Bill Whitehouse was born in London in 1909. An off-license owner and car dealer from South London, Bill became one of the early competitors in the 500cc formula in mid 1949 in a Cooper Mk II which he acquired from Stan Coldham and made a creditable second in the Production Car race at Silverstone on the 9th July and a third in September.

Bill finished second in the Open Challenge Final and won the Production Car race and grand final at the Inaugural Brands Hatch meeting in April 1950 and second again, to Moss, in the June Open Challenge Race. He travelled to Rouen in July to beat John Cooper and Eric Brandon and in August, he won his heat and finished second in the final of the Daily Telegraph Trophy to George Wicken.

For 1951, he raced for the works team alongside Ken Carter in Cooper Mk Vs, notching up wins in the Daily Telegraph Trophy and a string of good placings at home and abroad. He continued to compete successfully through '52.

Bill was friends with Bernie Ecclestone but, at Brands Hatch in 1953, the two collided at Paddock Hill bend and Bernie found himself in the car park on the outside of the circuit!

Whitehouse tried his hand at Formula 2 in 1951 with an Alta and in 1954 acquired an F2 Connaught, which he raced in British events. In 1955, with Formula 2 being cancelled, he retired for a while but in 1957 he bought a Cooper-Climax F2 car and restarted his career at Syracuse before settling back into British events, racing with his brother Brian. In July '57 they travelled to Reims to take part in the Formula 2 race there and after Bill's car failed in practice he was lent another car by Roy Salvadori. Early in the race, on the run down to the Thillois hairpin, the car somersaulted after a burst tyre and caught fire. Bill Whitehouse was killed in the crash.

Demonstrating the preferred (and later banned) cornering technique.

Bill gets it all crossed up Silverstone International Trophy Race 10th May 1952.

In his Mk III, goggles and flying helmet.