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1
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Carroll
Shelby now in the lead,
2
00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:11,450
car number 98.
3
00:00:11,490 --> 00:00:13,160
The Premier Maserati burning up
the course
4
00:00:13,190 --> 00:00:14,760
Johnny von Neumann in second
place
5
00:00:14,790 --> 00:00:17,530
and Richie gets a turn over 190.
6
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:19,130
The 3.5 Ferrari in third.
7
00:00:19,160 --> 00:00:22,300
Old times, watch
56 for obstruction.
8
00:00:22,330 --> 00:00:23,470
Watch 56.
9
00:00:23,500 --> 00:00:25,700
It's 1190, spun
out right behind the bales,
10
00:00:25,730 --> 00:00:28,540
I couldn't see the number on the
car.
11
00:00:28,570 --> 00:00:30,740
Moving, moving, very,
very fast.
12
00:00:30,770 --> 00:00:33,140
Johnny von Neumann right
behind Carroll Shelby.
13
00:00:33,180 --> 00:00:37,380
- Pebble Beach was
almost like a storybook.
14
00:00:37,410 --> 00:00:39,350
Beautiful scenery.
15
00:00:39,380 --> 00:00:40,880
Just the smell of all those
trees
16
00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:44,190
and everything so pure it seems
like.
17
00:00:45,890 --> 00:00:50,390
I think that's what I
remember, Pebble Beach.
18
00:00:50,430 --> 00:00:52,630
- Pebble Beach was always a race
track
19
00:00:52,660 --> 00:00:54,630
we always look forward to
because
20
00:00:54,660 --> 00:00:58,670
it was rather prestigious
and a wonderful venue.
21
00:01:01,300 --> 00:01:02,700
- There was no question that the
king
22
00:01:02,740 --> 00:01:04,740
of the racetracks in Northern
California
23
00:01:04,770 --> 00:01:06,580
was Pebble Beach.
24
00:01:06,610 --> 00:01:08,440
- We've got the fire
truck on an escape road
25
00:01:08,480 --> 00:01:09,510
at six.
26
00:01:09,540 --> 00:01:10,910
Keep him there and
tell him to stay there.
27
00:01:10,950 --> 00:01:11,980
Okay.
28
00:01:12,010 --> 00:01:13,850
Keep him there
and tell him to stay there
29
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:15,480
at turn six, hold him there.
30
00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:16,920
Oh, somebody
lost a wheel on six.
31
00:01:16,950 --> 00:01:17,890
Is he alright?
32
00:01:17,920 --> 00:01:19,620
Did he flip?
No, he didn't flip.
33
00:01:19,650 --> 00:01:21,460
Good.
34
00:01:21,490 --> 00:01:25,190
Pebble beach has
grown to be world renowned,
35
00:01:25,230 --> 00:01:28,330
but in the beginning, it was a
glorious,
36
00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,700
beautiful place to go racing.
37
00:01:32,470 --> 00:01:34,200
- Anybody associated with a
sports car
38
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,170
would have been at Pebble Beach.
39
00:02:06,970 --> 00:02:08,900
- The smells at Pebble Beach.
40
00:02:08,940 --> 00:02:10,770
The smell, the feel.
41
00:02:10,810 --> 00:02:12,610
Even the rain time was
beautiful.
42
00:02:12,640 --> 00:02:15,240
And driving around, it's
still kind of like that now.
43
00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,950
But back then it was stunning,
44
00:02:17,980 --> 00:02:22,180
it was a world apart from
the rest of the world.
45
00:02:28,790 --> 00:02:32,960
- The crowd was pretty huge
all the way around the track.
46
00:02:32,990 --> 00:02:35,800
Probably three or four
deep, maybe 10 deep.
47
00:02:35,830 --> 00:02:38,730
Along the snow fencing that
would keep
48
00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:40,900
the cars out of the crowd.
49
00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,770
- I mean, people were crossing
the track
50
00:02:44,810 --> 00:02:46,680
while it was going on.
51
00:02:47,780 --> 00:02:50,650
- Pebble Beach course was
surrounded by
52
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,350
what they call soft pine trees.
53
00:02:54,920 --> 00:02:57,790
And I can assure you
that the only soft part
54
00:02:57,820 --> 00:03:01,960
is the first quarter
of an inch of the tree.
55
00:03:01,990 --> 00:03:04,560
After that it gets really hard.
56
00:03:04,590 --> 00:03:06,900
- The very wealthy folks were
there,
57
00:03:06,930 --> 00:03:09,460
even without the racing.
58
00:03:09,500 --> 00:03:13,600
But they came out for the
races in their beautiful cars.
59
00:03:13,640 --> 00:03:15,440
- I thought there was
a lot of people there
60
00:03:15,470 --> 00:03:17,940
and of course, you could
walk around in the course
61
00:03:17,970 --> 00:03:20,380
and get near the racetrack
and see the action
62
00:03:20,410 --> 00:03:22,580
and that's the kind of thing we
did.
63
00:03:22,610 --> 00:03:25,880
- Any young kid that had a part
time job
64
00:03:25,910 --> 00:03:28,620
could buy himself a used car,
65
00:03:28,650 --> 00:03:30,650
fix it up and go racing.
