British rallying legend Paddy Hopkirk died in Buckinghamshire’s Stoke Mandeville hospital on Thursday. An intrepid racer, he is best remembered for his spectacular win in 1964’s Monte Carlo rally. Driving in his cherry red Mini Cooper S- the ’33 EJB’- Hopkirk’s Monte Carlo triumph brought him fame across the British isles, receiving congratulatory telegrams from then Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home and the Beatles to brandish alongside the trophy. The Belfast-born racer was also extensively involved in various automotive businesses and charities.

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The charming racer, he married his wife Jennifer in 1967. The couple would have three kids- Katie, Patrick and William- and six grandchildren: Molly, Jessica, Fenella, Amalia, Allegra and Alexander. His wife was also the High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire in 2005 and Vice Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire between 2006 to 2011.

Pursuing several business interests, Hopkirk is said to have amassed a fortune worth anything between $5 to $8 million. Richly rewarded during his wildly successful racing career, he built a flourishing automotive parts business, even having a range of automobile accessories named after him. In the 1970s, he was involved in importing Toyota cars into his native Northern Ireland.

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After selling his automotive accessories business, he set up a marketing firm, Hopkins Ltd., while working as a consultant with BMW on the revived Mini. But for all his aptitude in business and trade, it is Hopkirk the racer that people still remember. Monte Carlo in 1964 was the pinnacle indeed- he remains the last British driver to scale that peak- but his broader body of work is quite eye-catching too. Some of his most impressive on-track achievements are as follows:

#1. The Coupe d’Argent (runner up) in 1965’s Alpine Rally

#2. Winner of The Circuit of Ireland Rally in 1965 and 1967

#3. The Coupe des Alpes (winner) in 1967’s Alpine Rally

#4. Winner of the Rally Acropolis in 1967

Most notably, Paddy Hopkirk gave up the chance to win the 1968 London-Sydney Marathon to rescue the race-leading Bianchi-Ogier team whose Citroen DS had collided head-on with another car. Hopkirk and his teammate Tony Nash helped pull out people from both cars just as they had begun to catch fire.

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He was elected as a life member of the British Racing Driver’s Club in 1967 and served as President of the Historic Rally Car Register. Hopkirk was also a patron of the disability charity WheelPower.