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Peter Collins (racing driver) facts for kids

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Peter Collins
Peter Collins car racer.jpg
Born (1931-11-06)6 November 1931
Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
Died 3 August 1958(1958-08-03) (aged 26)
Bonn, Germany
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality United Kingdom British
Active years 19521958
Teams HWM
Vanwall
Maserati
Ferrari
Entries 35 (32 starts)
Championships 0
Wins 3
Podiums 9
Career points 47
Pole positions 0
Fastest laps 0
First entry 1952 Swiss Grand Prix
First win 1956 Belgian Grand Prix
Last win 1958 British Grand Prix
Last entry 1958 German Grand Prix
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years 1952 – 1958
Teams Aston Martin
David Brown
Scuderia Ferrari
Best finish 2nd (1955, 1956)
Class wins 2 (1955, 1956)

Peter John Collins (6 November 1931 – 3 August 1958) was a British racing driver. He was killed in the 1958 German Grand Prix, just weeks after winning the RAC British Grand Prix. He started his career as a 17-year-old in 1949, impressing in Formula 3 races, finishing third in the 1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship.

In the 2023 biographical sports drama film Ferrari, Collins is portrayed by actor Jack O'Connell.

Early life and racing career

Born on 6 November 1931, Collins grew up in Mustow Green, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. The son of a motor-garage owner and haulage merchant, Collins became interested in motor vehicles at a young age. He was expelled from school at 16 owing to spending time at a local fairground during school hours. He became an apprentice in his father's garage and began competing in local trials races.

In common with many British drivers of the time, Collins began racing in the 500 cc category (adopted as Formula 3 at the end of 1950), when his parents bought him a Cooper 500 from the fledgling Cooper Car Company. Success for Collins started once he switched to the JBS-Norton in 1951. Those small vehicles, powered by Norton motorcycle engines, were also the proving ground of many of Collins's F1 contemporaries, including Stirling Moss.

His breakthrough came, away from the track, when at a party hosted by the great pre-war lady racer, Kay Petre, Collins managed to inveigle himself with John Wyer, the team principal at Aston Martin, earning his test drive at Silverstone. During that test, Aston was joined by the Formula 2 team, HWM – and by the time the teams were preparing to leave, Collins had a contract with both.

At HWM Collins he became part of a three-car team with Lance Macklin and Moss, and they competed in most of the F2 races in Britain and in Europe. Collins showed in speed, but the underfinanced HWM-Alta rarely finished a race. His best result was second place in the Grand Prix des Sables d'Olonne. Collins got his Formula One break in 1952, with HWM when he replaced Moss. His best result in a World Championship event that year was sixth in the French Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts.

Success did not come the team's way, and Collins left after the 1953 season. Not known for his technical knowledge, Collins was happy to have his mechanics set up his car, and he simply drove it with his consummate natural skill. This was evident in 1954, when Tony Vandervell signed Collins to drive the fearsome "Thinwall Special". The potent machine was a crowd pleaser at Formula Libre events. He was also amongst the first to handle the "Vanwall Special" on the world stage, but he only finished seventh in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

After being a constant thorn in BRM's side, he joined the team for the 1955 season. He raced a Maserati 250F belonging to team owner, Alfred Owen, winning the BRDC International Trophy and the London Trophy. These results led to a drive with the works Maserati in the Italian Grand Prix.

Meanwhile, he had better success in sportscars. Throughout the first half of the 1950s, Collins was a stalwart performer for the Aston Martin team, scoring a sensational victory at the 1952 Goodwood Nine Hours race. The following year he took the Aston Martin DB3S he shared with Pat Griffith to victory in the RAC Tourist Trophy at Dundrod. Further successes included second places in an Aston Martin DB3S at Le Mans in 1955 and 1956 with Paul Frère and Moss respectively.

