Colin_Davis_(driver)
Colin Davis (racing driver)
British racing driver (1933–2012)
Colin Charles Houghton Davis (29 July 1933 – 19 December 2012) was a British racing driver from England, who won the 1964 Targa Florio.[1]
Colin Davis | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1933-07-29)29 July 1933 Marylebone, London, England |
| Died | 19 December 2012(2012-12-19) (aged 79) Cape Town, South Africa |
| Nationality |  British |
| Relatives | Sammy Davis (father) |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| Active years | 1959 |
| Teams | Non-works Cooper |
| Entries | 2 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| First entry | 1959 French Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 1959 Italian Grand Prix |
Davis was born in Marylebone, London, the son of "Bentley Boy" and Le Mans winner, Sammy Davis (who later became Autocar magazine's sports editor).
He was educated at Stowe School in the late 1930s.
Davis was an advertising executive who raced a 500cc Formula 3 Cooper before moving to Italy from where he conducted his own racing career.
Davis competed in two World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, finishing 11th in the 1959 Italian Grand Prix in a Scuderia Centro Sud Cooper-Maserati.[2] He also participated in several non-Championship Formula One races.
Davis finished eighth overall and a class winner in the 1960 Nürburgring 1000km, sharing a Ferrari 250GT with Carlo Abate.[3] In the same race the following year he finished fourth overall, again with Abate, in a Ferrari 250GT.[4] Also in 1961 Davis finished fifth in the 4-Hours of Pescara, driving solo in a 1,600 c.c. Osca Sport.[5] He shared the winning Porsche 904 GTS in the 1964 Targa Florio with Antonio Pucci.[6]
After Davis retired from racing, he emigrated to Cape Town and worked as a radio broadcaster.[7] He died on 19 December 2012 after a long illness.[1]
Complete Formula One World Championship results
(key)
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 |  Automobili OSCA |
 Alejandro de Tomaso |
O.S.C.A. 750S | S750 | 252 | 10th | 1st |
| 1959 | A. de Tomaso (private entrant) |
Alejandro de Tomaso |
D.B. HBR-5 Spyder | GT750 | 63 | DNF (Gearbox) | |
| 1961 | Automobili OSCA |
 Jean Laroche |
O.S.C.A. Sport 750 | S850 | 85 | DNF (Overheating) | |
| 1962 | Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia |
Carlo Maria Abate |
Ferrari 250 GT Drogo | E3.0 | 30 | DNF (Prop shaft) | |
| 1964 |  Porsche System Engineering |
Gerhard Mitter |
Porsche 904/8 | P2.0 | 244 | DNF (Clutch) | |
| 1965 | Porsche System Engineering |
Gerhard Mitter |
Porsche 904/8 | P2.0 | 20 | DNF (Clutch) | |
| 1966 | Porsche System Engineering |
 Jo Siffert |
Porsche 906/6 LH | P2.0 | 339 | 4th | 1st |
Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Scuderia SSS Republica di Venezia |
Fernand Tavano |
Ferrari 250 GT | GT3.0 | 119 | DNF (Engine) | |
- "Targa Florio winner Colin Davis passes away aged 79". Autosport.Com. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
- Motor Sport, October 1959, Pages 745-746.
- Motor Sport, July 1960, Pages 534-535.
- Motor Sport, July 1961, Pages 575-576, 578, 580.
- Motor Sport, September 1961, Pages 739-740.
- Motor Sport, June 1964, Pages 453, 456.
- Williams, Richard (11 January 2013). "Colin Davis obituary | Motor sport | The Guardian". www.theguardian.com. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2021.