COVENTRY, U.K. – The evolution of disc brakes owes a lot to aviation, but when it comes to automotive applications, the combined efforts of Jaguar and Dunlop, with major contributions by Norman Dewis and Sir Stirling Moss hastened their adoption.
Recently, Outrun Films released a documentary on the genesis of this group’s work, concentrating on the 1952 Mille Miglia race around Italy in which Moss and Dewis competed in a Jaguar C-Type fitted with one of the first examples of these brakes.
Outrun’s Al Clark said about the film:
“The extraordinary story of Stirling Moss and Norman Dewis. How many lives do you think the disc brake has saved since its introduction to the car in 1952? Arguably more than the seat belt itself, or even Penicillin.
“Join Sir Stirling Moss, Norman Dewis and an extraordinary lineup of motorsport legends including Murray Walker, Sir Jackie Stewart, Martin Brundle, Derek Bell, and Andrew Frankel as they drive us down memory lane telling an incredible story that really stopped the world with unseen footage and interviews.
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“Stirling – already on his way to becoming one of the greatest racing drivers of all time – took a new brake concept that Norman Dewis, legendary Jaguar test driver and engineer, had been working on alongside Jaguar and Dunlop’s engineering team to revolutionize the braking ability of cars – which at the time were falling behind dramatically compared to how fast cars of the ’50s were starting to go.
“This documentary was filmed eight years ago but never released. When Sir Stirling sadly passed away at Easter 2020, I took the original footage I’d shot and started again to produce this film, and with the significant aid of friends, this brand-new reworking of the project is released so that the story can be told once and for all.”
