Not real driving gloves maybe but close

I owned a few sports cars--gullwing Mercedes, Porsche 356, Ferrari 308GTS and C/4, but seldom did I have the right accoutrements to go with the car. Often the car was gone before I found something to fit the car.
But one thing I never found (until recently) was stringback driving gloves.


Throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s, racing drivers like Stirling Moss could be seen pulling on his stringback (mesh) driving gloves to protect his palms from wooden steering wheels and keep their hands cool and dry while he thundered to victory. I bought a pair of off white meshbacks but think they will get dirty too quickly. i notice one shot of Moss after he finished a race one formerly white glove had turned black!

Some have a wide open mesh but others seem to have what looks like a solid surface but still is open mesh in the cloth portion enough to breathe. Ideally, they have a short split cuff or I could think a snap fastener would be useful as well.

Perforated leather gloves are another choice. I would think, if there's the slightest chance of fire danger, leather will give you a bit more protection, But they can be hotter during an event. I like to buy ones that match my clothes since you aren't always with your car (though some Sports seem to make a show of leaving their gloves between the seats as testimony to show what sporting chaps they really are).

The sporty car ones have the back open or a large circle open on the back and even the knuckles open. I prefer solid ones so they are not just limited to driving cars . One pair of deerskin gloves I found on the net for only $26 so don't think these should have to cost $100.


In sum, i think driving gloves are a fun accoutrement that can also be used for commuting, though the open back ones look a little boy-racer for that. Any glove is better than nothing--ever have to reach in a hot engine to do something quick?

What say you?


Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Dumb question about stringbacks (but somebody's gotta ask) Why is the cloth a light color? I saw one picture of Stirling Moss after a race where one stringback was dirtied almost black at the end of the race. Wouldn't dark brown or black cloth have been more practical?