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The Fabulous Fifties NEWSLETTER September 2008 OUR FALL FESTIVAL Now it’s a tradition! As in the past two years, our 2008 Fall Festival will feature our Concours d’Provenance. The date is Satur- day, October 11 and the location is the same as last year, the beautiful South Coast Bo- tanic Garden at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Things will get started at 10 a.m. and continue on into the afternoon. Those who receive their newsletter via email are treated to a page of color pho- tographs taken at last year’s concours. We are the only organization (non- organization!) to conduct a concours d’ provenance. Unlike a concours d’elegance, where cars are judged by their elegance, our entrants are judged by their racing prove- nance. The competition is open to cars that actually raced prior to 1970 and the same make and model of those that actually raced. Non-members are encouraged to enter plus you are also asked to encourage anyone else who has an appropriate car. An entry form is on page three of this newsletter. The featured marque this year is Cor- vette, but all other appropriate makes are also welcome. Chairman Davey Jordan has named Dick “Mr. Corvette” Guildstrand as the Hon- orary Chairman. Jordan announced that a number of former drivers will act as judges. You will have an opportunity to add to your autograph collection. The Doubletree Hotel at 21333 Haw- thorne Blvd in Torrance is the headquarters hotel. We have a special room rate of $109. It’s best to reserve as soon as possible. Make reference to “The Fabulous Fifties” to get the rate. Call (800) 222-8733, fax (310) 540- 2065 or go on line: www.torrancesouth- bay.doubletree.com. There will be gatherings both Friday and Saturday evenings. All are welcome including those not hotel guests. There is a lovely picnic area just adjacent to the beautiful meadow surrounded by flow- ers where the cars will be displayed. You may bring your own lunch or buy a deli lunch for $15 each by sending a check to Ginny Dixon, 641 Via del Monte, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 to arrive before October 6. Please state your choice of a beef or turkey sandwich. For spectators, the gate price is $7 with discounts for seniors and children. The fees are used to help maintain the garden. To get to the garden, take the 405 Freeway to Crenshaw Blvd. Go south (towards the ocean) through Torrance. After you cross Pacific Coast Hwy., you’ll begin to climb up on the peninsula. The entrance is on the left and well marked. There is a large parking lot. If you have any questions, call Davey at (909) 867-7998l or email him at daveynorma- [email protected]. ED JUSTICE, SR. Funeral services for Ed will be held on Thursday, September 11 at 11 a.m. in the Sky Rose Chapel at the Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary at 3888 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier. There will be a celebration of Ed’s life immediately after the service at the Jus- tice Brothers Racing Museum, 2734 Hunting- ton Dr., Duarte. It was Ed’s request for peo- ple to come and enjoy each other. NEWS & VIEWS with Art Evans Quite a few of you have sent me an email telling me that I can take you off the snail- mail list. Thanks! At present, we have a total of 1,113 on our non-member roster. But we still send out 599 newsletters via snailmail. Getting your newsletter via email has advan- tages: the email edition includes photographs, many in color. And we send out additional messages that are not mailed via U.S. Mail. Please, send me your email address ([email protected]). Some of you may have already heard via the net, but on August 13, Lime Rock Park was closed for an hour and a half to honor Paul Newman. He was attended by his fam- ily, close friends, Skip Barber, mechanics on his race team and those who happened to be at the track that day. Paul toured the track in his Corvette with his Volvo station wagon following. Newman had come to say good- bye. