Phil Hill R.I.P. (1927 -2008) | FerrariChat

Phil Hill R.I.P. (1927 -2008)

Discussion in 'Other Racing' started by ferrarip4, Aug 28, 2008.

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  1. ferrarip4

    ferrarip4 Formula 3

    May 8, 2008
    1,208
    Sydney, Australia
    Full Name:
    Chanh Lê Huy
    #1 ferrarip4, Aug 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Phil Hill died an hour ago.

    He will be missed by the racing community.

    (I removed the Obituary at the resquest of Denise McCluggage, it will be on Autoweek)

    The photo is Phil in Venezuela in 1957, driving a Ferrari 335S
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  2. CornersWell

    CornersWell F1 Rookie

    Nov 24, 2004
    4,874
    A big loss for the community.

    CW
     
  3. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Apr 3, 2001
    11,237
    Austin, TX
    Full Name:
    Randy
  4. Ferri

    Ferri Formula Junior

    Dec 26, 2004
    842
    The Netherlands
    Full Name:
    Hugo Garritsen
    Very sad to hear this.

    R.I.P. Mr. Phil Hill
     
  5. toddjw73

    toddjw73 F1 Rookie

    Feb 5, 2004
    3,506
    Nor-Cal
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    Todd Westbrook
  6. velocedog

    velocedog Karting

    Jun 6, 2007
    119
    Michigan
    Full Name:
    Jack
    Breaks my heart. My condolences to his family.
     
  7. jk0001

    jk0001 F1 Veteran

    Oct 18, 2005
    6,706
    Sun Coast
    Full Name:
    Jim
  8. URY914

    URY914 Formula Junior

    Feb 17, 2004
    608
    Temple Terrace FL
    Full Name:
    Paul
    Sad news.
     
  9. James_Woods

    James_Woods F1 World Champ

    May 17, 2006
    12,755
    Dallas, Tx.
    Full Name:
    James K. Woods
    Many years ago, when I was only about 11 or so, we had a subscription to National Geographic. It had a major picture article about Monte Carlo.

    One of the topics was the famous Grand Prix.

    The picture they showed was the perfect red Shark-Nose Ferrari with Hill sitting in the cockpit, ready for the start.

    I think it was the very first good color Ferrari picture I ever saw, and certainly the very first picture of a real Formula One race.

    It was also the first time I had heard of American champion Phil Hill, who I followed with interest from then on.
     
  10. ross

    ross Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Mar 25, 2002
    36,210
    houston/geneva
    Full Name:
    Ross
    thats really too bad. i will miss his articles in road and track. he was a great man.
     
  11. fatbillybob

    fatbillybob Two Time F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner

    Aug 10, 2002
    26,292
    socal
    As a racer myself one thing that sticks in my mind is how Phil Hill raced in an era where good drivers died from racing mistakes all the time. He was so good that he retired with an amazing set of wins and passed away of old age. Today racers can take chances and do take chances. They crash and rarely die, learn from their mistakes and race again. Phil Hill's generation of drivers never had that luxury which makes his accomplishments all the more amazing.
     
  12. RP

    RP F1 World Champ

    Feb 9, 2005
    17,667
    Bocahuahua, Florxico
    Full Name:
    Tone Def
    A class act and a gentleman, always respectful of those around him. Something some of the current F1 drivers lack and should definetely emulate.
     
  13. rmk

    rmk Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2002
    2,409
    Wow.... Not sure what to say....

    Rest in Peace Phil
     
  14. Jeff Kennedy

    Jeff Kennedy F1 Veteran
    Owner Silver Subscribed

    Oct 16, 2007
    6,546
    Edwardsville, IL
    Full Name:
    Jeff Kennedy
    I am very saddened to hear of his passing. Some personal remebrences:

    Last saw and talked with Phil at the Seattle historic races in 2000. As always a very pleasant person. Someone who had stayed overnight during the event had talked of how during the prior evening's dinner Phil had taken one of the event sponsor Mercedes street cars and made a seriously fast lap.

    First met Phil during the Road & Track testing of Harley Cluxton's 312B3 at Riverside Raceway. This became a cover article for Road & Track in about 1977. It was very enjoyable time especially when Phil and Henry Manney would reminisce.

    That led to meeting with Phil to view his collection of cars and his restoration shop: Hill & Vaughn in Santa Monica. We met at Phil's house and then proceeded to go to his shop in his 1912 (or so) Model 30 Packard. This car had been listed by Automobile Quarterly as being one of the 10 or 20 finest Packards in the country. Phil is driving without using the clutch and is sometimes using the exhaust cut-out. For those that may not be aware during that time period Hill & Vaughn was considered the finest restoration shop for Packards in the western US; both Phil and his partner had individually won best of show at Pebble Beach with their classic cars.

