1/4/1909 - 14/7/1957
Record updated 29-Sep-21
Drove in F3 in the 500cc days. Entered F2 in 1951, raced a Connaught in the British Grand Prix in 1954. Killed in a crash Reims when a tire burst.
Bill Whitehouse was born in London in 1909. An off-license owner and car dealer from South London, Bill became one of the early competitors in the 500cc formula after World War II and enjoyed considerable success with Cooper. In 1951, he raced for the works team alongside Ken Carter in Cooper Mk Vs.
Bill was friends with Bernie Ecclestone but, at Brands Hatch in 1953, the two collided at Paddock Hill bend and Bernie found himself in the car park on the outside of the circuit
Whitehouse tried his hand at Formula 2 in 1951 with Gordon Watson's F2 Alta and in 1954 acquired an F2 Connaught, which he raced in British events including the British Grand Prix. In 1955, with F2 being cancelled, he retired for a while but in 1957 he bought a Cooper-Climax F2 car and restarted his career at Syracuse before settling back into British events, racing with his son Brian.
In July they travelled to Reims to take part in the F2 race there and after Bill's car failed in practice he was lent the works Bob-tail 'streamliner' by Roy Salvadori. Early in the race the car somersaulted and caught fire when a tyre appeared to burst on the run down to the Thillois hairpin. Bill Whitehouse was killed in the crash. Tajically his son was there