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is not expected to live beyond September. Race driver, actor, humanitarian, family man and friend, they don’t come any better. The Carroll Shelby Automotive Technol- ogy Center has been launched at Northeast Texas Community College. Its purpose is to offer young people an opportunity to learn valuable skills. The first class is expected to enroll this Fall. “I want to help young people improve their lives through the industry that has been so good to me,” Carroll said. Shelby and his companies are contributing more than half a million dollars for scholarships and support of the program. Additional informa- tion is available at www.ntcc.edu. MEMBERSHIP REPORT DONATIONS (Treasurer Alice Hanks reported receiving from): Marc Sexton, Jim Paul, Robert W. Johnson, Fred Egloff NEW MEMBERS (Sponsor in parenthe- sis): Bob Wenz of Los Gatos CA (Al Moss), Don Meline of Big Bear City CA (Davey and Norma Jordan), Betty Williams of Apple Valley CA (Blanche Baker), Alan Brickey of Laguna Niguel CA (Kurt Bilinski), Tom Schultz of Wauwatosa WI (Art Evans), Barry Leitch of Invercargill NZ (Bob Schmitt), Reid Carroll of San Diego CA (who was there then and Fred Puhn), Bob Bolding of Prescott AZ (Beverly Williams), Rick Man- delson of Ellicott City MD (Harley Holt), Steve Lloyd of Frederick MD (Harley Holt), Bruce Ehrlick and Rick Barrett (no snail mail addresses by Jim Paul), Gil Bouffard of Manteca CA (Art Evans), Paul Merrigan of La Quinta CA (Art Evans), Alice Powers of Balboa CA (Fred Egloff), Bob Lee of Rolling Hills CA (Ron Bennett), Jason Leon (no snail mail address by Ron Bennett), Patrick Quinn of Kurrajong Heights NSW AU (Art Evans). LOST (Snail-mail returned by the USPS): Chad Struer of Redwood City CA FOUND: David Scully by Bob Schmitt, John Martin by Earl Gandel, INVALID E-MAIL ADDRESSES Membership chair Jacques Bellesiles reports newsletters were not deliverable to the ad- dresse on file for: Dick Irish, Art Abrahams. ABSENT FRIENDS: Phil Hill; Ed Jus- tice Sr., Ed Mackey, Nancy; Randy St. John, Cam Cooper, Craig Angel, Dave Bracken (full story next newsletter). GO FAST GOOD FRIEND By Bill Pollack Over sixty years ago, my late brother, Jim, and I drove our MG TCs to Goleta, just a bit north of Santa Barbara. There was to be a time trial on abandoned roads. This was the first time I saw Phil Hill race. Some time later, we met briefly in the pits at the first Pebble Beach Race. We didn’t have much to say and since he was driving his Jaguar and I was in a blown MG, we didn’t have much in common except maybe Southern California. I thought this guy looked awfully young to be racing cars. Phil has always had a baby face and looked years younger than he was. Despite this smiling young-looking guy’s appearance, when he strapped on his Cromwell and goggles he was transformed into something quite different. I was out of that first Pebble event about fifty yards from the start, so I spent time watching this black Jaguar number two, roaring down the straight. Phil had lightened and tuned his car to the point that it would almost fly. I thought at the time that Phil was a competi- tor; definitely not just out for a ride. I was to find out later just how much this mild mannered, soft-spoken young looking guy could change when he got behind the wheel of a car. Phil and I spent more time at speed on a race course separated by a car length or so than we did chatting in the pits. I liked his style and I liked the cars he drove. I will miss him very much.

