Ken Miles Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth

What Was Ken Miles’ Net Worth?

At the time of his passing in 1966, Ken Miles, a British sports car racing engineer and driver, had an estimated net worth of $10,000, equivalent to about $100,000 today when adjusted for inflation.

Christian Bale portrayed Ken Miles in the 2019 film “Ford v Ferrari.”

Miles was a Staff Sergeant in the British Army and triumphed in the USAC Road Racing Championship in 1961 while driving a Porsche 718 RS 61. He also achieved victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966 alongside Lloyd Ruby for the Shelby American Inc. team. His accolades include winning the 12 Hours of Sebring in an AC Cobra in 1963, a Ford GT40 in 1965, and a Ford GT-X1 in 1966. Known for his competitive spirit, Miles frequently participated as a British driver with American teams. He was posthumously inducted into both the Motorsports Hall of Fame in America (2001) and the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2020). His son, Peter, serves as the executive administrator of a vintage car collection valued at over $80 million. Ken Miles tragically lost his life in a racing accident on August 17, 1966, in Southern California at the age of 47.

Early Life

Born Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles on November 1, 1918, in Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire, England, Ken was the child of Clarice Jarvis and Eric Miles. As a teenager, he sought to emigrate to the U.S. At age 15, he left school to apprentice at Wolseley Motors, which later sent him to a technical school to study vehicle construction. Before enlisting in the British Army during World War II, he participated in motorcycle racing. During the war, Miles served as a driving instructor in the Territorial Army. In October 1942, he co-founded the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and later moved to its Training Establishment. His military service included postings to various workshops, and on June 15, 1944, he landed in Normandy. He continued to serve in North West Europe until the war ended, reaching the rank of staff sergeant. Miles’ experience as a tank commander ignited his passion for high-performance engineering, and he was discharged to the reserves in April 1946.

Career

After World War II, Ken began racing Alfa Romeos, Alvises, and Bugattis with the Vintage Sports Car Club before switching to a Ford V8 Frazer-Nash. In 1952, he relocated to the U.S., settling in Los Angeles, where he took a role as a service manager for MG distributor Gough Industries. The next year, Miles achieved an impressive 14 consecutive victories in Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) racing in a custom MG-based car. He created another MG-based vehicle for the 1955 season, which was nicknamed the “Flying Shingle.” Although he initially finished first at Palm Springs, he was later disqualified due to overly wide fenders. In 1956, Miles competed in a Porsche 550 Spyder at numerous SCCA and Cal Club events. During the 1957 and 1958 seasons, he raced “the Pooper,” a 1956 Cooper featuring a Porsche 550S transmission and engine, excelling in the SCCA F Modified class on the West Coast. In the 1960s, Ken played a pivotal role in the Shelby/Cobra race team both as a driver and mechanical engineer. Describing himself, he once stated, “I am a mechanic. That has been the direction of my entire vocational life. Driving is a hobby, a relaxation for me, like golfing is to others. I should like to drive a Formula One machine, not for the grand prize, but just to see what it is like. I should think it would be jolly good fun!”

Ken Miles Le Mans 1966 (Photo by Reg Lancaster/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

With a distinct Brummie accent and a sharp sense of humor, Miles earned the nickname “Teddy Teabag” from his crew due to his love for tea, and “Sidebite” because of the way he spoke out of the side of his mouth. He played a crucial role in developing and achieving success for the Shelby Cobra 289 in SCCA as well as in the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and United States Road Racing Championship (USRRC) during the early to mid-1960s. Ken significantly contributed to the design of the Daytona Coupe and the 427 variants of the Ford GT and Cobra. In 1963, he became Shelby-American’s chief test driver, earning a reputation for his courteous behavior on the track, which led to him being called the “Stirling Moss of the West Coast.” Miles garnered second place at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1965 and secured victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring in 1966.

Personal Life and Death

Ken and his wife, Mollie, welcomed a son named Peter on September 28, 1950. In August 1966, Miles began test driving a J-car for Shelby-American. On August 17, while testing at Riverside International Raceway in Southern California, his vehicle flipped and caught fire while descending at over 200 miles per hour. The car subsequently disintegrated, and Miles was tragically killed when he was ejected from it. He was laid to rest at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in the Abbey of the Psalms Mausoleum.