One of Britain’s Grand Prix heroes has got back behind the wheel – 53 years after a horrific crash ended his career.

The legendary Sir Stirling Moss was invited to sit in a BRM V16 after opening a new-look gallery at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

The 65-year-old car finished fifth in the 1951 British Grand Prix, with Reg Parnell at the wheel.

Others exhibits in Grand Prix Greats include a Cooper 500 – the first type of car Sir Stirling raced during a high-octane career that began in 1948.

The 85-year-old needed a little help getting into the BRM and squeezing into the tiny space behind the steering wheel.

But he gave a cheery wave to the large crowd of onlookers as he recounted his days as one of the world’s top racing drivers.

After winning 212 of the 529 races he entered, including 16 Formula One Grands Prix, he was nearly killed in a crash at Goodwood in 1962.

The accident left him in a coma for a month and for six months the left side of his body was partially paralysed.

He was forced to retire from professional racing and has been described as “the greatest driver never to win the World Championship”.

Daily Echo: Left to right: Murray Walker, museum founder Lord Montagu and Sir Stirling Moss.

Sir Stirling began his day at Beaulieu by visiting the lecture theatre, where he was interviewed in front of invited guests by motor racing commentator Murray Walker, 91, who lives near Fordingbridge.

Dubbed The Voice of Formula One Murray asked Sir Stirling about the highs and lows of his 14-year career.

He told him: “I think of you as the first really professional racing driver.

“Your career ended with that terrible crash in 1962 but you are still Mr Motor Racing as far as the British public and most of the rest of the world are concerned.”

One of Sir Stirling’s most impressive victories resulted from his determination to carry on after his tyres started to disintegrate during a race.

He revealed that he never wore a seatbelt on the track, adding: “Racing in those days was very amateur – and a lot more fun.”

A member of the audience asked him what he would change if he were asked to run Formula One.

“I’d call up Bernie Ecclestone and take the easy way out,” he joked.