Wilfrid Andrews

Born in 1892, Wilfrid Andrews was the first British President of the FIA.

As Chairman of the RAC of Great Britain, a position he held for three decades, Andrews aimed to champion the ordinary motorist. This approach corresponded well with his parallel chairmanship of the British Roads Campaign Council. He was elected President of the FIA in 1965 at the age of 73.

Andrews’ chief concerns lay in the realm of the everyday motorist and he had little enthusiasm for motor sport. Furthermore, he regarded the RAC and the FIA as service providers rather than businesses. This caused tension at a time when motor racing was becoming seen more and more as a commercial opportunity.

As a non-French speaker he brought further chance to the federation by conducting proceedings in English. He rarely travelled to Paris and arranged for the secretary-general to travel to London for meetings.

Wilfrid Andrews died in 1975.