Kenneth Henry Jarvis Miles, aka Ken Miles, was a legendarily talented sports car racing engineer who became popular for his career in the World Sportscar Championships. Ken was born on November 1, 1918, in the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, United Kingdom but died in a car accident on August 17, 1996, in Riverside International Raceway, California, at the unripe age of 47 years old. Before his death, Ken had a son named Peter Miles.
Ken Miles was inducted posthumously into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2001 due to his contribution to developing the Ford GT40, which had won at the Le Mans competition in 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969. In 2020, Ken Miles was also inducted into the West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame. Although Ken Miles is late, his legacy will stand the test of time.
Ken Miles’s Wife – Mollie Miles
Mollie Miles was the wife of Ken Miles. She played a vital role in Ken’s racing career. Mollie supported her husband emotionally and encouraged him whenever the odds were against him. As a mother, Mollie was always available for Ken whenever he needed her encouragement. They lived peacefully until the untimely demise of Ken. After Ken died, Mollie was hurt emotionally, but she endured and lived a fulfilled life. Mollie Miles died at the ripe age of 102 years.
Ken Miles’ son
Ken Miles and his wife, Mollie, had a son, Peter Miles. They gave birth to Peter on September 28, 1950; he was barely 16 years old when his father, Ken, died. This means that Peter is 74 years old as of April 2025. Meanwhile, many people expected that Peter would have toed the part of his father by becoming a second-generation car race driver, but the reverse is the case because Peter didn’t pursue a career in car racing; rather, he crafted a new career path for himself by establishing an automobile industry.
Immediately after the death of his father, Peter started working at Troutman’s car shop in Culver City, California, and Troutman was his father’s friend. He worked in this car shop for four years, after which he became a mechanic.
Fast forward to 1986, Peter joined Precision Performance Inc. (PPI), where he started working as a fabricator before he became the chief crew. He was the chief crew for Ivan Stewart when they won the 1991 Nissan 400 in Nevada. During an interview in 2019, Peter noted that he hasn’t been to Le Mans for decades and he stated that the last time he went there was with his father in 1965, and he has not gone back there since then.
Peter Miles is married to Patti Montgomery and they have a daughter named Jamie Miles. Currently, Jamie is a school teacher, and she is happily married to Jeff Moore.
Is Peter Miles Still Alive
Yes, Peter Miles is still alive. Although he made his last public speech/appearance in 2019, he is still alive, managing his automobile business. Peter is now a septuagenarian, but he is hearty and healthy.
Peter Miles’s Age
As of April 2025, Peter Miles is 74 years old. He will turn 75 in September 2025. He was born on September 28, 1950 to his father, Ken Miles and his mother, Mollie Miles. Peter has both a child and a grandchild.
Ken Miles’s Death Story
According to wikipedia.org, Ken Miles died in an accident when testing a racing car. He died on August 17, 1996, at Riverside International Raceway, California.
A detailed story on how Ken died….
What happened is that initially, the Ford J-car was designed and intended to replace the Ford GT40 Mk II. Although there were problems during the design, it showed great potential in the springtime Le Mans trials. Walt Hansgen died while testing the J-car in Le Mans, which made Ford forget about the J-car and turn their focus to Mk IIs, which had better potential.
In 1966, Shelby started testing and carrying out development work on the Mk II, with Ken Miles as the primary test driver. They tested the Mk IIs at Riverside International Raceway close to the Southern California desert for almost a day; this led Miles to approach the end of the track’s one-mile (1.6 km) downhill back straight at top speed—over 200 miles per hour (320 km/h)—and at this speed, the car suddenly flipped, crashed, and caught fire. This tragic incident made the car break into pieces and eject Miles, and he died at that spot. In all, he died in a car accident when testing the Mk II car racer.
