Description
Author: Phil Hill, ISBN: 9781935007074, Hard Cover Book, Published in 2010, 191 pages.
Though he’s best remembered as the first American Formula One champion and a three-time Le Mans winner, Phil Hill (1927-2008) also enjoyed a long career as an automotive writer. Hill was a regular contributor to Road & Track magazine, writing vivid, first-person accounts of his experiences driving everything from the earliest horseless carriages to the most modern road and race cars. Phil Hill: A Driving Life gathers the best of these stories, each of them accompanied by dazzling photographs from Hill’s friend and colleague John Lamm.
The book starts with the very first car, a three-wheeler built by Karl Benz in 1886. From there it’s on to a classic Packard touring car from 1915, the first-ever MG, the revolutionary rear-engined Auto-Union D-Type, and many others. Several chapters find Hill reunited with cars that played a significant role in his racing career. From the 1950s there’s the Jaguar XK120 that gave him an early win at Pebble Beach in 1950 and the Maserati 250F that he drove in his first Grand Prix at Reims in 1958. A decade later there are the Ford GT40s he helped develop, 1963’s ill-fated ATS 100 Grand Prix car, and the unique, high-winged Chaparral 2F that yielded his last professional victory at Brands Hatch in 1967. And there are also Phil’s recollections of other great drivers he drove with and against, including Juan Manuel Fangio, Stirling Moss, Olivier Gendebien, and Dan Gurney.
Whether he’s writing about a rare vintage race car, a hard-fought victory, or an old friend, Phil’s essential qualities of intelligence, curiosity, and integrity always come through. Phil Hill: A Driving Life provides a unique perspective on automotive history from a true champion.
The Table of Contents below lists the cars and drivers featured in the book.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. 1886 Benz Replica: How It All Began
3. 1915 Packard 5-48: A Decidedly Cross Country Model
4. 1925 MG: Keeping the Faith with Old No. 1
5. 1931 Bugatti Type 51: Style and Substance
6. 1938 Mercedes-Benz W154: Engine Vs. Chassis
7. 1938 Auto Union D-Type Grand Prix Car: Mastering the Myth
8. 1939 Maserati 8CTF: An Italian-Made Indy Winner
9. 1949 Jaguar XK120: Pebble Beach Beginnings
10. 1951 Alfa Romeo Type 159 Alfetta/1981 Alfa Romeo 179 Grand Prix Car: Three Decades, Two Champions
11. Juan Manuel Fangio: Goodbye to The Old Man Goodbye to The Great One
12. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR: Testing the Total System
13. 1958 Maserati 250F: Reunion at Reims
14. Stirling Moss: Commitment and Grace
15. 1958 Scarab: Hot Rod Reformation
16. 1959 Cooper-Climax and 1960 Lotus 18: Rear-Engine Revolutionaries
17. 1960 Porsche RS60/1960 Ferrari Dino: Beyond Big Iron
18. 1963 ATS Grand Prix Car: The Best Laid Plans . . .
19. 1968-1969 Ford GT40s: Endurance Incarnate
20. Jim Hall: Midland’s Man of Mystery
21. 1966 Chaparral 2E: Winging It
22. 1967 Chaparral 2F: Swan Song at Brands Hatch
23. Olivier Gendebien: The Ultimate Gentleman Driver
24. 2000 NASCAR Chevrolet Monte Carlo: A Late Start in Stock Cars
25. Drivers Who Didn’t Make It: Remembering Friends and Teammates
26. Dan Gurney: America’s World Driving Hero