Later career

For the 1956 season, Collins joined Ferrari on the strength of a superb drive in the previous year's Targa Florio, in which he partnered Moss to victory in a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. This proved to be a turning point, with a solid second-place finish behind Moss at the Monaco Grand Prix, and wins at the Belgian and French Grands Prix. In those early days at Ferrari, Collins earned the unstinting admiration of Enzo Ferrari, devastated by the untimely death from muscular dystrophy at age 24 of his son, Dino, and who turned to Collins for solace, treating him as a member of the family.

Collins was on the verge of becoming Britain's first F1 World Champion when he handed his Lancia-Ferrari D50 over to team leader Juan Manuel Fangio after the latter suffered a steering-arm failure toward the end of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. Collins eventually finished second, but the advantage handed to Moss, and the extra points gained by Fangio's finish, demoted Collins to third place in the championship. Collins's selfless act gained him respect from Enzo Ferrari and high praise from Fangio: "I was moved almost to tears by the gesture... Peter was one of the finest and greatest gentlemen I ever met in my racing career."

Meanwhile, in sports cars, he finished second in a Ferrari 860 Monza in the Mille Miglia and at the Swedish Sports Car GP in a Ferrari 290MM with Wolfgang von Trips in 1956; and then in 1957 finished second in the 1000km of Nürburgring with Olivier Gendebien and won the Venezuelan Grand Prix with Phil Hill, all in a Ferrari 335 S. Finally, in 1958 he won the 1000 km Buenos Aires and the 12 Hours of Sebring in a Ferrari 250 TR with Phil Hill. These three were back-to-back. His last World Sports Car Championship podium was another second place at the 'Ring with Mike Hawthorn.

Also in 1956, Collins moved to Monaco to avoid compulsory military service in the British Army and thus continue his racing career.

Fangio chases Collins Nurburgring 1957
Collins, in a Ferrari 801, is chased by Juan Manuel Fangio's Maserati 250F during the 1957 German Grand Prix.

In January 1957, Collins married American actress Louise King, daughter of the executive assistant to UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjöld, and the couple took up residence on a yacht in Monaco harbour. In the same year, Collins was joined at Ferrari by Hawthorn. The two became very close friends, even arranging to split their winnings between each other, and together engaged in a fierce rivalry with fellow Ferrari driver Luigi Musso. However, despite a third-place finish at the German Grand Prix, Ferrari were disadvantaged for much of the season as the 801 model (an evolution of the 1954 Lancia D50) was overweight and underpowered. However, Collins did score some wins that season, taking victory in the non-championship Syracuse and Naples Grands Prix.

1957-05-08 Modena Ferrari 335 Enzo Collins
Collins with Ferrari (centre background) shortly before the 1957 Mille Miglia
Collins Fangio and Hawthorn celebrate Nurburgring 1957
Collins (left) and teammate Mike Hawthorn celebrate with race winner Juan Manuel Fangio, after the 1957 German Grand Prix.

1958 saw the introduction of the new, improved Ferrari Dino 246 and results started to improve for Scuderia Ferrari. Although achieving few results in the first half of the season, Collins improved and won the non-championship BRDC International Trophy at Silverstone, then finished third at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, Enzo Ferrari felt Collins was distracted by his supposed playboy lifestyle. The Monaco yacht where he lived was considered a perpetual party by Ferrari, who thought Collins was distracted and no longer focused on driving and developing sports cars.

Collins was sacked by Ferrari after deliberately damaging the clutch in his car, which he shared with Mike Hawthorn during the 24 Hours of Le Mans rather than race in a rainstorm, and was found drinking in a pub in England before the end of the race. Ferrari relented and allowed Collins to drive an F2 car until the end of the season. At the French Grand Prix at Reims, Hawthorn refused to start unless Collins was allowed to start in a F1 car. He did, and finished fifth. Ferrari immediately sacked Collins again. Hawthorn responded by flying to Italy and storming the Ferrari headquarters in Modena. Having smashed down locked doors, Hawthorn told Enzo Ferrari he would not drive for him again unless Collins was given his Formula One seat again; Ferrari relented.

