Bill Aston

29/3/1900 - 4/3/1974

Record updated 10-Feb-23

This amateur racing enthusiast served in the Great War and began his career on motor cycles before switching to four-wheels. He participated in three World Championship Grands Prix, all in 1952 when the championship was run to Formula Two rules, for his own team Aston Butterworth.

Bill Aston
William Aston was a British racing driver who participated in three World Championship Grands Prix, all in 1952 when the championship was run to Formula Two rules, for his own team Aston Butterworth.

Prior to taking part in World Championship Grand Prix racing, Aston was a test pilot and motorcycle racer. He turned to four-wheel racing in the late forties and was a front-runner with a 500 cc Cooper-JAP in the extremely competitive Formula 3 class. He later graduated into Formula Two and came close to winning a heat race at Chimay in 1951, driving an 1,100 cc (67 cu in) Cooper, but his car failed on the last lap. In the same year he set a 500 cc (31 cu in) world speed record at Montlhéry in the streamlined Cooper, fitted with a V-twin J.A.P. motor.

His business dealings as both civil engineer and fruit farmer no doubt helped finance his Aston-Butterworth Formula 2 single-seaters which he ran with Robin Montgomerie-Charrington. Unfortunately, these small and beautifully bodied machines saw little success, being constantly afflicted by fuel system problems. He entered the car in the British Grand Prix and qualified 30th and last. However, he was unable to start the race. He then entered the 1952 German Grand Prix, but his car failed on the second lap. At the Italian Grand Prix he failed to make it through qualifying.

In the late fifties he raced a Jaguar D-Type and Aston Martin DBR1, often winning his class. Even when he was well past sixty years of age, Bill continued to race (and win) with a Mini and the ex-Equipe Endeavour Jaguar 3.8 saloon

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