Masten Gregory was a product of Kansas City, Missouri. The youngest of three children, Masten's small stature and Coke bottle glasses would have made him quite unassuming. As he grew up, he affected an exaggerated Midwestern drawl to correct a lisp. Hardly the picture you would have of one of the great racers of the golden age. But according to his brother Riddelle, "Once we were driving down to Texas and Masten had me do the night driving through Oklahoma because he couldn't see very well at night. Next thing you know, here he is racing in, and winning Le Mans!" (Riddelle was an accomplished driver himself, and owned a C-Type.)

When Gregory was a small boy, his father died. Liquidating his father's insurance business left the family with a great deal of cash, some of which was set aside in a trust account in Gregory's name. These funds were released when he married at just 19 years of age. He had already shown an interest in motorsport, street racing with an old Ford Coupe and pitting for his brother-in-law, Dale Duncan, who was an occasional racer. Upon receiving his inheritance, Gregory bought a Mercury powered Allard, and before long the cautious driver was known as The Kansas City Flash.

His first race in 1952 was a scratch, due to a blown headgasket. Substituting a Chrysler engine in the Allard, his next race was Sebring in 1953, again retiring due to equipment failure. While at Sebring, he acquired a cream colored Jaguar C-Type. His next race at Stillwater, Oklahoma was a one two win...he took first in his Allard, while Duncan took second in the new C-Type.

Then followed a series of impressive wins in the C-Type, first the Guardsman Trophy race at San Francisco, followed by a well attended race at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. Bob Grossman recalls that in 1953, Gregory was racing his C-Type at Floyd Bennet Field in New York. The car caught fire, and was heavily damaged. But the next day Gregory showed up with a new C-Type. Bob was impressed with the fact that he had the resources to replace the car so quickly, as much as by his driving skill. By the end of 1953, Gregory was widely regarded as the best Jaguar driver in the US.

In 1954, Gregory made his debut in international sports car racing, finishing 14th at the 1000km Invitational at Buenos Aires. He also competed in the Tourist Trophy that year, finishing 9th overall and second in class. His competitors took to calling him "that child" due to his small stature and youthful appearance. His first Le Mans race was in 1955, for Ferrari. Unfortunately the car scratched before he had a chance to drive.

Gregory raced successfully in 1956, but his first big international win was at Buenos Aires in 1957. That win was convincing enough to get him a seat in a privateer Maserati 250F Formula racer. With this car, he was the first American to score a debut podium appearance in Formula I, placing third at Monte Carlo. He ran only four Formula I races that year, yet still finished sixth in the contest for World Champion. That same year, he teamed with Duncan Hamilton to pilot a Jaguar D-Type to sixth place at Le Mans for Ecurie Ecosse. It is quite possible that Gregory would have won Le Mans, but a bizarre problem with his D-Type caused the exhaust to burn a hole clear through the floor of the car. It took two hours to repair the problem, and sixth place was gained only after a furious charge through the pack.

The 1958 season had started so well, with Gregory recording the first ever 10-minute lap at Nurburgring in a Jaguar D-Type. But he had an unusual trademark. When he sensed that his car was about to go out of control, he would stand up in his seat and bail out. This strange habit earned him an undeserved reputation as a crasher. In fact, he crashed no more frequently than any other driver. But he did have more than his share of serious injuries. In 1958, he missed most of the season due to one of these accidents. Asked why he bailed, Gregory said "You should have seen what I was going to hit!" 

In 1959, Masten Gregory was a team driver for Cooper, along with Jack Brabham and Bruce McClaren. This all star team won Cooper it's first Constructor's Championship. That season, Gregory had his best Formula I finish, a second place behind Stirling Moss in Portugal. But enough was never enough...he continued sports car racing between Formula races. While he was racing a Tojeiro-Jaguar for Ecurie Ecosse at Goodwood, he bailed yet again, sustaining injuries that ended his 1959 season. Jimmy Clark tells the story: "He hit the bank so hard that the car jack-knifed and folded. Luckily Masten started to climb out of the car before it hit the bank, and he flew through the air and almost into the crowd. He escaped with a broken shoulder..."  Despite this, he still finished eighth in the running for World Champion.