66
00:03:32,650 --> 00:03:34,660
- When you think about
the fact the first race
67
00:03:34,690 --> 00:03:38,330
was 1950 and how that event,
Pebble Beach,
68
00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:40,930
evolved over the next six, seven
years
69
00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,900
and how it gained national
publicity
70
00:03:43,930 --> 00:03:46,740
and in some cases,
international publicity.
71
00:03:46,770 --> 00:03:48,500
It meant so much to the sport
72
00:03:48,540 --> 00:03:50,310
in terms of expanding the
awareness
73
00:03:50,340 --> 00:03:51,710
of sport cars racing.
74
00:03:51,740 --> 00:03:55,980
It really was the foundation
of sports car racing
75
00:03:56,010 --> 00:03:57,780
in the West Coast because it
persisted,
76
00:03:57,810 --> 00:04:00,480
then it led to a point where
77
00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:03,390
it was recognized around the
world.
78
00:04:03,420 --> 00:04:05,620
- My neighbor had an XK120
79
00:04:05,650 --> 00:04:07,420
and he walked over the
house one day, apartment,
80
00:04:07,460 --> 00:04:09,890
and he said, "You want to go to
the races
81
00:04:09,920 --> 00:04:10,990
"out at Pebble Beach?"
82
00:04:11,030 --> 00:04:12,490
I said, what's that?
83
00:04:26,980 --> 00:04:30,610
- Before World War Two, there
was very little road racing
84
00:04:30,650 --> 00:04:34,650
in the U.S., most of it
was on circuits, tracks,
85
00:04:35,780 --> 00:04:38,120
and the big race, of
course, was Indianapolis.
86
00:04:38,150 --> 00:04:40,790
After the war, some of the
soldiers
87
00:04:40,820 --> 00:04:43,760
who had been in England, found
MGs.
88
00:04:44,960 --> 00:04:48,760
The MG had come out with
a new car called the MGTC
89
00:04:48,800 --> 00:04:51,400
and some of the guys were able
90
00:04:52,870 --> 00:04:54,700
to bring them over.
91
00:04:54,740 --> 00:04:57,510
They were very different
from American cars,
92
00:04:57,540 --> 00:05:01,440
which were big and kind
of clunky in those days.
93
00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:03,980
Road racing in the United States
started
94
00:05:04,010 --> 00:05:06,010
in 1947 at Watkins Glen.
95
00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:11,420
They had pretty much
yearly races after that.
96
00:05:11,450 --> 00:05:14,660
1954 was the last time and they
built
97
00:05:14,690 --> 00:05:16,890
a Watkins Glen race course,
98
00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:20,560
which is still one of the major
99
00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,600
road racing courses in the U.S.
now.
100
00:05:30,870 --> 00:05:32,970
- There was a young man by
the name of Sterling Edwards
101
00:05:33,010 --> 00:05:35,680
living in Beverly Hills, who
was a very accomplished pilot,
102
00:05:35,710 --> 00:05:38,410
which put him under the
immediate wing
103
00:05:38,450 --> 00:05:41,950
of General Curtis Lemay in the
Pentagon.
104
00:05:41,980 --> 00:05:44,620
And in the three and four
ensuing years,
105
00:05:44,650 --> 00:05:46,860
they became so close and they
found out
106
00:05:46,890 --> 00:05:49,020
they had cars in common.
107
00:05:49,060 --> 00:05:52,660
When the war was over,
everyone went their own way.
108
00:05:52,690 --> 00:05:55,700
At the same time '45 or '46,
half a dozen
109
00:05:55,730 --> 00:05:58,530
young men in Boston thinking
they wanted
110
00:05:58,570 --> 00:06:02,840
to formulate a body with
which they could enjoy
111
00:06:02,870 --> 00:06:04,970
and preserve sports cars.
112
00:06:05,010 --> 00:06:07,640
When they finally got
themselves a legal entity,
113
00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,580
the Sports Car Club of America.
114
00:06:10,610 --> 00:06:13,820
- Now that they had a real
core group of Road Racers,
115
00:06:13,850 --> 00:06:15,980
that wanted to see this not only
continue,
116
00:06:16,020 --> 00:06:18,490
but grow, they were constantly
searching
117
00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,020
for more venues.
118
00:06:20,050 --> 00:06:22,990
- Curtis Lemay went to
his peers at the Pentagon
119
00:06:23,020 --> 00:06:25,860
and convinced them, they could
withstand
120
00:06:25,890 --> 00:06:29,460
the probable liability
of running race cars
121
00:06:29,500 --> 00:06:31,500
on a government airport.
122
00:06:32,730 --> 00:06:36,470
- In the area, there was an
abandoned Naval air field
123
00:06:36,510 --> 00:06:39,070
north of San Francisco called
Cotati.
124
00:06:39,110 --> 00:06:40,640
It was still abandoned, it had
been used
125
00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,580
by midnight drag racers and kids
out there
126
00:06:43,610 --> 00:06:44,810
just having fun.
127
00:06:44,850 --> 00:06:47,080
And the FCCA took it over and it
became
128
00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:50,120
kind of their defacto home
because they had control of it.
129
00:06:50,150 --> 00:06:53,150
- General LeMay was a real
character,
130
00:06:53,190 --> 00:06:54,460
he had a car.
