an 18 year old Stirling Moss to take part in the Harrow Car Club Trial. Even as a novice driver Stirling demonstrated his driving skill and competitive spirit by winning the events Cullen Cup.

The BMW 328, acquired by Stirling’s father from a fellow dentist Victor Briggs was sold in 1948 to a doctor, who in turn sold it on to a Mr Wilson who took it with him to Australia.

The car then returned to England in 1984 where it was sold to the current owner, a Mr Wills, who took it to the Prescott Open Classic Car Hill Climb event.

Stirling was delighted to be reunited with his old car at Ellenborough Park Hotel in Cheltenham. He said: 'I’m very happy to see my old car, but it’s the wrong colour of course, when I had it was black!' and pleased to see that the car was still being driven and raced and had not become a museum piece.

The BMW 328 was used by Stirling throughout 1947, competing at various events including the Brighton, Poole and Chichester Speed Trials.

On his way back from one of the events Stirling and his father drove past the Cooper garage in Surbiton. Charles Cooper, known to Stirling’s father, was building the Cooper 500cc single seaters, which would go on to become hugely successful.

It is not difficult to work out what Stirling was thinking, having tasted competitive motorsport for the first time in his father’s BMW 328.

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