Gregor Grant

Gregor Grant was born in November 1919 in Glasgow. He trained as an artist and turned professional doing illustrations and caricatures for various Scottish periodicals. He served as a Captain with the Fife and Forfar tank regiment during the war and was at Dunkirk and Normandy. As the son of a musician, Gregor enjoyed playing piano, particularly Jazz along with various 500 folk including Cooper designer Owen Maddock, Ray Martin and Johnny Claes.

With the growth of motorsport in Britain immediately after the war and having contributed to Iota and The Light Car, he saw an opportunity and established Autosport magazine in August 1950. He followed this almost immediately with "500cc Racing", one of the best guides to the early years of 500s. Autosport and Formula 3 enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship, especially in the early years, the fledgling series needed publicity and Gregor needed content to fill his weekly magazine. Both blossomed and Gregor became a key figure in the development of British motorsport. Autosport sponsored the National Formula Three championship and a Trophy for non production cars for several years, Eric Brandon winning overall in 1951, Don Parker in '52 and '53 and the Trophy continued to be presented for many years.

Gregor competed himself on an occasional basis, mainly in rallies and hillclimbs, including the Lyons-Charbonnieres Rally in 1952, driving with Stirling Moss in a Jaguar, and the 1955 Tulip Rally in a Triumph TR2. He entered the 1956 Mille Miglia in an MG Magnette and drove a factory-prepared Lotus Eleven. "One man's Mille Miglia" is an account of his experiences in the 1957 event.

He continued to edit Autosport and write motoring books until his death in 1969 and is best remembered for the Gregor Grant award which is still presented annually.

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