Following Musso's death at Reims, Ferrari was left without one of his top drivers, and so Collins's position was for now safe. At the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Collins achieved perhaps his greatest drive. Under team orders and desiring to help his friend Hawthorn win the Championship, Collins led from the start, running flat out in an effort to beat the Vanwall of Moss. Although in an inferior car to the main contenders, by driving at the limit for 45 laps Collins gradually pulled away from Moss until his Vanwall expired and Collins won. The Ferrari team management decided not to slow Collins down and flag Hawthorn through to the win after Collins's great drive. Moss's future patron, Rob Walker, told Collins after the race that he found Collins's driving frightening and he should never drive like that again. It was his third and final career victory.

Death

During the 1958 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, whilst chasing Tony Brooks's Vanwall, Collins had a fatal crash. After pushing hard to keep pace, Collins went into the Pflanzgarten section of the circuit too quickly, which caused his Ferrari to run wide and encounter a ditch. Collins lost control of his car, as it flipped into the air and landed upside down. Collins was thrown from the car and struck a tree, sustaining critical head injuries. Despite treatment, Collins died later in the afternoon at a hospital in Bonn. His death was almost identical to the fate which his Ferrari teammate Luigi Musso suffered. Teammate Mike Hawthorn was so disturbed by Collins's death that he retired from racing immediately after winning the 1958 Drivers' Championship. Hawthorn himself died during the following year after an automobile accident on the A3 bypass near Guildford, Surrey, England. In Tony Brooks's autobiography, he recalled that he drove harder in that race, in the duel with Collins and Hawthorn, than at any other time in his life but, as in earlier duels with Fangio, the Ferrari pair were passing and repassing only on the safer North and South curves.

Rivalry with Luigi Musso

Many years after the death of Peter Collins, Fiamma Breschi, Luigi Musso's girlfriend at the time of his death, revealed in a television documentary entitled The Secret Life of Enzo Ferrari the rivalry between teammates Collins, Hawthorn and Musso. Breschi recalled that the antagonism between Musso and the two English drivers encouraged all three to take risks. She said: "The Englishmen (Hawthorn and Collins) had an agreement. Whichever of them won, they would share the winnings equally. It was the two of them against Luigi, who was not part of the agreement. Strength comes in numbers, and they were united against him. This antagonism was actually favourable rather than damaging to Ferrari. The faster the drivers went, the more likely it was that a Ferrari would win."

Personal life

Collins married Louise King in 1957, one week after they met in Miami, having proposed after two days. Louise was American, and her father was a US representative to the United Nations. She would be widowed in 1958 when Collins crashed at the Nürburgring. She was interviewed in the movie Ferrari: Race to Immortality.