131
00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,760
He set it up so we could
race on basis.
132
00:06:59,790 --> 00:07:04,530
- Cotati is typical of
airports, flat, featureless,
133
00:07:04,570 --> 00:07:06,540
not a real hospitable place,
134
00:07:06,570 --> 00:07:08,070
very few creature comforts.
135
00:07:08,100 --> 00:07:10,840
- It was very casual, people
would put together a race
136
00:07:10,870 --> 00:07:13,980
and we'd all go paint
the numbers on our car,
137
00:07:14,010 --> 00:07:16,580
do the race and take
them off and drive home.
138
00:07:16,610 --> 00:07:19,610
- I think it was the attraction
was first
139
00:07:19,650 --> 00:07:21,150
to race the cars anyway they
could
140
00:07:21,180 --> 00:07:23,790
and obviously the attraction
for people to watch
141
00:07:23,820 --> 00:07:28,260
these up and coming drivers
as they were at the time.
142
00:07:28,290 --> 00:07:30,860
- Just imagine trying to race
143
00:07:30,890 --> 00:07:34,100
through Golden Gate Park now
by going to San Francisco
144
00:07:34,130 --> 00:07:38,000
and saying, hey, we'd like
to have this place closed
145
00:07:38,030 --> 00:07:40,100
for three days and we're gonna
bring
146
00:07:40,130 --> 00:07:43,740
100,000 people in and
have probably 300 cars
147
00:07:43,770 --> 00:07:47,110
and I don't think anybody will
get killed.
148
00:07:47,140 --> 00:07:49,310
It was just because Curtis LeMay
149
00:07:49,340 --> 00:07:51,310
had gotten his nose in the tent
150
00:07:51,350 --> 00:07:55,050
that it sort of saved all their
concerns.
151
00:07:55,080 --> 00:07:58,990
- The people who had been
to races on the East Coast
152
00:07:59,020 --> 00:08:00,760
said no, Road Races,
153
00:08:03,060 --> 00:08:06,660
had roads go through all kinds
of terrain.
154
00:08:08,060 --> 00:08:10,670
- Sterling Edwards was
very sensitive to the fact
155
00:08:10,700 --> 00:08:13,900
that we needed to find a place
to race.
156
00:08:17,370 --> 00:08:20,680
- Sterling was a good friend of
mine
157
00:08:20,710 --> 00:08:22,240
and also the family.
158
00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:27,220
- Sterling Edwards was a
classmate of Jack Morse,
159
00:08:27,250 --> 00:08:30,790
the owners of Del Monte Forest
in college.
160
00:08:30,820 --> 00:08:33,660
Jack Morse had ideas of building
homes
161
00:08:33,690 --> 00:08:36,120
in the Del Monte Forest,
so this was a natural way
162
00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:39,730
to promote potential
construction of new homes.
163
00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,160
- My brother, John
Morse, he liked the idea.
164
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,870
My father did not like the idea
165
00:08:46,770 --> 00:08:49,640
because he thought
someone would get killed,
166
00:08:49,670 --> 00:08:51,140
which of course, they did.
167
00:08:51,170 --> 00:08:54,010
Dear Mr. Pfund,
it is a pleasure to give you
168
00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:55,840
all the information we have to
date
169
00:08:55,880 --> 00:08:58,010
on the proposed Road Race at
Pebble Beach,
170
00:08:58,050 --> 00:09:00,050
Del Monte Properties,
California.
171
00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,150
This should easily be a
national event one day.
172
00:09:03,180 --> 00:09:05,120
Hoping this letter gives
you enough information
173
00:09:05,150 --> 00:09:07,360
regarding our current
West Coast activities,
174
00:09:07,390 --> 00:09:10,860
I remain sincerely, Sterling
Edwards.
175
00:09:10,890 --> 00:09:13,130
February 10, 1950.
176
00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:14,800
- So they continued to look to
venues
177
00:09:14,830 --> 00:09:18,770
that they could rely on from
year to year.
178
00:09:18,800 --> 00:09:20,700
One of the key movers behind
this
179
00:09:20,740 --> 00:09:21,800
was Kjell Qvale.
180
00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:24,670
Kjell, being the MG importer,
181
00:09:24,710 --> 00:09:29,080
was the primary source
for race cars of that era,
182
00:09:29,110 --> 00:09:33,380
pre 1950 and the MG Car
Club of Northern California
183
00:09:33,410 --> 00:09:36,280
was the main vehicle in which
events
184
00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,220
were organized and promoted.
185
00:09:39,250 --> 00:09:43,060
- Kjell was more a race
organizer in those days.
186
00:09:43,090 --> 00:09:45,760
He'd gone to Watkins Glen
earlier
187
00:09:45,790 --> 00:09:49,300
and saw how the FCCA could
put on a weekend event.
188
00:09:49,330 --> 00:09:53,000
He needed some organization,
the California one.
189
00:09:53,030 --> 00:09:56,340
So Kjell organized the event
with the help of my mom
190
00:09:56,370 --> 00:09:59,940
and mom was sort of the
Owner's Club representative
191
00:09:59,970 --> 00:10:04,110
for our import company and
Kjell put on the races.
