Tony Rolt

Major Tony Rolt was a man who managed to fit several lifetimes into one. War hero, racing driver, engineer, inventor, and all-round pioneer. Decorated for extraordinary bravery and ingenuity during World War II, Rolt returned to civilian life to make his mark not just behind the wheel, but under the bonnet, helping to shape the technology that would drive the future of motorsport.

Nationality	British
Born	Anthony Peter Roylance Rolt 16 October 1918 Bordon, Hampshire, England, UK
Died	6 February 2008 (aged 89) Warwick, Warwickshire, England, UK

By the time he passed away in 2008, Rolt held a unique distinction: he was the last surviving participant of the very first World Championship Grand Prix at Silverstone in 1950. He was also among the final prewar winners still with us, having claimed the 1939 British Empire Trophy at just 20 years old. His racing story began humbly, in 1935, when a teenage Tony tore around British speed trials in a three-wheeled Morgan. Eighteen years later, he would win the 24 Hours of Le Mans and compete in three Formula One Grands Prix, an extraordinary arc that few could match.

Born in Bordon, Hampshire, and raised in St Asaph, Denbighshire, Rolt was the fourth child of Brigadier-General Stuart Rolt, and not one to stick to the rulebook. Educated at Eton, he famously got into trouble for keeping a car on school grounds.

While still at school, Rolt began competing in local trials with his Morgan three-wheeler, then made his international debut in 1936 at Spa, sharing a Triumph Gloria Vitesse and finishing a respectable fourth in class. Ironically, he raced abroad because he’d lost his British driving licence, for speeding through Denbigh High Street.

By 1937, Rolt was making waves with his Triumph Dolomite, claiming the Coronation Trophy, before buying the legendary ERA “Remus” from Siamese racing royalty, Prince Chula and Prince Bira.

At Brooklands, his flair for improvisation was already evident: when flames from a loose bolt erupted around his lap mid-race, Rolt simply stuffed a glove into the hole and went on to win. In 1939, now armed with a newer ERA, he stormed to victory in the 200-mile British Empire Trophy at Donington Park.

War Years: Duty, Daring, and Defiance

Commissioned from Sandhurst into the Rifle Brigade in 1939, Rolt went to war as a reconnaissance officer in France. During the desperate defence of Calais, he led his men against overwhelming German forces, helping to hold off the 10th Panzer Division and buy vital time for the Dunkirk evacuation. His courage under fire, carrying a wounded comrade while firing a Bren gun, earned him the Military Cross.

Captured after the fall of Calais, Rolt spent the rest of the war as a prisoner, though “captive” barely describes him. He escaped seven times from a succession of German camps, including Laufen, Biberach, Posen, Warburg and Eichstätt. After his final capture near the Swiss border, he was sent to the notorious Colditz Castle, reserved for the most persistent escapees.

Unbowed, Rolt became one of the masterminds behind the audacious “Colditz glider” escape plan, though the castle was liberated by U.S. forces before it could take flight. For his relentless determination, he received a Bar to his Military Cross.

After the war, he left the Army as a Major, intent on pursuing another challenge: pushing the limits of automotive engineering.

Return to Racing Glory

Rolt wasted no time reclaiming his place in motorsport. In 1948 he drove an Alfa Romeo Bimotore to second place at the Zandvoort Grand Prix. Teaming up with the gifted Freddie Dixon, he formed Rolt Dixon Research and began an engineering partnership that would shape the next chapter of his life.

By 1950, he was racing for Rob Walker and sharing drives with Duncan Hamilton in long-distance events. Together, they piloted Nash-Healeys to strong finishes at Le Mans, fourth in 1950, sixth in 1951, before Rolt joined Jaguar’s works team.

Jaguar soon discovered that Rolt’s engineering brain matched his driving talent. In the 1952 Dundrod TT, he lapped faster than Stirling Moss in a C-Type. The following year, teamed again with Hamilton, he famously won the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans. The story of that victory has passed into racing legend, the duo reportedly reinstated into the race after being disqualified, and found in a local bar when their manager came to tell them they were back in.

They nearly repeated the feat in 1954, finishing a close second in a D-Type despite torrential weather, a visor mishap, and a furious comeback drive that left them just four kilometres behind the winning Ferrari. Rolt’s final Le Mans outing in 1955 ended in retirement, and heartbreak, as he and his wife Lois witnessed the devastating crash that claimed more than 80 lives.

Formula One and Beyond

Rolt made three starts in the Formula One World Championship, all at the British Grand Prix (1950, 1953, and 1955), though none brought the results his skill deserved. Stirling Moss later suggested that, had Rolt pursued Grand Prix racing full-time, he would have been among the greats.

By 1956, Rolt retired from racing to focus on engineering, but his influence on motorsport was only just beginning.

Engineering Visionary

Post-war, Rolt and Dixon revisited an idea they’d toyed with before the conflict: four-wheel drive for cars. Their experiments led to the formation of Rolt Dixon Research, which developed both four-wheel drive systems and the viscous coupling. Backed by tractor tycoon Harry Ferguson, Rolt’s team produced the revolutionary Ferguson P99, the first (and only) 4WD car to win a Formula One race.

Driven by Jack Fairman and Stirling Moss for Rob Walker Racing, the P99 triumphed at the 1961 Oulton Park Gold Cup, and holds the distinction of being the last front-engined car ever to win a Formula One event.

Rolt’s company went on to supply four-wheel-drive technology to some of the biggest names in racing and road cars, including Indy 500 projects for STP, and systems used in the Lotus 56 and the futuristic STP-Paxton Turbocar.

When Ferguson Development closed, Rolt founded FF Developments in 1971, converting road cars, vans, and ambulances to 4WD long before it became fashionable. By the 1980s, major manufacturers like Ford, Audi, Chrysler, Fiat and GM were queuing up to partner with him.

In 1994, FF Developments was sold to Ricardo, which continued refining the “smart” transmissions that grew from Rolt’s original ideas. He took quiet satisfaction in knowing that the Le Mans-dominating Audis of the 2000s carried that DNA.

Legacy

Tony Rolt was a private man, elegant and understated, who shunned the spotlight and disliked being called a hero — though few titles would fit him better. “Escaping wasn’t a game,” he once said of Colditz. “It was a duty.”

He spent his later years enjoying shooting and skiing, and remained connected to motorsport through his sons David and Stuart, the latter a saloon car racer and chairman of the British Racing Drivers’ Club.

At his death in 2008, Rolt was the last surviving driver from the inaugural Formula One World Championship race — and the final pre-war member of the BRDC, which he’d joined back in 1936.

His life reads like an adventure novel, but every word is true, a blend of courage, brilliance, and quiet determination.

Tony Rolt Formula One World Championship career

F1 Career	1950, 1953, 1955
Teams	Connaught (including non-works) Non-works ERA
Entries	3
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	1950 British Grand Prix
Last entry	1955 British Grand Prix

Tony Rolt Teammates

1 driver	Involvement	First Year	Last Year
Peter Walker	1	1955

Tony Rolt Complete Formula One Results

Year	Entrant	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	WDC	Points
1950	Peter Walker	ERA E-Type	ERA Straight-6	GBR Ret*	MON	500	SUI	BEL	FRA	ITA			NC	0
1953	RRC Walker Racing Team	Connaught A Type	Connaught Straight-4	ARG	500	NED	BEL	FRA	GBR Ret	GER	SUI	ITA	NC	0
1955	Connaught Engineering	Connaught B Type	Connaught Straight-4	ARG	MON	500	BEL	NED	GBR Ret*	ITA			NC	0