She knows what she wants

Those who have not yet noticed that when it comes to cars gender difference is well and truly a thing of the past, should purchase or download The Key which will be released on 18^th December. The TCCT yearbook commissioned a leading international institute to conduct a study into the relationship between women and cars and in particular with classic cars. The results are exactly what some simply don’t want to hear: they aren’t in the least bit phased by their smaller physique in a field where men have always seen themselves as the “master”. Not only that, they fully understand the elegance, diversity and style inherent to classic cars, which men all too often overlook. And we are talking about normal or sports cars, certainly not racing cars, even if there has been no shortage of very talented women in races over the years. On the race circuits, as far back as the pre-war period, countess Avanzo raced with the Alfa 6C by Zagato, while in the 1950s, Maria Teresa de Filippis drove the Maserati 250F in Formula 1. Still on the circuits, Marie Claude Beaumont and Lella Lombardi were very strong on the European circuits behind the wheel of their sports prototypes, while in the USA 350 miles-per-hour women are not uncommon. Think of Danica Patrick in Nascar and Indycar or Jessi Combs for that matter.

The same thing can be said in rally sport where names such as Michele Mouton and Pat Moss – yes, Stirling’s sister – have racked up outright victories. And there has been no lack of speed records and courage either: the beautiful Dorothy Levitt and Jessi Combs, who died driving a record-breaking car powered by a jet engine while attempting to break her own record.