192
00:10:04,150 --> 00:10:07,220
- Kjell Qvale who was so active
193
00:10:07,250 --> 00:10:09,850
in Northern California region,
194
00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:14,290
a terrific guy and great
organizational skills.
195
00:10:14,320 --> 00:10:17,030
- Sterling Edwards and
Bill Breeze were customers
196
00:10:17,060 --> 00:10:20,430
of my dad and they bought
MGs and they were part
197
00:10:20,460 --> 00:10:22,930
of the MG Owner's Club and
they knew the Morse family
198
00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,970
down in Pebble Beach
and could go down there
199
00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,840
and try a 17 mile drive on for
size.
200
00:10:29,870 --> 00:10:32,210
- I remember dad telling me a
story
201
00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:34,780
of how he went down and
met with Bill Breeze
202
00:10:34,810 --> 00:10:37,010
and over lunch on a napkin,
203
00:10:38,810 --> 00:10:40,280
drew out the layout
204
00:10:40,310 --> 00:10:42,480
four the course and after lunch,
205
00:10:42,520 --> 00:10:45,890
they hopped in a car and they
went out
206
00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,160
and drove the course
and that was going to be
207
00:10:49,190 --> 00:10:51,130
the first Pebble Beach Road
Race.
208
00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:53,160
- First they were going
to use 17-mile drive
209
00:10:53,190 --> 00:10:55,160
and their various configurations
210
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:56,930
and finally they settled on the
course,
211
00:10:56,970 --> 00:10:58,970
which revolves around the Polo
Grounds.
212
00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:01,070
- And designed the
course, I think that was
213
00:11:01,100 --> 00:11:03,740
in the Spring of 1950.
214
00:11:03,770 --> 00:11:06,910
- So in 1950, the first race was
held.
215
00:11:08,010 --> 00:11:10,110
- This was a prestigious event,
216
00:11:10,140 --> 00:11:12,480
you wanted to go there
and you wanted to win.
217
00:11:20,250 --> 00:11:21,990
- It was all out racing.
218
00:11:22,020 --> 00:11:24,060
We truly enjoyed it.
219
00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:36,040
- I just think there's
something very special
220
00:11:36,070 --> 00:11:38,140
about the area around Pebble
Beach.
221
00:11:38,170 --> 00:11:40,940
The mystique of the trees and
forest.
222
00:11:40,980 --> 00:11:44,380
There's a more elevated sense
than to be,
223
00:11:44,410 --> 00:11:47,950
baking out in the sun on some
airport circuit somewhere.
224
00:11:57,090 --> 00:11:59,260
- In the beginning, you see the
lineups,
225
00:11:59,290 --> 00:12:02,400
there were a lot of MGs, some
Jaguars,
226
00:12:02,430 --> 00:12:06,370
Allards, the Allards were
tremendously powerful,
227
00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:07,970
the MGs weren't.
228
00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,070
The Jaguars were somewhere in
between
229
00:12:10,100 --> 00:12:13,310
and they could manage the course
230
00:12:13,340 --> 00:12:15,310
with competent driving.
231
00:12:15,340 --> 00:12:17,010
- The reason that there were so
many MGs
232
00:12:17,050 --> 00:12:19,310
at the first few Pebble
Beach Road Races is,
233
00:12:19,350 --> 00:12:21,420
basically they were sports cars
234
00:12:21,450 --> 00:12:23,320
that were adaptable to be raced,
235
00:12:23,350 --> 00:12:25,350
but they were also fairly low
priced.
236
00:12:25,390 --> 00:12:29,360
I think they had
maybe 50 or 60 entries.
237
00:12:29,390 --> 00:12:31,990
They had a good crowd.
238
00:12:32,030 --> 00:12:33,460
I think they surprised
themselves.
239
00:12:33,490 --> 00:12:36,430
- Some of the names of race
drivers
240
00:12:37,500 --> 00:12:39,530
who went on to become quite
famous
241
00:12:39,570 --> 00:12:41,470
that participated at Pebble
Beach,
242
00:12:41,500 --> 00:12:44,110
are household names for most any
race fan
243
00:12:44,140 --> 00:12:45,510
and beyond that.
244
00:12:45,540 --> 00:12:47,880
The first one that comes
to mind is Phil Hill.
245
00:12:47,910 --> 00:12:50,280
Phil Hill was the winner
of the very first race
246
00:12:50,310 --> 00:12:53,550
at Pebble Beach and a Jaguar
that
247
00:12:53,580 --> 00:12:55,950
he had brought back from
England.
248
00:12:55,980 --> 00:12:59,150
- The XK120 was just the
sleekest, newest,
249
00:12:59,190 --> 00:13:02,220
most modern sports car of the
day.
250
00:13:02,260 --> 00:13:04,160
There were some others
around, but this was
251
00:13:04,190 --> 00:13:08,100
the new, lightweight foreign
sports car.
252
00:13:13,630 --> 00:13:15,500
My dad went up to Pebble Beach
having done
253
00:13:15,540 --> 00:13:18,340
all sorts of modifications with
his friend, Richie Ginther.
