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19 May 2003, 23:43 (Ref:604088) | #1 | ||
Team Crouton
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Ken Miles
Pardon me if the subject has come up before (I'm a lousy searcher...... )
Having finally gotten to watch the Cobra/Ferrari Wars film over the weekend (thanks yet again to Allon FS), I was intrigued by the character of Ken Miles. I really don't know much about him at all, and we were wondering over on "AE" if you knowledgeable lot here knew of any books about him? |
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280 days...... |
20 May 2003, 08:59 (Ref:604379) | #2 | |
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Ken Miles and Lloyd Ruby - 7 litre GT40 Mk11s - kinda 'Le Mans romantics' eh? Be v. interesting to remember more about them.
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John M |
20 May 2003, 13:34 (Ref:604722) | #3 | ||
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Although usually remembered as an American, Ken Miles was born in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. After serving in an armoured regiment, attaining the rank of sergeant, he emigrated to California in 1952. He raced MG TDs and MG specials before becoming one of America's most successful Porsche drivers. He was an important part of the Shelby Cobra programme, due to his test driving abilities, and, with Lloyd Ruby, gave the GT40 its first victory at Daytona in 1965. A month later, Miles and Bruce McLaren came second at Sebring. Miles and Ruby repeated their Daytona win in 1966, following up with a victory at Sebring too. That year also saw the Le Mans "dead-heat" that wasn't, Miles/Hulme losing out to the Amon/McLaren pairing. Later that year Ken Miles died at Riverside while testing the new Ford J car - America had lost one of the most important figures in its road racing heritage ....
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Good friends we have, Oh, good friends we have lost Along the way. In this great future, You can't forget your past Bob Marley |
20 May 2003, 13:44 (Ref:604741) | #4 | |
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Great, thanks very much.
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John M |
20 May 2003, 14:07 (Ref:604779) | #5 | ||
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... Since all men live in darkness, who believes something is not a test of whether it is true or false. I have spent years trying to get people to ask simple questions: What is the evidence, and what does it mean? -Bill James |
20 May 2003, 17:13 (Ref:605026) | #6 | ||
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Terrific. Thanks a lot Paul and Vitesse.
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280 days...... |
21 May 2003, 14:01 (Ref:605912) | #7 | ||
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Because of where I live, and for whom I work, I was able to attend the No. America Motorsport Hall of Fame ceremonies over the last couple years. The year Ken Miles was inducted, his son was there to accept the honors. His son is involved in Baja off-road competition.
I remember the moment I heard Ken Miles was killed because I had just finished a model of the GT40, and his death had a profound impact on me as I was quite a fan of Ford in it's battle w/ Ferrari, Chapparal, et al. I'm glad he is not forgotten. |
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27 May 2003, 04:57 (Ref:611099) | #8 | ||
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He was also nicknamed "The Hawk" as he had a rather large, beek-like nose...
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29 Sep 2008, 22:27 (Ref:2300733) | #9 | ||
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One of my early heros
I met Ken Miles down at Riverside one weekend when they were testing one of the modified Ford chassis and considering racing in the Can-Am. The car had lobster-claw like front fenders and seemed a little short on the wheelbase side. Ken was somewhat a legend in SOCAL and being so very young at the time, I liked his style and approach. He used to drive this modified MG that looked horrible but kicked ass where ever he drove it. He had a "Punch-n-Judy" face and a focused determination towards understanding what the car was doing on track.
The next week I heard that he had been killed. I was amazed because everything was calculated with Ken. As I began to drive, I remembered Ken's approach and followed suit. He was a very early friend of mine in auto racing. |
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28 Dec 2020, 20:28 (Ref:4025554) | #10 | ||
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Further to this thread:
Ken Miles, born in 1918, left school & worked at Wolseley Motors with my old boss Jack Moss (Jack was 2 years older), both as appentices. After the War he again hooked up with Jack in 1952 at Furnace End Garage near Coventry for a couple of months just before he emigrated. My stepfather Tom Butler (Jack's sidekick for many years) told me of Ken Miles some years ago but I dismissed this but when the film came out I realised it was true but on quizzing Tom it was hard to get answers as he was 86 then, he has since died of Covid so no more answers. |
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