Remembering those we lost in 2025

In 1983, he joined Dan Gurney’s All American Racers team and competed in that year’s 24 Hours of Daytona, although he had to retire his IMSA GTU-spec Toyota Celica from the race.

In 1987, Hackman entered the Sebring 12 Hours aboard a Mazda RX-7, before winning that year’s Toyota ProCelebrity race at Long Beach.

In March, we found out that Bill Woodhouse had passed away, aged 91.

The glassfibre pioneer and Tornado Cars co-founder set up the sports-car maker with friend Anthony Bullen in 1958.

He later worked at Aston Martin as workshop manager and even drove DB5s in Goldfinger.

Colin Crabbe 1942-2025

On 7 March 2025, Formula One entrant and car-hunter extraordinaire Colin Crabbe died, at the age of 82.

The former Scots Guard began racing in his 20s and the purchase of a two-year-old Cooper-Maserati T81B kick-started his career as an entrant. Neil Corner, Vic Elford and Ronnie Peterson campaigned his cars.

In the mid-1980s, Crabbe found fame by hunting for exotic cars in equally exotic places, tracking down hidden gems in South America and Cuba.

The motorsport world lost one of its most charismatic characters when Eddie Jordan died at the age of 76 on 20 March.

“With his inexhaustible energy he always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times,” said F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali in tribute.

Eddie Jordan 1948-2025 © Getty

A mischievous grin never far from his face, a quip or barb soon to follow, the Dubliner was one of the biggest characters in a paddock filled with presence. 

Few begrudged his eponymous team that maiden win at Spa in 1998, when sometime GP bandmate Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher scored a 1-2 in the sheeting rain.

It suggested the tide had turned for the industrious Jordan, the team that had given Michael Schumacher his debut thanks to EJ’s knack for getting a deal.

Three further victories followed, shared by Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Giancarlo Fisichella, but within five years the team was sold.

It was no surprise that Eddie Jordan couldn’t stay away from F1, and he returned to share his forthright views as a pundit.

His reputation truly preceded him, and his influence persevered. Click here to read our full tribute.

Jochen Mass 1946-2025 © Mercedes-Benz

Jochen Mass died on 4 May. He was 78. Born in Bavaria, Germany, Mass raced in various formulae en route to the pinnacle of the sport, making his F1 debut at the British Grand Prix on 14 July 1973 in a Surtees.

It would be the first of 105 Grands Prix, and as well as Surtees, Mass drove for McLaren, March, Arrows and ATS.

Across almost a decade in the sport he achieved eight podium finishes and one victory, in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

His biggest triumphs came in sports-car racing, however, topped by his win at Le Mans in 1989 in a Sauber-Mercedes C9.

Mass mentored and coached as part of Mercedes’ young-driver programme, resulting in victories with Karl Wendlinger at Spa-Francorchamps and Michael Schumacher in Mexico City.

Karl Wendlinger drove the Group C Mercedes-Benz C11 he once shared with Jochen Mass at Goodwood Festival of Speed 2025

In all, with Porsche, Alfa Romeo and Mercedes, Mass was victorious 32 times in world championship sports-car racing, second only to Jacky Ickx’s tally of 37. 

His relationship with Mercedes continued for the rest of his life and he was seen behind the wheel of cars from across the marque’s back catalogue at historic events. You can read our full tribute to Jochen Mass here.

Classic & Sports Car was saddened to learn of the death of historic racer Julian Grimwade, 72, in an accident at a Vintage Sports-Car Club meeting at Donington Park on 24 May 2025, while driving his Oakland Romano Special.

A prolific and popular racer, Grimwade was well known for competing in his 1934 Nash-based Norris Special (below).

Julian Grimwade 1952-2025

On 27 July, enthusiasts mourned 76-year-old Anders Ditlev Clausager, a leading light in the classic car world.

Besides his research endeavours during a 35-year career as archivist at the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, he was a prolific author and more.