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The Fabulous Fifties NEWSLETTER September 2008

OUR FALL FESTIVAL

Now it’s a tradition! As in the past two years, our 2008 Fall Festival will feature our Concours d’Provenance. The date is Satur-day, October 11 and the location is the same as last year, the beautiful South Coast Bo-tanic Garden at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Things will get started at 10 a.m. and continue on into the afternoon. Those who receive their newsletter via email are treated to a page of color pho-tographs taken at last year’s concours. We are the only organization (non-organization!) to conduct a concours d’ provenance. Unlike a concours d’elegance, where cars are judged by their elegance, our entrants are judged by their racing prove-nance. The competition is open to cars that actually raced prior to 1970 and the same make and model of those that actually raced. Non-members are encouraged to enter plus you are also asked to encourage anyone else who has an appropriate car. An entry form is on page three of this newsletter. The featured marque this year is Cor-vette, but all other appropriate makes are also welcome. Chairman Davey Jordan has named Dick “Mr. Corvette” Guildstrand as the Hon-orary Chairman. Jordan announced that a number of former drivers will act as judges. You will have an opportunity to add to your autograph collection. The Doubletree Hotel at 21333 Haw-thorne Blvd in Torrance is the headquarters hotel. We have a special room rate of $109. It’s best to reserve as soon as possible. Make reference to “The Fabulous Fifties” to get the rate. Call (800) 222-8733, fax (310) 540-2065 or go on line: www.torrancesouth-bay.doubletree.com. There will be gatherings both Friday and Saturday evenings. All are welcome including those not hotel guests. There is a lovely picnic area just adjacent to the beautiful meadow surrounded by flow-ers where the cars will be displayed. You may bring your own lunch or buy a deli lunch for $15 each by sending a check to Ginny Dixon, 641 Via del Monte, Palos Verdes Estates, CA 90274 to arrive before October 6. Please state your choice of a beef or turkey sandwich. For spectators, the gate price is $7 with discounts for seniors and children. The fees are used to help maintain the garden. To get to the garden, take the 405 Freeway to Crenshaw Blvd. Go south (towards the ocean) through Torrance. After you cross Pacific Coast Hwy., you’ll begin to climb up on the peninsula. The entrance is on the left and well marked. There is a large parking lot. If you have any questions, call Davey at (909) 867-7998l or email him at [email protected].

ED JUSTICE, SR. Funeral services for Ed will be held on Thursday, September 11 at 11 a.m. in the Sky Rose Chapel at the Rose Hills Memorial Park & Mortuary at 3888 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier. There will be a celebration of Ed’s life immediately after the service at the Jus-tice Brothers Racing Museum, 2734 Hunting-ton Dr., Duarte. It was Ed’s request for peo-ple to come and enjoy each other.

NEWS & VIEWS with Art Evans Quite a few of you have sent me an email telling me that I can take you off the snail-mail list. Thanks! At present, we have a total of 1,113 on our non-member roster. But we still send out 599 newsletters via snailmail. Getting your newsletter via email has advan-tages: the email edition includes photographs, many in color. And we send out additional messages that are not mailed via U.S. Mail. Please, send me your email address ([email protected]). Some of you may have already heard via the net, but on August 13, Lime Rock Park was closed for an hour and a half to honor Paul Newman. He was attended by his fam-ily, close friends, Skip Barber, mechanics on his race team and those who happened to be at the track that day. Paul toured the track in his Corvette with his Volvo station wagon following. Newman had come to say good-bye. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is not expected to live beyond September. Race driver, actor, humanitarian, family man and friend, they don’t come any better. The Carroll Shelby Automotive Technol-ogy Center has been launched at Northeast Texas Community College. Its purpose is to offer young people an opportunity to learn valuable skills. The first class is expected to enroll this Fall. “I want to help young people improve their lives through the industry that has been so good to me,” Carroll said. Shelby and his companies are contributing more than half a million dollars for scholarships and support of the program. Additional informa-tion is available at www.ntcc.edu.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT DONATIONS (Treasurer Alice Hanks reported receiving from): Marc Sexton, Jim Paul, Robert W. Johnson, Fred Egloff

NEW MEMBERS (Sponsor in parenthe-sis): Bob Wenz of Los Gatos CA (Al Moss), Don Meline of Big Bear City CA (Davey and Norma Jordan), Betty Williams of Apple Valley CA (Blanche Baker), Alan Brickey of Laguna Niguel CA (Kurt Bilinski), Tom

Schultz of Wauwatosa WI (Art Evans), Barry Leitch of Invercargill NZ (Bob Schmitt), Reid Carroll of San Diego CA (who was there then and Fred Puhn), Bob Bolding of Prescott AZ (Beverly Williams), Rick Man-delson of Ellicott City MD (Harley Holt), Steve Lloyd of Frederick MD (Harley Holt), Bruce Ehrlick and Rick Barrett (no snail mail addresses by Jim Paul), Gil Bouffard of Manteca CA (Art Evans), Paul Merrigan of La Quinta CA (Art Evans), Alice Powers of Balboa CA (Fred Egloff), Bob Lee of Rolling Hills CA (Ron Bennett), Jason Leon (no snail mail address by Ron Bennett), Patrick Quinn of Kurrajong Heights NSW AU (Art Evans).