Gregory was arguably faster than Brabham and McClaren. In six races where they competed together, Gregory qualified ahead of Brabham four times. He was consistently faster than McClaren. Despite this, his contract with Cooper was not renewed, an event which he recounted with resentment for years afterwards. His Formula I career continued with privateer organizations, but never with the sort of success he had enjoyed with the factory sponsored Cooper team behind him.

Meanwhile, his sports car career was rolling along. In 1960, driving a Maserati at Le Mans, he recorded the fastest lap. This was the first time an American had achieved fastest lap. It was remarked that he was lapping so quickly at the start of the race, that a helicopter observing the race was unable to keep up with him down the Mulsanne. In 1961, he won the Nurburgring 1000KM in his own birdcage Maserati. This was followed by a fifth place finish for Porsche at Le Mans. In 1964, he drove the GT40 for Ford at Le Mans, retiring after five hours while in second place.

1965 was the best year of Gregory's career. That year he won Le Mans outright, driving a NART Ferrari 275LM. This was the first time an American team had ever won the race. That same year, Gregory's step father, George Bryant, had sponsored him in the Indianapolis 500. It's unusual for a driver to move so easily from sports cars to Formula I to Indy cars, and it says something about his skill: he was able to do it all well. In the 1965 Indianapolis, Gregory inauspiciously qualified 31st in a field of 32. Undeterred, he proceeded to pass fifteen cars on the first lap, ultimately working his way up to fifth before retiring with mechanical problems.

Gregory's racing career wound down gradually, although he never really retired. By 1972, he had amassed sixteen Le Mans appearances, the most of any American to date. He had survived seven major crashes. Despite his dangerous occupation, he died quietly in his sleep in 1985, succumbing to a heart attack. He was only 53. His own words are the best epitaph: "If I should die, just bury me wherever. Along the side of the road would be fine." How fast was Gregory? Jim Clark, World Champion Formula I driver, encountered Gregory while racing sports cars at Spa: "Suddenly there was an almighty howl of sound, a blast of wind, the whole car shook, and Masten went steaming past like a bat out of hell. He was well out in the lead with the Lister-Jaguar all sideways, his arms crossed up and fighting the steering. I remember having a sudden twinge of shock and thinking "To heck with this, if this is motor racing I'm going to give up now". It really put me off. I didn't think anyone could drive a car as quickly as that."

Last Drive: Masten Gregory chauffeurs Phil Hill, Kansas City, 1985
(Photo Courtesy of Joe Egle)

If you enjoyed reading this story, please visit the Masten Gregory fan site . And if you have any personal stories about Masten Gregory, please contact Michael Cox .

posted 2/28/02

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About the editor - Michael Frank is Vice President and Webmaster of the Jaguar Touring Club. His red 2+2 E-Type is a familiar sight at JCNA events in the Northeast. Currently, he is building a reproduction of the 1963 Cunningham Lightweight E-Type .

About the author - Bob Grossman's seven decade love affair with the automobile is reflected in the wide array of venues he has explored. He is a three time US National Champion race car driver, and has appeared six times at Le Mans. His extensive career on tracks such as Le Mans, Daytona, and Sebring has gained him international recognition. These stunning victories on the global race circuit were followed by highly successful business ventures as the pioneer US importer of noteworthy European marques. As a natural extension of his inborn passion for the aesthetics of automotive design, Bob's artwork eloquently expresses his remarkable lifestyle.

Acknowledgement - This story would not have been possible without the assistance of Michael Cox .

Copyright © 2002 Michael Frank and Bob Grossman. Artwork Copyright © 2002 Bob Grossman.

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