Born in Denmark, he left aged 25 to study automotive design at the Royal College of Art. A role with Volkswagen followed before he returned to Britain as a designer at Austin-Morris BL. 

Within a year, his love of history led him to become BL’s archivist.

In his spare time he took to writing. He authored 24 books, most about British subjects. His award-winning Wolseley: A Very British Car is a definitive work.

In 1980 Clausager co-founded the Classic Vehicle Clubs Committee, predecessor of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs.

Ercole Spada 1937-2025 © Piotr Degler Jablonski

Design legend Ercole Spada passed away on 3 August 2025, at 88.

The modest former Zagato and BMW styling chief shaped the Bristol 406 Zagato, Alfa Romeo SZ ‘Coda Tronca’, the seminal Aston Martin DB4GT Zagato, Alfa Romeo Junior Z (his favourite), BMW 5 Series (E34) and many other landmark classic cars.

Born in Busto Arsizio, Italy, Spada studied at the Technical Institute of Milan before being hired by Gianni Zagato in 1960.

“Back then, cars were made by craftsmen as rapidly as possible,” he told Richard Heseltine in a Classic & Sports Car interview. “You’d sketch something, hand it to the metalworkers and they would turn it into a three-dimensional object.”

Even in retirement, when he wasn’t buzzing around the hills near his Turin home in his Fiat 500-based Zanzara prototype, Spada couldn’t resist getting out the magic markers. Click here to read more about his incredible career.

Victor Riley 1935-2025

County Classics Motor Museum in the centre of Taunton, Somerset, was the brainchild of enthusiast Patrick Hawkins.

It made headlines around the world when it was opened by Richard Hammond in November 2023.

A major heart operation inspired Hawkins to give back to the community by opening the museum; he scarcely missed a day greeting visitors until his death on 6 August, aged 68. The museum lives on as his legacy.

A lifelong promoter and protector of the Riley name, Victor Riley died on 12 August 2025, aged 90.

The grandson of marque founder William and nephew of Percy, the driving force behind its move into cars, Victor’s passion motivated him to pursue the creation of a centre dedicated to preserving its history.

This was achieved in September 2021 with the development of the Riley Cars Archive Heritage Trust in a unit beside Coventry Canal Basin, a stone’s throw from the site of the old car company.

Stuart Turner 1932-2025

Former Classic & Sports Car art editor Nick Kisch died in August, aged 65.

An avid Mercedes-Benz owner, expert and enthusiast, Kisch joined the magazine in 1991 from upstart sibling title Your Classic.

For several years he guided Classic & Sports Car’s design maturity, as colour printing spread to every page.

Kisch designed an extraordinary SL Pagoda powered by the 6.3-litre V8 from a Mercedes-Benz 600, and was on the verge of final assembly after decades of preparation when he passed away.

Stuart Turner had no interest in rallying when he accepted the offer of a ride in his sister’s boyfriend’s Rover 14 on a local navigation event.

When they got lost, this reluctant trainee accountant plotted a new career path. It would take him to the top of the sport – twice – as the overseer of its most iconic cars: the Mini and the Ford Escort.

In the process, he created the blueprint and rewrote the rulebook of how to win. He died in September. You can read our tribute to him here.

Tsutomu ‘Tom’ Matano 1947-2025 © Mazda

Designer Tsutomu ‘Tom’ Matano, who styled the first two generations of Mazda MX-5, died on 20 September 2025. He was 76.

The Japanese-born engineer and designer worked at General Motors in Detroit, then Australia, before a six-year stint at BMW. He then moved to California to become chief designer at Mazda North America’s studio.

By August 1984 he had created the first model of what became the MX-5.

“I think what we’re looking for is the simplicity of the era,” said Matano. “We want to get back to a relationship between car and driver that simply brings fun.”

In 1999, he became Mazda’s executive designer, finally working in Japan, but departed from the company after 19 years in 2002. Click here for Classic & Sports Car’s full obituary.

Daisy Sadler 1944-2025

Enzo Osella, one of F1’s happy-go-lucky privateers, died in September, aged 86.

