Colin Charles Houghton Davis (29 July 1933 – 19 December 2012) was a British

racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

from England, who won the 1964 Targa Florio.

Early life

Davis was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the son of " Bentley Boy" and

Le Mans Le Mans (; ) is a Communes of France, city in Northwestern France on the Sarthe (river), Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the Provinces of France, province of Maine (province), Maine, it is now the capital of ...

winner, Sammy Davis (who later became '' Autocar'' magazine's sports editor). He was educated at

Stowe School The Stowe School is a public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13–18 in the countryside of Stowe, England. It was opened on 11 May, 1923 at Stowe House, a Grade I Heritage Estate belonging to the British Crown. ...

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.

Racing career

Davis competed in two World Championship

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

Grands Prix, finishing 11th in the 1959 Italian Grand Prix in a

Scuderia Centro Sud Scuderia Centro Sud was a Privateer (motorsport), privateer racing team founded in Modena by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei and active in Formula One and sports car racing between 1956 and 1965. Dei had been an amateur driver in the 1930s. In the early 19 ...

Cooper-

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914 in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

. 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. In the same race the following year he finished fourth overall, again with Abate, in a Ferrari 250GT. Also in 1961 Davis finished fifth in the 4-Hours of

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

, driving solo in a 1,600 c.c. Osca Sport. He shared the winning

Porsche 904 The Porsche 904 is an automobile which was produced by Porsche in Germany in 1964 and 1965. This coupe, manufactured from 1963 to 1965, was street-legal under road traffic laws, allowing it to be driven not only on race tracks but also on public ...

GTS in the 1964

Targa Florio The Targa Florio was a public road Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance automobile race held in the mountains of Sicily near the island's capital of Palermo, Sicily, Palermo. Founded in 1906 Targa Florio, 1906, it was the oldest sports car ra ...

with Antonio Pucci.

Later life

After Davis retired from racing, he emigrated to

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and worked as a radio broadcaster. He died on 19 December 2012 after a long illness.

Racing record

Complete Formula One World Championship results

( key)

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Complete 12 Hours of Sebring results

References

Profile at grandprix.com

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Colin English racing drivers English Formula One drivers Scuderia Centro Sud Formula One drivers 24 Hours of Le Mans drivers 12 Hours of Reims drivers World Sportscar Championship drivers 1933 births 2012 deaths Porsche Motorsports drivers Racing drivers from London 20th-century English sportsmen