254
00:13:18,370 --> 00:13:20,640
They were both very skilled in
mechanics,
255
00:13:20,670 --> 00:13:23,210
but the problem was the
engine wouldn't start,
256
00:13:23,240 --> 00:13:24,980
so he had to push start the car.
257
00:13:25,010 --> 00:13:28,520
And he just tore off, just
going through the gears,
258
00:13:28,550 --> 00:13:29,980
tearing through the field
259
00:13:30,020 --> 00:13:32,120
and about halfway through the
race,
260
00:13:32,150 --> 00:13:34,960
he had actually done a
great job working his way
261
00:13:34,990 --> 00:13:37,890
through the field and Richie
Ginther puts out a sign
262
00:13:37,930 --> 00:13:41,660
as he's going by the pits
and says, "Long lead."
263
00:13:41,700 --> 00:13:45,300
Well my dad, being the bundle of
nerves
264
00:13:45,330 --> 00:13:49,670
and anxiety and thinking he's
probably still in last place,
265
00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:53,980
thinks that a guy named
Long is leading the race.
266
00:13:54,010 --> 00:13:55,480
Well, what Richie was telling
him is
267
00:13:55,510 --> 00:13:58,210
you have a long lead, you
can cool it, you know.
268
00:13:58,250 --> 00:14:00,150
- He could handle just
about any kind of car.
269
00:14:00,180 --> 00:14:03,380
And he would do well and
generally win.
270
00:14:05,150 --> 00:14:07,360
- We raced against each other
271
00:14:07,390 --> 00:14:09,560
and beat each other a many, many
times
272
00:14:09,590 --> 00:14:11,190
here in the states and in Europe
also.
273
00:14:11,230 --> 00:14:13,690
The thing I remember
most about the race is
274
00:14:13,730 --> 00:14:16,700
we were sitting in the
garage the night before
275
00:14:16,730 --> 00:14:20,570
and he says, "The ass end is
coming loose all the time."
276
00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:24,210
I says, well, maybe if
we put a little weight,
277
00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,170
add a little weight in the back
end.
278
00:14:26,210 --> 00:14:28,010
He and I took some coat hangers
279
00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,280
and put some weight in
the back end of the car
280
00:14:30,310 --> 00:14:32,310
and he had the race is over he
said,
281
00:14:32,350 --> 00:14:35,120
"It didn't help a damn thing,
did you know
282
00:14:35,150 --> 00:14:36,550
"it wouldn't help a damn thing?"
283
00:14:36,580 --> 00:14:38,950
We got to laughing about it
after that.
284
00:14:38,990 --> 00:14:42,160
That was a great race, that
was a great place to race
285
00:14:42,190 --> 00:14:44,730
and historically, we don't have
286
00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:46,590
those kind of places anymore.
287
00:14:46,630 --> 00:14:48,600
Phil was down there an artist
288
00:14:48,630 --> 00:14:51,730
and whatever he did, it was 100%
289
00:14:51,770 --> 00:14:55,100
and I savor the thoughts of him
every day
290
00:14:55,140 --> 00:14:58,740
that he was probably one of
the greatest endurance drivers
291
00:14:58,770 --> 00:15:02,410
who won Le Mans three times,
was second twice I think,
292
00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:06,280
and he was the greatest
of our era at Le Mans.
293
00:15:06,310 --> 00:15:09,580
- As we know now, Phil had an
expertise,
294
00:15:11,550 --> 00:15:13,490
had an uncommon ability
295
00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:15,620
to take a car
296
00:15:16,660 --> 00:15:19,230
and make it dance and talk.
297
00:15:19,260 --> 00:15:21,100
- You know, all in all, that
made
298
00:15:21,130 --> 00:15:25,070
for such a great win and a huge
weekend
299
00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:28,370
for the both of them, my dad and
Richie.
300
00:15:32,170 --> 00:15:33,710
Turn one
there's a dog on the course,
301
00:15:33,740 --> 00:15:35,240
on turn one.
302
00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:36,410
On turn one?
303
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,680
Between the
starting point and turn one.
304
00:15:38,710 --> 00:15:39,810
A big one or little one?
305
00:15:39,850 --> 00:15:42,250
It's a large
brown one, it's by a tree.
306
00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:44,490
Spectators are getting him.
307
00:15:46,390 --> 00:15:47,620
- While the '50s were the
beginning
308
00:15:47,660 --> 00:15:50,390
in sports car craze in this
country
309
00:15:50,420 --> 00:15:53,230
and around the world,
and back in the '50s,
310
00:15:53,260 --> 00:15:55,060
it was very informal.
311
00:15:55,100 --> 00:15:56,730
You grabbed what you
got and you went with it
312
00:15:56,760 --> 00:15:58,630
and there wasn't a lot
of money being spent
313
00:15:58,670 --> 00:16:00,570
like there is today.
314
00:16:00,600 --> 00:16:02,300
- Always wanted to be a race car
driver,
315
00:16:02,340 --> 00:16:03,670
but I didn't know how to do it,
you know.
316
00:16:03,700 --> 00:16:05,410
Who knows how to become a race
car driver
317
00:16:05,440 --> 00:16:07,510
when you're 17 or whatever.
318
00:16:07,540 --> 00:16:10,240
Met a guy along the way, Dave
Carter,
319
00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:14,080
who had his father had a parts
store
320
00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:16,480
and he and I teamed up,
321
00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:19,520
and we built a race car
together.
