SIR Jackie Stewart has unveiled a new oil painting of himself at the British Motor Museum.
The painting, of the legendary driver behind the wheel of a Rover-BRM gas turbine racing car in 1965, was commissioned by the museum following a donation from David and Rubery Owen. The Owen Organisation were owners of the BRM racing team.
The special event at the Gaydon museum was also attended by renowned motoring artist Michael Turner, who painted the picture, and Autocar magazine editor-in-chief Steve Cropley, who chaired a Q&A session on the day.
It was a chance conversation between Sir Alfred Owen and Rover’s boss William Martin-Hurst that led to the creation of the Rover-BRM gas turbine racing car.
It first competed with Formula One drivers Graham Hill and Ritchie Ginther in 1963, securing a prize for the first gas turbine powered car to complete the Le Mans 24 hour race.
In 1965 a much updated Rover-BRM returned to Le Mans when Hill was joined by BRM teammate Stewart, where it finished the race in 10th place – the first all-British car home.
When asked what the car was like to drive, three time world champion Sir Jackie said: “It was bloody awful but there was nothing like it at the time! Driving the car at Le Mans was a revolution.
“The painting, too, is wonderful and a real piece of history. Michael is one of the best motor-racing artists and there are not many artists that can approach what this man can do. I have many of his paintings at home and in Switzerland. It’s not easy to portray the cars in the right way, for example to get the tyres to behave accurately – but Michael does it”.