    Later ran into Phil at one of the Laguna Seca historic events. We talked about his Twin Six Packard that he still had. It had been his grandmother's and was the car that he was driven home in following his birth. Car had never left the family. He had originally intended to restore it but admitted it was hard to work on a restoration as a hobby after spending all day dealing with restorations as a business. Then the market changed and made original unrestored cars highly valuable.

    Jeff
     
  15. 355

    355 F1 Rookie
    BANNED

    Jan 4, 2005
    3,643
    Toronto
    Full Name:
    Frank
    RIP. I hope he is racing Senna when I get there.
     
  16. 308 GTB

    308 GTB F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Feb 7, 2002
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    Barry Wolinsky
  17. TeamF1Jr

    TeamF1Jr Formula 3
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 8, 2003
    2,381
    He lived the dream many of us share being Americans. Driving for Ferrari and winning the title for them.

    R.I.P.
     
  18. Crawler

    Crawler F1 Veteran

    Jul 2, 2006
    5,018
    #19 Crawler, Aug 28, 2008
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2008
  19. wfo900

    wfo900 Formula Junior

    Aug 19, 2003
    530
    Annapolis
    Full Name:
    Rich C
    I was 11 years old when I met Phil Hill. I didn't meet him meet him; I met him on the pages of Road and Track in the magazine section of the Montrose Grocery Store at 7th grade lunch time. I squandered my lunch money on R&T that day instead of Hot Rod or Kart. Phill won the Belgian Grand Prix and Le Mans that year - a few weeks apart- and I read all about this intense young California guy in his sharknose Ferrari beating all the world. I soon followed everything he did. I subscribed to the old NY Herald Tribune. My teachers thought it was because I was intelligent and that I wanted a good grade in Mr. Goldstein's Social Studies class. BS. The Trib carried the results of the European races every Monday morning, something no other US paper did then. I then discovered there was a lot more to Phil Hill because he wote a Salon Article about one of his old cars, an old Alfa, in R/T. He had me then. He continued on and won the F1 championship, raced GT40s and Coopers and Chapparals but more importantly he continued to write about cars in a clear and interesting manner sharing his knowledge and love with the rest of us. His articles and those by Peter Egan about him going back to test Ferraris for R/T or driving them at LeMans are classics. I have a Book he wrote A Champions View about the Ferraris he raced and some he did not. When I heard the news I opened the book to his autograph -that's the closest I ever got to meeting him. But I got a huge gift from him just the same. When I became a Professional racer in the early seventies I read something he said about some of his fellow GP racers - That "they let themselves get killed." That's not something anybody talked about back then because so many people did get killed. But it shows how he almost never got in a crash - the only one I remember was in The Targa Florio when his throttle stuck on his 246 because one of the mechanics or someone threw a St Christophers medal in the car to keep him from getting hurt and it jammed the pedal! He thought about everything even when you are getting into an agricultural moment. That saved his life and I think it helped me too. I doubt that Kimi or Felipe or Lewis are going to contribute to Motorsports in the profound way that he did. He was a true CHAMPION
     
  20. ferraripete

    ferraripete F1 World Champ

    one of the last of the breed. the gentleman gladiators that fought in racing when it was a true blood sport...we may never see racers cut of this cloth ever again. r.i.p.

    pcb
     
  21. AustinMartin

    AustinMartin F1 Veteran

    Mar 1, 2008
    5,445
    Los Angeles/Idaho
    Really sad. His family will be in my prayers.
     
  22. ferrarip4

    ferrarip4 Formula 3

    May 8, 2008
    1,208
    Sydney, Australia
    Full Name:
    Chanh Lê Huy
    In my eyes, one of the best American racers ever. But what distinguished him was his modesty and his integrity.

    ONE OF THE LAST TRUE GENTLEMEN OF THE SPORT.

    He will be missed.
     
  23. SWB

    SWB Formula Junior

    Nov 12, 2006
    964
    Toronto & Ottawa
    Full Name:
    Seth
    #24 SWB, Aug 28, 2008
    Last edited: Aug 28, 2008
    I can't believe Phil Hill is no longer amongst us. I recall reading about this racing legend of a gentleman in Sports Car International and R&T as a teenager. Admiring the great man through the photographs of Klemantaski and others. The motor racing world has lost a treasured ambassador of the sport today. Godspeed champion.
     
  24. Lemke

    Lemke F1 Rookie

    Oct 27, 2004
    4,644
    Vancouver, WA
    Full Name:
    Daniel
    Very sad news. RIP
     

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