322
00:16:19,550 --> 00:16:21,790
- In those days, you know
you could just drive your car
323
00:16:21,820 --> 00:16:25,160
to the races, very few
people had trailers.
324
00:16:25,190 --> 00:16:27,400
When we'd go to the
races, there was usually
325
00:16:27,430 --> 00:16:29,800
oh anywhere from five to eight
guys
326
00:16:29,830 --> 00:16:31,830
and we'd pick up more guys along
the way
327
00:16:31,870 --> 00:16:35,800
and we'd rat race all
the way up to these races
328
00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,170
and it was pretty thrilling
because,
329
00:16:40,210 --> 00:16:43,280
you know, we were really
racing on public roads
330
00:16:43,310 --> 00:16:44,780
at that time.
331
00:16:44,810 --> 00:16:46,580
- In those days, you could build
a car
332
00:16:46,610 --> 00:16:47,850
and go out and compete before
333
00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:50,150
the factories got into it.
334
00:16:50,180 --> 00:16:54,090
A lot of them did,
Roger Barlow, Ken Miles.
335
00:16:54,120 --> 00:16:55,820
- It was kind of a glory days.
336
00:16:55,860 --> 00:16:58,430
It was the days, when
if you wanted to race,
337
00:16:58,460 --> 00:17:01,330
you could get an MG or a car
like an MG
338
00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,600
and by not spending a
lot of money, at least,
339
00:17:03,630 --> 00:17:06,670
get a car on the grid, have some
fun.
340
00:17:06,700 --> 00:17:08,240
There weren't a lot of
requirements
341
00:17:08,270 --> 00:17:10,440
as far as licensing or what not.
342
00:17:10,470 --> 00:17:12,740
If you wanted to race
and were in good health,
343
00:17:12,770 --> 00:17:13,910
you could race.
344
00:17:13,940 --> 00:17:17,510
- When you go really back
and quite a few generation,
345
00:17:17,550 --> 00:17:19,650
you know, 20 to 30 years ago,
346
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:22,720
cars it was pretty dangerous.
347
00:17:22,750 --> 00:17:24,720
In fact, I mean, one of
the main reasons I race
348
00:17:24,750 --> 00:17:26,420
was because it was dangerous.
349
00:17:26,450 --> 00:17:27,860
You know, when you're 17, 18
years old,
350
00:17:27,890 --> 00:17:30,560
you want to do something crazy.
351
00:17:35,330 --> 00:17:37,670
- So I think of Pebble Beach,
352
00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:40,900
I think of Bill Pollack.
353
00:17:40,930 --> 00:17:44,610
Bill Pollack had the best
winning races around there
354
00:17:44,640 --> 00:17:46,440
and I think for three or four
years
355
00:17:46,470 --> 00:17:48,440
he always won the race on Pebble
Beach.
356
00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:51,280
- My ride at Pebble Beach really
started
357
00:17:51,310 --> 00:17:52,380
at Hollywood.
358
00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:56,880
I was driving a TCMG at the time
359
00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:01,390
and I dropped in on a
friend of mine, Al Moss,
360
00:18:01,420 --> 00:18:03,560
and we were just talking and he
said,
361
00:18:03,590 --> 00:18:06,760
"By the way, there's a
guy up there in Tacoma
362
00:18:06,790 --> 00:18:09,560
"that just bought a new Allard
and looking for a driver."
363
00:18:09,600 --> 00:18:11,430
I said, really?
364
00:18:11,470 --> 00:18:12,730
So then I called Carstens.
365
00:18:12,770 --> 00:18:15,570
He says, "What kind of
experience have you had?"
366
00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,570
I said well, I said I won the
novice race at Palm Springs
367
00:18:18,610 --> 00:18:20,570
and I did this and said.
368
00:18:20,610 --> 00:18:24,180
He said, "Have you ever ride in
a Allard?"
369
00:18:24,210 --> 00:18:27,320
And I said, well, yeah, sort of,
okay.
370
00:18:27,350 --> 00:18:30,850
So there was the car, it
was absolutely beautiful
371
00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:34,290
and they said, "Well,
you want to take it out?"
372
00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,660
I said, well, yeah, I
think so, yeah, okay.
373
00:18:36,690 --> 00:18:40,830
And they said, "Well, she's
ready to go."
374
00:18:45,630 --> 00:18:47,770
- Well, this car is a fabulous
car.
375
00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:49,870
It's got a great racing
history and Pollack
376
00:18:49,900 --> 00:18:52,410
was a really good driver.
377
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:54,980
It's fun to drive, it's
very dangerous to drive
378
00:18:55,010 --> 00:18:57,550
because the rear end flips
out on you very fast.
379
00:18:57,580 --> 00:19:00,350
You go around a corner too
fast and don't handle it right
380
00:19:00,380 --> 00:19:02,480
and you find yourself going
the opposite direction.
381
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:04,490
But the sound is lovely.
382
00:19:04,520 --> 00:19:06,920
It's the noisiest sports car
I've ever heard in my life.
383
00:19:06,950 --> 00:19:07,890
It's got no mufflers.
