Lance Macklin

Macklin's father was the automotive entrepreneur Noel Macklin, founder of both the Invicta and Railton car companies, as well as Fairmile Marine, a manufacturer of motor gun and torpedo boats during World War II. Macklin was born in Kensington, and educated at Eton College. He volunteered for service with the Royal Navy in 1939 and (in line with his father's business) was assigned to work on motor gun boats.

On demobilisation after the Second World War, Macklin followed his early ambition and became a racing driver, although an early attempt to enter a race on the Isle of Man was refused on grounds that he had no experience.

During his Grand Prix career, Macklin scored no championship points, principally due to his uncompetitive HWM cars. His best career result came when he won the non-Championship BRDC International Trophy, at Silverstone in 1952.

In the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans he was involved in the most catastrophic accident in racing history, which killed Pierre Levegh and 83 spectators. Macklin swerved to avoid hitting the Jaguar of Mike Hawthorn, who was braking hard in a late attempt to pit, and moved into the path of Levegh's car causing it to clip his. Although Macklin's car crashed, he was uninjured. Following a later incident in the Tourist Trophy at Dundrod, in which Macklin crashed his Austin-Healey 100S avoiding an accident in which Jim Mayers and William T. Smith were killed, Macklin retired from motor sport at the urging of his then girlfriend.

Macklin joined Facel Vega in Paris, running the export division until the company failed in 1963, when he began working for London car dealership H.R. Owen.

He later moved to Spain, but returned to England when he became ill. He died in Tenterden, Kent, four days before his 83rd birthday.

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