Racing record

Career highlights

Season Series Position Team Car
1949 Silverstone 100 Mile Race 1st Cooper-Norton Mk III
1950 Goodwood International Trophy [500cc] 2nd Cooper-Norton Mk III
"Royal" Meeting Grand Prix d'Europe [500cc] 3rd Cooper-Norton Mk III
Brighton Speed Trials 3rd Cooper-Norton Mk III
1951 Autosport National Formula 3 Championship 3rd JBS-Norton
1952 9 Hours of Goodwood 1st David Brown Aston Martin DB3
Grand Prix des Sables d'Olonne 2nd HW Motors Ltd. HWM-Alta 52
Grands Prix de France 7th HW Motors Ltd. HWM-Alta 52
1953 RAC Tourist Trophy 1st Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S
9 Hours of Goodwood 2nd David Brown Aston Martin DB3S
Internationales ADAC-Eifelrennen 3rd HW Motors Ltd. HWM-Alta 52
1954 Whitsuntide Race 1st Vandervell Products Ltd. Ferrari Thinwall
WECC Trophy 1st Vandervell Products Ltd. Ferrari Thinwall
Woodcote Trophy 1st Vandervell Products Ltd. Ferrari Thinwall
Crystal Palace Trophy 2nd R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Connaught-Lea Francis A
Goodwood Trophy 2nd Vandervell Products Ltd. Vanwall
Aintree International 2nd Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S
1000 km Buenos Aires 3rd David Brown Aston Martin DB3S
1955 Chichester Cup 1st Owen Racing Organisation BRM P30 MkII
BRDC International Trophy 1st Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F
London Trophy 1st Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F
BARC Trophy 1st Owen Racing Organisation BRM P30 MkII
Targa Florio 1st Daimler Benz AG Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR
Les 24 Heures du Mans 2nd Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S
9 Hours of Goodwood 3rd Aston Martin Aston Martin DB3S
Oulton Park International 3rd Peter Collins Aston Martin DB3S
1956 Giro di Sicilla 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 857 S
Grote Prijs van Belgie 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555
Gran Premio Supercortemaggiore 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 500 TR Touring
Grand Prix de l'ACF 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555
Mile Miglia 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 860 Monza Scaglietti
Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555
RAC British Grand Prix 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555
24 Heures du Mans 2nd David Brown Aston Martin DB3S
Sveriges Grand Prix 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 290 MM
Gran Premio d'Italia 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555
FIA Formula One World Championship 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50
Ferrari 555
Gran Premio di Siracusa 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50A
1957 Gran Premio di Siracusa 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 801
Gran Premio di Napoli 1st Scuderia Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50
Gran Premio de Venezuela 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 335 S
Internationales ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen auf dem Nürburgring 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 335 S
Sveriges Grand Prix 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 335 S
1000 km Buenos Aires 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 290 MM
Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 801
Großer Preis von Deutschland 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 801
FIA Formula One World Championship 9th Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 801
1958 1000 km Buenos Aires 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 TR 58
12-Hour International Grand Prix of Endurance 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 250 TR 58
BRDC International Trophy 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246
RAC British Grand Prix 1st Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246
Sussex Trophy 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 206 S
Internationales ADAC 1000 Kilometer Rennen Nürburgring 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 205 TR 58
Coupe International de Vitesse 2nd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 516
Grand Prix Automobile de Monaco 3rd Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246
FIA Formula One World Championship 5th Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari Dino 246

Complete World Drivers' Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 WDC Pts
1952 HW Motors HWM 52 Alta F2 2.0 L4 SUI
Ret
500 BEL
Ret
FRA
6
GBR
Ret
GER
DNS
NED ITA
DNQ
NC 0
1953 HW Motors HWM 53 Alta GP 2.5 L4 ARG 500 NED
8
BEL
Ret
FRA
13
GBR
Ret
GER SUI ITA NC 0
1954 Vandervell Products Vanwall Special Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR
Ret
GER SUI ITA
7
ESP
DNS
NC 0
1955 Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR
Ret
NC 0
Officine Alfieri Maserati ITA
Ret
1956 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555 Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 ARG
Ret
3rd 25
Lancia-Ferrari D50 Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 MON
2*
500 BEL
1
FRA
1
GBR
2*
GER
Ret*
ITA
2*
1957 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50 Ferrari DS50 2.5 V8 ARG
6*
9th 8
Ferrari 801 MON
Ret
500 FRA
3
GBR
4*
GER
3
PES ITA
Ret
1958 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 246 Ferrari 143 2.4 V6 ARG
Ret
MON
3
NED
Ret
500 BEL
Ret
FRA
5
GBR
1
GER
Ret
POR ITA MOR 5th 14
Source:

