Sport: Baptizing the Family Car

On the famous motor race track at Le Mans, France, sleek-bonneted speedsters screeched around the turns and thundered down the straightways in the most grueling sport-car endurance race on the speedway calendar. Plugging along at 70 m.p.h. —and letting other models slip past at better speeds—was a 1948 British Aston-Martin coupe. Its two-man crew, a couple of middle-aged English amateurs, were there just to prove that "any British family man who drives with care . . . can give these continental chaps a run for their money."

It was the first race for both Rob Lawrie (46) and Dr. Dick Parker...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!