The 1953 XX Mille Miglia 'Coppa Commissariato per il Turismo - Roma' trophy, presented to Tom Cole, driving Ferrari 340MM Spider,

Footnotes

This lot is offered by descendants of the late Tom Cole.

Thomas Lionel Howard Cole, Jr. (1922-1953) - RACING DRIVER

Anglo-American owner-driver Tom Cole was regarded as a fast-developing potential star during the early 1950s. Born in Llandaff, South Glamorgan, Wales in June 1922, he contracted polio as a child, was immobilised for several years, but ultimately emerged with relatively minor disability.

His family - which had interests in shipping and in the Vidor battery business - settled in America in 1939 where 'Boy' - as they called Tom - attended Harvard University for a year, before joining the US Merchant Marine as the US entered World War 2. He later drove an ambulance for the American Field Service before post-War spending much of his time in the UK and Europe.

His competitive spirit found an outlet in motor sport where his physical disabilities proved no obstacle to performance. In 1947-48 he entered his first rallies, hill-climbs and sprints in first a Buick, then a Jaguar SS100 which he also circuit raced. Back in America in 1949 he drove an HRG at Bridgehampton and Watkins Glen. He was instrumental in triggering manufacture of the Allard-Cadillac V8 sports car series, racing his successfully in the US and sharing 3rd place at Le Mans with constructor Sydney Allard.

Further success in an Allard-Chrysler preceded drives in a Ferrari 225 S Berlinetta at Le Mans 1952, then in a Ferrari 225 S Spider the Sicilian Targa Florio, the cup is offered as lot 12, the Italian Coppa Dolomiti and Bari GP and British races at Boreham and Goodwood.

Slightly built, bespectacled, Tom Cole did not "look like" a racing driver, but on track he proved extremely capable. For 1953 he bought a Formula 2 Cooper-Bristol single-seater only to have it destroyed by fire in the Syracuse GP.

For sports car racing he acquired a powerful new Ferrari 340 MM V12, liveried in American racing colours of blue and white. He finished a fine fourth with it in the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia (see lot number 13), 2nd at Silverstone, then co-drove Peter Whitehead's Jaguar C-Type to win the Hyeres 12-Hour race in France. At Le Mans he shared his Ferrari 340MM with US Ferrari importer and three-time Le Mans winner Luigi Chinetti. They ran 3rd before - early on the Sunday morning - Tom Cole lost his life in a crash at the notorious White House bend. An extremely well-liked, popular sportsman, he was deeply mourned...