Obituary – Tony Ambrose

Often cited as the prototype of the strategically-aware British co-driver, John Anthony Ambrose plied his trade during the 1950s and ’60s mainly with the BMC team. After winning a scholarship to Oxford university where he helped to rejuvenate the OUMDC, he won the 1956 RAC Rally guiding the Aston Martin of Lyndon Sims. At BMC he sat alongside their Flying Finns, winning the 1963 Alpine Rally with Rauno Aaltonen and the 1964 Tulip Rally with Timo Mäkinen. In ’63, he and Aaltonen had a near-miss on the Liège-Sofia-Liège in a Healey, but came back to win it in ’64. In a Mini Cooper S they won five events in the 1965 European Championship, including the RAC Rally, and took the title. Tony retired, but was lured back by Sir Max Aitken to run the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon and the 1970 World Cup. JD