Bill Aston

William Simpson Aston (29 March 1900, Hopton, Staffordshire, England - 4 March 1974) was a British racing driver and constructor whose remarkable career began later in life than most. A World War I veteran, Aston served as a test pilot for Vickers following the war, which sparked his interest in aerodynamics and engineering. He later built up a successful fruit farming business, which provided the financial foundation for his racing endeavors. Remarkably, Aston's first recorded motor race came in 1949 when he was already 49 years old, making him one of the oldest drivers to debut in competitive motorsport.

Despite this late start, he would go on to participate in three World Championship races at age 52 during his F1 debut season in 1952, becoming one of the oldest drivers to compete in a Grand Prix. Aston briefly became a Formula One constructor in 1952, creating the Aston-Butterworth. This was a lightweight Cooper copy fitted with Archie Butterworth's air-cooled four-cylinder engine. He participated in three World Championship Grands Prix in 1952 when the championship was run to Formula Two regulations, driving for his own Aston Butterworth team.

In May, he added a second car driven by Robin Montgomerie-Charrington, who achieved the team's best finish with third place at Chimay in June. However, Aston struggled with the unreliability of his machinery and never had the budget or driver talent required to explore the car's potential. When F2 regulations were suspended in 1954, the Aston-Butterworth was rendered obsolete. Following his brief F1 constructor career, Aston raced saloon cars for enjoyment before eventually retiring to concentrate on running his fruit farm in Staffordshire.