* Shared drive

Non-championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
1952 HW Motors HWM 52 Alta F2 2.0 L4 RIO SYR VAL RIC LAV PAU
Ret
IBS MAR
7
AST INT
9
ELÄ NAP EIF PAR
Ret
ALB FRO ULS MNZ LAC ESS MAR
Ret
SAB
2
CAE DMT COM
Ret
NAT BAU
4
MOD CAD
Ret
SKA MAD AVU JOE NEW RIO
1953 HW Motors HWM 52 Alta F2 2.0 L4 SYR PAU LAV AST BOR INT
11
ELÄ NAP ULS
Ret
WIN FRO COR
7
EIF
3
ALB PRI ESS MID ROU CRY AVU USF LAC
Ret
BRI CHE SAB
6
NEW CAD RED SKA LON MOD MAD JOE CUR
1954 R.R.C. Walker Racing Team Connaught A Lea-Francis 2.0 L4 SYR PAU LAV BOR INT BAR CUR ROM FRO COR BRC CRY
2
ROU CAE AUG COR OUL RED PES JOE CAD BER
Vandervell Products Vanwall Special Vanwall 254 2.5 L4 GOO
2
DTT
1955 Owen Racing Organisation Maserati 250F Maserati 250F1 2.5 L6 NZL BUE VAL PAU GLO BOR INT
1
NAP ALB CUR COR LON DRT RED AVO
Ret
SYR
BRM P25 BRM P25 2.5 L4 DTT
DNS
OUL
Ret
1956 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 555 Ferrari 555 2.5 L4 BUE
5
GLV
Lancia-Ferrari D50 Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 SYR
3
AIN INT
Ret
NAP 100 VNW CAE BRH
1957 Scuderia Ferrari Lancia-Ferrari D50 Lancia DS50 2.5 V8 BUE
3
SYR
1
PAU GLV NAP
1
RMS
Ret
CAE INT
Ferrari Dino 156 Ferrari D156 1.5 V6 MOD
4
Ferrari 143 2.4 V6 MOR
Ret
1958 Scuderia Ferrari Ferrari 246 Ferrari 143 2.4 V6 BUE GLV SYR AIN INT
1
CAE
Source:

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1952 United Kingdom Aston Martin Ltd. United Kingdom Lance Macklin Aston Martin DB3 S3.0 DNF DNF
1953 United Kingdom Aston Martin Ltd. United Kingdom Reg Parnell Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 16 DNF DNF
1954 United Kingdom David Brown Thailand "Bira" Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 137 DNF DNF
1955 United Kingdom Aston Martin Ltd. Belgium Paul Frère Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 302 2nd 1st
1956 United Kingdom David Brown United Kingdom Stirling Moss Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 299 2nd 1st
1957 Italy Scuderia Ferrari United States Phil Hill Ferrari 335 S S3.0 2 DNF DNF
1958 Italy Scuderia Ferrari United Kingdom Mike Hawthorn Ferrari 250 TR 58 S3.0 112 DNF DNF
Source:

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1953 United Kingdom Aston Martin, Ltd. United Kingdom Geoff Duke Aston Martin DB3 S3.0 52 DNF DNF
1954 United Kingdom Aston Martin, Ltd. United Kingdom Pat Griffith Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 26 DNF DNF
1956 United Kingdom David Brown & Sons, Ltd. United Kingdom Stirling Moss Aston Martin DB3S S3.0 51 DNF DNF
1956 Italy Ferrari Factory France Maurice Trintignant Ferrari 315 S S5.0 198 6th 5th
1958 Italy Scuderia Ferrari United States Phil Hill Ferrari 250 TR 58 S3.0 200 1st 1st
Source:

Complete Mille Miglia results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Pos. Class
Pos.
1953 United Kingdom Aston Martin Lagonda United Kingdom Mike Keen Aston Martin DB3 S+2.0 16th 10th
1954 United Kingdom David Brown United Kingdom Pat Griffith Aston Martin DB3S S+2.0 DNF DNF
1955 United Kingdom Aston Martin Ltd. Aston Martin DB3S S+2.0 DNF DNF
1956 Italy Scuderia Ferrari United Kingdom Louis Klemantaski Ferrari 860 Monza S+2.0 2nd 2nd
1957 Italy Scuderia Ferrari United Kingdom Louis Klemantaski Ferrari 335 S S+2.0 DNF DNF
Source:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Peter Collins para niños

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