Henry Taylor

All-rounder Henry Taylor has died in France, aged 80. Entering racing via F3 in 1954, he won the Autosport championship in ’55. Over the next three years he proved fast in a D-type Jaguar and achieved success in F2. Through 1960 Taylor drove a Yeoman Credit Fl Cooper, taking fourth in the French GP but also winning the Monaco Formula Junior race in a Tyrrell Cooper. The following year he drove a UDT Lotus 18/21, as well as the team’s Lotus 19 sports car, suffering a major crash in the British GP. Although he recovered to race in one last GP, Italy, he then retired and returned to farming, but soon began rallying a works Cortina (while also racing for Alan Mann). A prominent member of the UK bobsleigh team, it was he who arranged for a team of Cortinas to drive down the Cresta Run. His career ended in 1966, but he became Ford’s competitions manager and set up Ford Special Vehicles, before moving to France and establishing several boat businesses.