LOST (Snail-mail returned by the USPS): Chad Struer of Redwood City CA FOUND: David Scully by Bob Schmitt, John Martin by Earl Gandel,

INVALID E-MAIL ADDRESSES Membership chair Jacques Bellesiles reports newsletters were not deliverable to the ad-dresse on file for: Dick Irish, Art Abrahams.

ABSENT FRIENDS: Phil Hill; Ed Jus-tice Sr., Ed Mackey, Nancy; Randy St. John, Cam Cooper, Craig Angel, Dave Bracken (full story next newsletter).

GO FAST GOOD FRIEND By Bill Pollack

Over sixty years ago, my late brother, Jim, and I drove our MG TCs to Goleta, just a bit north of Santa Barbara. There was to be a time trial on abandoned roads. This was the first time I saw Phil Hill race.

Some time later, we met briefly in the pits at the first Pebble Beach Race. We didn’t have much to say and since he was driving his Jaguar and I was in a blown MG, we didn’t have much in common except maybe Southern California. I thought this guy looked awfully young to be racing cars. Phil has always had a baby face and looked years younger than he was. Despite this smiling young-looking guy’s appearance, when he strapped on his Cromwell and goggles he was transformed into something quite different. I was out of that first Pebble event about fifty yards from the start, so I spent time watching this black Jaguar number two, roaring down the straight. Phil had lightened and tuned his car to the point that it would almost fly. I thought at the time that Phil was a competi-tor; definitely not just out for a ride.

I was to find out later just how much this mild mannered, soft-spoken young looking guy could change when he got behind the wheel of a car. Phil and I spent more time at speed on a race course separated by a car length or so than we did chatting in the pits. I liked his style and I liked the cars he drove. I will miss him very much.

Some of the best memories of my life are connected to Phil. He had great insight into what other drivers might or might not do and we often shared these opinions in those tortu-ous minutes before the start of a race. Like most drivers, we suffered from pre-race nerves and often spent those moments lying to each other about our strategy.

I will miss Phil Hill. He was an important part of the history of racing in the U.S.

PHIL HILL (1927-2008) By Art Evans

On August 28, we lost our great and good champion, Phil Hill. The entire world of mo-torsports is saddened. He was a wonderful and honorable friend who will be sorely missed.

After hearing of Phil’s passing, it was in-evitable that many of us were on the phone with one another.

Carroll Shelby said, “Phil and I had a 60-year friendship. He could take anything apart and put it back together. He could even tune pianos. I talked with Derek three times the day before Phil passed on and I was able to communicate to Phil that I loved him.”

Stirling Moss emailed that “Phil was a friend first and a great competitor, but what a gentleman!”

An email from Mario Andretti: “I had so much respect for Phil Hill. When I was at the beginning of my racing career, he was already world champion. I watched him with a mixture of envy and admiration – dreaming that I would someday have half the command of the race car that he did. He was at the top of his game and I’m very happy that I was able to enjoy and appreciate his skill, respect his achievements, learn from his wisdom, and digest his thoughtful analysis for major auto-motive magazines when he would do test driving later in life. And what I cherish most is that we became friends. I really consider my career richer by the fact that I raced against him, particularly my most vivid memory of him at Sebring in 1967. How sweet it is that I have that memory. I doubt there will be another like Phil Hill. It is such a great loss for the sport of motor racing be-cause he was an inspiration to many of us.”

From John Fitch: “Phil’s passing brings a deep sense of loss that won’t go away. Though separated by a continent, or an ocean, I shared the joy of his victories like a brother and treasured our warm friendship. Love to Alma and the family”

Dan Gurney: “I have lost a friend as well as a competitor. Phil will be remem-bered with fondness, not only as a great driver but also as a person dedicated to pre-serving and restoring the wonderful old cars of yesteryear. I learned a lot from him. I real-ize his passing was inevitable, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Will Edgar wrote that, “With Phil gone, so many of us have lost a friend of many years. We’ll long mourn his death and always remember the spirit and talent he had in life.”

