A RACING car made famous by Stirling Moss 58 years ago is ready for a comeback on the track after it was restored.

The Cooper JAP Formula 3 model, a lightweight 497cc classic that can reach 125mph, has had its aluminium body rebuilt and fitted at the Carrosserie workshop in Barnard Castle, County Durham, run by Dick Francis and Steve Layton.

It was one of only 11 made.

Aged 18, Moss was given one of them by his father and became a star in it, winning a string of races before stepping up to Formula One and coming first in 16 Grand Prix.

Mr Francis, who spent six weeks restoring the car, said yesterday: "We do not know if this is the one Stirling owned, but it is likely that he drove it at times, and he certainly made the type famous with his victories.

"It took a brave man to race it at high speeds as there was no protection for the driver. It had no differential, just a solid back axle, so it had to drift round corners, making it an extremely exciting ride."

There are hopes the legendary driver, now 76-year-old Sir Stirling, will get behind the wheel when he sees the car at a race meeting at Prescott, Gloucestershire, on July 28.

It was a wreck in a scrapyard in Kenya, Africa, a few years ago when an enthusiast saw it and returned it to Britain.

It is now owned by Richard Bishop-Miller, a garage owner at Coniston, Cumbria, who said yesterday: "I am sure Stirling will be delighted to see it again.

"Even if this is not the one he owned, he would know it as there were so few made. He won a race in one of the cars in only his second outing and then had many other successes."

The car will take part in a number of hill climb races this summer and is due to take part in the Goodwood Festival of Speed next year.

It is now back in its original condition, apart from having a larger silencer to reduce its extremely loud engine noise, and a rear rain light that is now essential on all racing cars for safety in bad weather.