Whitney Straight - Racing Driver, War Hero, Industrialist - The Authorised Biography

Whitney Straight made his own way in life. Born in New York with a silver spoon in his mouth, he would earn his living in the board rooms of some of Britain-s greatest companies. He dropped out of Cambridge to become an outstanding racing driver, and run a team of Maseratis across Europe and Africa. A qualified pilot at 17, he revolutionised aircraft design for the enthusiast, and his extraordinary war saw him rise from Pilot Officer to Air Commodore. He survived the invasion of Norway, a crash-landing in occupied France and a year as a PoW to emerge with an MC, DFC and US Legion of Merit. Rejecting Churchill-s proposal of a career in politics, he became CEO of BOAC, transforming it into a national airline to be proud of. At Rolls-Royce, he railed against a company dominated by engineers who made poor businessmen, and played a founding role in the separate paths of the aero and auto businesses still seen today. An incurable romantic, he could never imagine being married to anyone ot