Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Whitney Straight
- The Authorized Biography of the Race Car Driver, War Hero, and Industrialist
- Length: 10 hrs
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Pre-order Now for £26.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
A gripping tale of speed, heroism, romance, determination, and tragedy
Born in New York with a silver spoon in his mouth, Whitney Straight became a naturalized Briton who earned his living. He turned down Churchill’s proposal of a career in politics to become CEO of BOAC, transforming it from a sales vehicle for outmoded aircraft into a national airline to be proud of. At Rolls-Royce, he railed against a company dominated by engineers who made poor businessmen, and after the national tragedy of the great company going bust, played a fundamental role in the splitting of the auto and aero businesses still seen today.
An incurable romantic, he could never imagine being married to anyone other than his wife, yet he had numerous mistresses and countless girlfriends. Paul Kenny has been granted unfettered access to Straight’s diaries, photograph albums, and has scoured archives on both sides of the Atlantic, leaving no stone unturned in pursuit of the first full story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest mavericks.