His eponymous team might not have made too heavy an impression in traditional F1 history books, but the Italian added colour and personality to a golden period – and the Osella name retains a soft spot with many F1 fans.

Trials stalwart Daisy Sadler died on 3 October at the age of 80.

Best known for adventures with her husband, Autofarm founder Josh, in their bow-top wagon, or aboard her 1929 Austin Seven, Daisy was a popular character in Oxfordshire’s classic car community.

In October, Classic Team Lotus announced the passing of two stalwarts of Colin Chapman’s firm.

Fabricator Roy Franks joined in the Cheshunt days, and worked on the highly successful aluminium-chassis racers, while Mick Lloyd helped Team Lotus to lead the way in the carbon-composite era.

Roy Franks and Mick Lloyd were much-loved engineers at Team Lotus © Classic Team Lotus

Andrea de Adamich did not look like a typical racing driver. But the Italian, who died in November, aged 84, notched up 30 Grand Prix starts.

His motorsport career began in a Triumph TR3, but he soon moved into single-seaters and won the 1965 Italian Formula Three Championship.

In 1968, he graduated to F1 as a works Ferrari driver. Following stints at McLaren and March, he netted his first points finish with a fourth place at the Spanish Grand Prix for Surtees in 1972. 

A crash in 1973 ended his F1 career, but he remained a familiar face in the paddock – first as a journalist for magazines such as Autosprint and then as an F1 TV commentator. Click here to read more about his life.

Quentin Willson 1957-2025 © Richard Pardon

Aerodynamics pioneer Peter Wright, known for bringing ground effects to the fore in F1, passed away in November, at 79. 

He experimented with aerodynamics straight out of Cambridge University, under Tony Rudd at BRM, then followed him to Lotus.

There, testing in the Imperial College wind tunnel, inadvertently sagging sidepods produced downforce and some crudely added cardboard skirts created more.

He honed it on the Lotus 78 for the 79 that dragged Mario Andretti and the Lotus team to the World Championship double.

Motoring journalist, television presenter and trading-standards campaigner Quentin Willson died on 8 November 2025, aged 68.

The twin son of Bletchley Park codebreaker Professor Bernard Willson, the financially shrewd and charismatic Quentin had success as a car dealer in his 20s before turning to journalism.

From a role at Buying Cars magazine, he launched a TV career by joining BBC’s Top Gear from 1991 to 2001.

He then used his fame to champion consumer affairs, campaigning against extra fuel duty and for better used-car warranties, and was an early supporter of electric cars.

Michael Turner 1934-2025

British rally legend Tony Fowkes passed away on 20 November.

The privateer and garage owner ran his own Ford Escort RS 1600 in the 1970s, but took the fight to the works teams with a third-place finish on the 1975 RAC Rally alongside long-time co-driver Bryan Harris.

Success at national-level competitions included first on the 1975 Tour of Epynt, with co-pilot Sue Baker.

He joined the Mercedes-Benz fold in the late 1970s and finished second on the 1977 London-Sydney Marathon in a 280E W123. He also entered the Dakar Rally five times, including twice on a ’bike.

His London garage, Tony Fowkes Automobiles, is still open and is run by his two sons, Andrew and Roger.

One of Britain’s most famous motorsport artists, Michael Turner, died in December 2025, aged 89.

Inspired by visits to the first post-war races at Goodwood and Silverstone, a young Turner was determined to make a career as a motoring artist following his heroes Frank Wootton and Roy Nockolds.

From illustrations in magazines, Turner’s talent led to major race-event posters and global commercial commissions.

In parallel with his automotive work were Turner’s superb aviation paintings, which included spectacular compositions of the Red Arrows inspired by many flights with the famous aerobatic team.

Words: Aaron McKay/Alastair Clements/Damien Smith/David Malins/Giles Chapman/Jack Phillips/Lizzie Pope/Mark Hughes/Mick Walsh/Paul Fearnley/Richard Heseltine

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