Grand Prix Gold: Germany 1958

For the first time, a British car and driver have combined to win the German Grand Prix.

Last Sunday, at the fabulous Nurburgring in the Eifel Mountains of Western Germany - surely the most testing Grand Epreuve venue in the world - Tony Brooks drove his Vanwall to victory at a race average substantially higher than Fangio's record win in last year's race. He gave a dazzling display of driving virtuosity remarkably akin to the world champion's performance last year, again in direct competition with Peter Collins and Mike Hawthorn in Ferraris, but this victory was tragically marred by the fatal accident that befell Collins, when the latter went off the road while battling Brooks for the lead.

Stirling Moss set a new lap record at the beginning of the race in a second Vanwall, clocking but 9m9.2s for the lap, an average of 92.9mph compared with Fangio's own 1957 record lap of 91.53mph. However, magneto failure brought Stirling's drive to an end on the fourth lap, when he was leading the race, over 18 seconds ahead of the field.