"All But My Life"

I just got my hands on a copy of All But My Life, the portrait of Stirling Moss written by Ken Purdy. If you've read and enjoyed Purdy's profile of Fon de Portago, you'll absolutely love All But My Life. I highly recommend it. It may be difficult to find, but it's worth it.

--Matt

 

Yes, Jim, that passage is in the book. I'm really pleased that you understand how serious that challenge was (and, perhaps, is). It's a subtlety that I think would be lost on many people.

I also liked the idea that Moss was not very interested in what particular car he drove. Purdy compares Moss's opinions on cars to a master painter's opinion on paintbrushes: he's less interested in what they actually are than in what they can do for him in his art.

That being said, Moss always preferred a private car, and hopefully a British one, even before the British had developed competitive race cars. Private cars were slower than factory efforts, and (at the time) British cars were usually also slower. It was a way of Moss handicapping himself in order to increase the challenge. Always a patriot, he insisted on Union Jack flags on the sides of his Maseratis.

For Ferrari aficionados, Moss's dealings with Enzo Ferrari need to be read.

As an aside, but an important one, does anyone know any of the details that led to Purdy's death in 1972? I know that it was a suicide, but I was hoping that a man who was so articulate in life would leave behind some clues that would better explain his death. Especially because he held such an interest in drivers who would daily defy death itself.

What exactly became of Ken Purdy?

 

Thanks, John. Sadly, that usually happens with suicides...

 

I found the following short bio:

It seems that Ken Purdy (or his wife, or estate) has left two major awards. The best known, and the one most relevant to Ferrari Chat, is awarded for excellence in professional automobile journalism aimed at a general audience. The other, which is more revealing to my questions surrounding his suicide, is awarded for significant contributions to end discrimination against people with mental illness.

For an interesting automotive read, here's a link to the 2004 winner of the Ken Purdy Award, along with other recipients:
http://www.impa.org/award_recipients.cfm

--Matt