384
00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,690
It's a straight exhaust a big
Cadillac V8,
385
00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:14,860
but it's a great car, fun to
drive, and a lot of noise.
386
00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:21,870
- My father had a very hot MGTC
387
00:19:23,940 --> 00:19:27,280
that was well know, number 88.
388
00:19:27,310 --> 00:19:29,580
Driven first by Bill Pollack
389
00:19:30,740 --> 00:19:33,550
and later on by Jack McAfee.
390
00:19:33,580 --> 00:19:35,580
And Bill went out on the course
391
00:19:35,620 --> 00:19:37,690
and did some great laps with it.
392
00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,620
Next time he came around the
pits,
393
00:19:39,650 --> 00:19:41,720
my father was standing way out,
394
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,260
almost into the track
and signaling to come in.
395
00:19:44,290 --> 00:19:46,590
So Bill came into the corner.
396
00:19:47,730 --> 00:19:50,030
Bill was thinking he told me
later,
397
00:19:50,060 --> 00:19:52,030
years later he says, "You
know I thought that was it,
398
00:19:52,070 --> 00:19:53,700
"I thought John Edward
was just gonna can me.
399
00:19:53,730 --> 00:19:57,970
"I done something wrong, he
didn't like the way I drove,
400
00:19:58,010 --> 00:20:01,780
"I was gonna be out of
the race altogether.
401
00:20:01,810 --> 00:20:03,880
"And when I stopped, he
came over to the car,
402
00:20:03,910 --> 00:20:05,980
"he didn't say a word, opened
the door,
403
00:20:06,010 --> 00:20:09,820
"the passenger side door, and
pulled out
404
00:20:09,850 --> 00:20:13,990
"from the door pocket, his
scotch whiskey,
405
00:20:14,020 --> 00:20:15,960
"that's what he wanted.
406
00:20:16,820 --> 00:20:20,960
"As soon as that was done, I
was off and more practice."
407
00:20:25,000 --> 00:20:27,000
- A name very well know, Carroll
Shelby
408
00:20:27,030 --> 00:20:29,600
was an early competitor
throughout the West Coast.
409
00:20:29,640 --> 00:20:31,910
He raced the first race and I
believe
410
00:20:31,940 --> 00:20:34,610
he was the first winner at Santa
Rosa,
411
00:20:34,640 --> 00:20:38,050
which was actually Cotati
Raceway in 1957.
412
00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:39,810
So he goes back a long way.
413
00:20:39,850 --> 00:20:41,580
Of course, Carroll Shelby is a
legend
414
00:20:41,620 --> 00:20:45,320
for his development work
on the Cobra, the GT40,
415
00:20:45,350 --> 00:20:48,560
the Sunbeam Tiger, a variety of
cars
416
00:20:48,590 --> 00:20:51,460
and then on to a car
manufacturer.
417
00:20:51,490 --> 00:20:53,590
- I was around him quite a bit
418
00:20:53,630 --> 00:20:57,470
as he was involved in racing
and I really enjoyed him.
419
00:20:57,500 --> 00:20:59,070
He was a great guy to be around
420
00:20:59,100 --> 00:21:02,570
and he was full of good ideas,
you know.
421
00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:06,540
He had a lot of ideas and
I was not surprised at all
422
00:21:06,570 --> 00:21:09,980
to see him end up putting
together that Cobra deal with
Ford
423
00:21:10,010 --> 00:21:14,380
and he just very capable of
doing those kind of things.
424
00:21:14,420 --> 00:21:16,820
- I think the best thing that
really explains Carrol Shelby
425
00:21:16,850 --> 00:21:19,990
is they didn't call him
Billy Sol for nothing.
426
00:21:20,020 --> 00:21:23,920
And if you knew any history
about American
427
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:25,360
Billy Sol Estes was one
428
00:21:25,390 --> 00:21:27,800
of the greatest Texas oil
scammers
429
00:21:27,830 --> 00:21:30,560
in the business and that was
Shelby.
430
00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:31,970
He was a fabulous salesman.
431
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,600
He could convince everybody in
management
432
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,040
that he had great ideas and he
collected
433
00:21:38,070 --> 00:21:40,410
the best people around him and
built
434
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,440
probably the best racing
team that we've ever had
435
00:21:43,480 --> 00:21:45,050
in America at that time.
436
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,520
- Won Le Mans, won the World
Sports Car Championship,
437
00:21:48,550 --> 00:21:49,420
a legend.
438
00:21:56,890 --> 00:21:59,990
- My father realized that with
the power
439
00:22:00,030 --> 00:22:02,730
that these guys were making,
in the old cad Allards,
440
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:04,830
some of these big American V8s,
441
00:22:04,870 --> 00:22:07,740
that the Jag simply wasn't
gonna be able to keep up.
442
00:22:07,770 --> 00:22:10,100
So he sold the Jag, the XK120
443
00:22:10,140 --> 00:22:14,940
and he bought an Alpha
Romeo 8C, a beautiful car,
444
00:22:14,980 --> 00:22:18,050
but he sold it so he
could go on to purchase
445
00:22:18,080 --> 00:22:20,650
his next race car,
which is when he started
446
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:22,480
getting into Ferrari.
447
00:22:23,820 --> 00:22:27,960
- Behind me is the 1953
Ferrari 250 MM Vignale Spyder.