Al Moss: “I won’t attempt to relate Phil’s extraordinary driving skills and accomplish-

ments. I always had great admiration for Phil and held him in high esteem. He had a great love of music and his home was filled with various musical instruments, all of which he could play. He was extremely intelligent and articulate as demonstrated by the many arti-cles he wrote for Road & Track. In these, he combined his ability to drive unique cars and to relate his impressions to the readers.

“In 1979, at an MG meet in San Diego, I arranged a reunion of Phil and John Thornley (the retired managing director of the MG Car Company) and EX-181, the streamlined MG that Phil drove to a world record speed of 254.91 mph at Bonneville in 1959. As the car was on display, Phil sat behind the wheel and described the experience in detail.

“Phil, you will be missed.” In the August 1957 issue of the Sports

Car Journal, Bill Nolan wrote, “Last year (1956), a wiry, intense young man from Santa Monica, California successfully matched his skill and sports car savvy against the racing greats of Europe.” Nolan later became Phil’s biographer (PHIL HILL: Yankee Champion) and Hill went on to the World Championship. Philip Toll Hill was born on April 20, 1927 in Miami, Florida. The family soon moved to California and Hill’s father became the postmaster in Santa Monica. Phil’s first car was a Model T, which he bought for $10 in 1939. Even though only 12 years old, he took the Ford to a ¼-mile dirt track in Santa Monica Canyon and went round and round.

After graduation from Santa Monica High School, Phil enrolled at the University of Southern California where he majored in business administration. But, after two years, he dropped out and went to work as a me-chanic for Roger Barlow. In 1947, Hill had saved enough to buy a new MGTC. The next year he bought another TC. As long as Phil raced in Southern Cali-fornia, his cars carried the number 2. He en-tered the car at Carrell Speedway in the summer of 1949. In his first time out, he won his heat, the trophy dash and the main event. Soon the MG was replaced by an XK120 in which he won the main event at the first 1950 Pebble Beach. In March 1951, Hill’s mother died and, a month later, his father passed away. His par-ents had left him a little money, so he bought a 2.6 Ferrari from Luigi Chinetti. After win-ning a number of races, he traded it in on a 2.9 Ferrari. By this time, his successes were attracting the attention of wealthy entrants. West Coast Jaguar importer and dealer Charles Hornberg supplied a C-Type with which Hill won at Elkhart Lake in 1952.

Allen Guiberson entered a 2.6 Ferrari in the 1952 Mexican Road Race driven by Phil who placed 6th overall. The next year, with Richie Ginther as navigator, Hill crashed Guiberson’s 4.1 Mexico Coupe between Pue-bla and Mexico City. Even though they slid over a 100-foot cliff, bouncing end over end, Richie and Phil were able to walk away. Shortly thereafter, Phil’s doctor advised him to give up racing due to stomach ulcers he was afraid would hemorrhage. With noth-ing else to do, Hill and his brother, Jerry,

rebuilt the family 1931 Pierce Arrow to show condition and won a number of concours including the 1955 Pebble Beach. In spite of his doctor’s warning, Phil entered and won the Del Monte Trophy (main event) at Pebble that year! Hill gave up smoking and his stomach recovered, so he went back to racing. Phil and Carroll Shelby piloted Guiberson’s 3-liter Ferrari Monza to finish first at Sebring in 1955. Due to lap scoring that many felt was faulty, they were relegated to second. Phil entered Mexico again with Richie in Guiber-son’s 4.5 Ferrari. Maglioli won in a much faster 4.9, but Hill and Ginther were a close second. In 1955, after winning Elkhart and Nassau, Phil joined the Ferrari team. In January 1956 he took second at Bue-nos Aires behind Stirling Moss. Perhaps some of the most memorable races in Southern California took place in Palm Springs. In the November 1956 event, Hill in George Tilp’s 3.5 Ferrari and Carroll Shelby in John Ed-gar’s faster 4.9, battled nose to tail. Shel took the flag .05 of a second ahead of Phil. In April of the next year, Hill in a 4.4 defeated Carroll in a Maserati. Shelby and Hill became close life-long friends.

