in 1955. At the end of the 1952 season he sold all of his cars and switched to an Aston Martin DB3S. He contested the Silverstone international several times and finished third place at Thruxton in May. In 1953 he decided to retire from racing in order to focus on managing the family business. South Africa and later life In 1953 after the death of his mother, Downing and his family emigrated to Constantia, Cape Town. In 1955 he established a company mining sea diamonds near the border of Namibia, constructing a dredger to dredge diamonds at the mouth of the Orange river that had been washed down from the Kimberley diamond mines. The business was successful and along with the mining rights, was eventually sold to De Beers, an international mining corporation. He had also formed the idea of mining guano on an island near Madagascar, but this was delayed. Downing died on 3 May 2004 at the Loews Hotel in Monaco. Complete Formula One World Championship results (key) References 1917 births 2004 deaths Connaught Formula One drivers English expatriates in Monaco English emigrants to South Africa English racing drivers English Formula One drivers People from Chesterton, Staffordshire