The incredible 4WD F1 'tractor' that Stirling Moss adored – Ferguson P99

The result was the P99. Designed by Claude Hill, the car showed promise in only its second race at the 1961 British GP, as Phillips explains.

“Dipping into the ankle-high cockpit of the Rob Walker-entered car, he lapped three seconds quicker than his 1959 Nürburgring 1000Kms-winning DBR1 team-mate [Jack Fairman] in practice. Out of the race in his Lotus, Moss took over for the final 20-odd laps and put rivals on notice – only to be disqualified for an earlier supposed indiscretion.

“’It was rather obvious that there are certain teams who do not want the Ferguson to succeed…’ reckoned Bill Boddy in Motor Sport, “…and the Ferguson was wheeled away, completely healthy and showing great promise”.

A few months later at the non-championship but high-profile Gold Cup, the car made history. After making a slow start, Moss then simply trounced the field, climbing from eighth to lead by lap 6 and eventually winning with a 46sec margin over Jack Brabham, in a line-up which also included Clark, McLaren, Surtees, Brooks, Ireland plus Hills Phil and Graham.

“The Ferguson was remarkably stable on the wet roads, its braking, even without the use of the Maxarets, being very superior to rear-wheel-driven cars,” was Boddy’s verdict.

“It was incredible in the wet,” Moss told Motor Sport in 2010. “I could overtake on the outside of corners. I remember passing Phil Hill at Aintree and having time to thank him, it was so relaxed. And it has phenomenally good braking. I’ll tell you what, if I were a rich collector I’d buy it to take along to races with my Cooper or whatever and just have it ready in the paddock in case it was a wet race.”

Moss was mobbed after the race Gold Cup race, the adoring crowd believing this was the new dawn of racing’s future. It wasn’t, as the unsuccessful Lotus 63 and Cosworth 4WD efforts proved, but a car which shocked its competitors and then quietly faded away (founder Ferguson had died a few months prior to the win) still has its admirers when wheeled out for historic events today.

However, its unique nature means that its current guardian, Stuart Rolt, son of ’53 Le Mans winner Tony, has decided its future use will be conducted with more care than ever.

“Rolt has been winding down its outings to only demonstration runs on the right occasions,” says Phillips.

“’It’s very precious and the world of historic racing is so competitive that I worry every time I see it on track,” Stuart adds. “The problem with the Ferguson is there’s only one.”

A single car, which made all the difference on its day.