Les Leston

Alfred Lazarus Fingleston (16 December 1920 – 13 May 2012), better known as Les Leston, was a British racing driver, born in Bulwell, Nottinghamshire.

He started racing in a Jaguar SS100 before acquiring a Cooper and his own Leston Special. He become a Cooper works driver in 1954 and took the British Formula Three championship in the same year. He participated in three Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 2 September 1956. He scored no championship points. Leston won the Luxembourg Grand Prix in 1952.

After escaping from a life-threatening crash at Caen in 1958 when his F2 Lotus seized, he concentrated on his ever expanding motorcar accessories business – the field that he was best known for. Les Leston Accessories manufactured and sold aftermarket parts for cars, such as steering wheels and gear shifters. Later he expanded into clothing, and was instrumental in pioneering the development of safety equipment such as flameproof overalls and properly constructed crash helmets. He was no stranger to the track, though, having great fun in the early 1960s with his red Lotus Elite - the famous DAD10.