Phil’s victories, including the 1950, 1953 and 1955 Pebble Beaches, are legion. In 1955, he won the SCCA National Champion-ship. He was the first American to win Le Mans—which he won twice again—as well as Sebring three times. Driving for Ferrari, he got nine Formula One points in 1958, 20 in 1959, 16 in 1960 and in 1961 Phil Hill became America’s first World Champion for Ferrari with 34 points. He continued for Ferrari through 1962 and raced sports cars for Carroll Shelby and Jim Hall until he retired in 1967. In later years, Phil operated a restoration shop—Hill & Vaughn—in Santa Monica, later relocated to Marina del Rey, and turned out one concours winner after another. He very carefully restored my Devin SS to origi-nal after it had been turned into a drag car. He even had Bill Devin visit to consult in order to get it just right. It’s almost fitting that Phil was stricken while at the Quail Gathering near Pebble Beach, site of Phil’s first great win. Mike Lynch told me that Phil seemed to be enjoy-ing himself looking at some of the cars on display that held such meaning for him. Phil, with his wife. Alma, and their son Derek, reside at the same home in Santa Monica where Phil lived most of his life. He is survived, not only by Alma and Derek, but also a daughter, Vanessa Rogers, a stepdaugh-ter, Jennifer Delaney, and four grandchildren. Those who wish to have a message sent to the Hill family can log onto www.philhill.com.

Flyer downloaded from www.SoCalCarCulture.com

The previous page is a pictorial of Phil Hill. Identifications are from the top, left to right: Phil getting the trophy for winning his first major race, the Del Monte Trophy (main event) at Pebble Beach on November 4, 1950. Middle: On July 7, 1952, Phil won the main event at Torrey Pines in his own Ferrari 212. Right: Hill won the Del Monte Trophy again on April 17, 1955 in Allen Guiberson’s Ferrari 750 Monza. The photo shows him followed by Bill Pollack in Ken Simpson’s Baldwin Special. The second row, left shows the start of the main event at Palm Springs on November 4, 1956. Carroll Shelby leads in John Edgar’s 4.9-liter 410S Ferrari followed by Phil in George Tilp’s 3.5-liter 857S Ferrari and Bill Murphy in his Kurtis-Buick. Right: Driving Charles Hornberg’s C-Type Jaguar, Phil won the main event at Torrey Pines on December 14, 1952. Third row: left: Phil’s 80th birthday was celebrated at Jay Leno’s hanger near the Burbank Airport on April 20, 2007. Everybody who was anybody came, many from afar. Right: Phil helped John Fitch celebrate his 90th birthday at Art Evans’ home in Redondo Beach on August 4, 2007. From left to right: Bob Bondurant, Fitch, Hill and Dick Guldstrand. Bottom row left: Art Evans took this portrait of Phil at Phil’s home in Santa Monica on June 6, 1993. Bottom right: Art took this photograph of Phil and his Pebble Beach Concours winning Pierce Arrow in front of the Hill home in Santa Monica in 1982. A large crowd gathered at the Quail Lodge on Friday, August 15, 2008. Among the celebrities present were Susie Moss, John Fitch and Sir Stirling Moss. Hosted by Sir Michael Kadori and his college classmate, Mathias Doutrellean, the event—dubbed the “Quail Gathering”—has become a not-to-be-missed tradition during the Monterey Historics week. Great food, great cars and great people! Another tradition during the Historics is the Friday Fabulous Fifties cocktail party at the Martine Inn hosted by Don Martine. It’s a unique chance for old pals, some now scattered all over the world to renew friendships. Among those there this year were John Fitch and Jim (Parky) Parkinson.

David Bracken (September 20, 1914 – August 2, 2008)