448
00:22:28,990 --> 00:22:32,560
That probably is most associated
449
00:22:32,590 --> 00:22:33,990
with its original owner.
450
00:22:34,030 --> 00:22:37,900
It was purchased new by Phil
Hill in 1953
451
00:22:37,930 --> 00:22:42,200
and he drove it up to the
Pebble Beach Road Races
452
00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:45,440
that happened in April
that particular year.
453
00:22:45,470 --> 00:22:48,210
My understanding is that
he was qualified mid-grid
454
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:52,080
between some Cadillac
and a bunch of C types.
455
00:22:52,110 --> 00:22:55,680
But Phil being Phil and
the driver that he was,
456
00:22:55,720 --> 00:22:58,820
by about lap 24 of the race,
took the lead
457
00:22:58,850 --> 00:22:59,690
and he went on to win.
458
00:22:59,720 --> 00:23:02,120
This being his first win in a
Ferrari,
459
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,490
and I think it's because
of the drives in this race
460
00:23:05,530 --> 00:23:08,160
that he became aware
for the Ferrari factory
461
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:10,930
and he secure one of
his many factory drives,
462
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:13,770
which ultimately landed
him the full factory drive
463
00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:15,540
and he went on to become, you
know,
464
00:23:15,570 --> 00:23:19,710
the first American Formula One
drivers World Championship.
465
00:23:25,980 --> 00:23:30,150
- Well there wasn't any
official qualifying to say,
466
00:23:30,180 --> 00:23:33,950
people just ran there and they'd
stick you in line someplace
467
00:23:33,990 --> 00:23:36,790
where they felt you might be
competitive
468
00:23:36,820 --> 00:23:41,160
or more or less equal
with the surrounding cars.
469
00:23:41,190 --> 00:23:45,500
- I walked over to the
reception area was
470
00:23:45,530 --> 00:23:49,540
and we went in, we said,
we want to go in your race.
471
00:23:49,570 --> 00:23:52,640
They said, "Okay, where
are your licenses?"
472
00:23:52,670 --> 00:23:55,010
We'd never been to a race
before.
473
00:23:55,040 --> 00:23:56,640
"Okay, sign here!"
474
00:23:57,750 --> 00:23:59,750
- Our entry fee was $15.
475
00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:02,080
And the other thing too is that
476
00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:04,950
we could drive the car and look
like this.
477
00:24:04,990 --> 00:24:07,120
- Race cars all of a sudden
became cars
478
00:24:07,150 --> 00:24:08,860
you could drive on the streets.
479
00:24:08,890 --> 00:24:11,590
Virtually impossible to drive
today
480
00:24:11,630 --> 00:24:14,160
a race car on the street,
but also the '60s or '70s.
481
00:24:14,190 --> 00:24:16,860
Up to that point in
time, you could actually
482
00:24:16,900 --> 00:24:20,100
drive your car, put on a Randall
helmet
483
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,670
if you're advanced.
484
00:24:23,870 --> 00:24:25,570
Some guys, they never wear
helmets
485
00:24:25,610 --> 00:24:27,540
and you would go racing.
486
00:24:27,580 --> 00:24:29,840
- On the qualifying that day
487
00:24:30,740 --> 00:24:33,010
I got on to that back straight
488
00:24:33,050 --> 00:24:34,980
and there was a Morgan.
489
00:24:36,320 --> 00:24:37,650
And I think he was stopping
490
00:24:37,690 --> 00:24:39,220
to get sandwiches or something,
491
00:24:39,250 --> 00:24:42,020
but he was just puttering along,
you know.
492
00:24:42,060 --> 00:24:44,730
And when I came in, everybody's
looking
493
00:24:44,760 --> 00:24:47,730
at their stopwatches saying,
"What the hell happened?"
494
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,860
And I explained what happened.
495
00:24:49,900 --> 00:24:51,670
And they said, "Well, we're very
sorry
496
00:24:51,700 --> 00:24:54,700
"about Mr. Pollack's
misadventure,
497
00:24:54,740 --> 00:24:57,910
"but we have a whole lot of cars
498
00:24:57,940 --> 00:25:01,040
"that have to qualify and
he can if he wants to,
499
00:25:01,070 --> 00:25:03,910
"he can go out at the end of
qualifying."
500
00:25:03,940 --> 00:25:06,250
By now I'm really pissed off
too that I've got to wait
501
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:07,980
all afternoon and you know.
502
00:25:08,020 --> 00:25:11,790
So I went out and was
gonna do a flying lap
503
00:25:11,820 --> 00:25:14,760
and I came by the start and
finish.
504
00:25:15,860 --> 00:25:17,260
Absolutely flawed.
505
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:20,160
And just past the start and
finish
506
00:25:20,190 --> 00:25:22,630
is just this little bit of a
bend
507
00:25:22,660 --> 00:25:24,630
and when I got into it, I
realized
508
00:25:24,670 --> 00:25:27,640
that I was going just
about 10 miles an hour
509
00:25:27,670 --> 00:25:28,340
too fast.
510
00:25:30,040 --> 00:25:31,370
I'm feathering the brakes
511
00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:32,440
and doing this and doing that
512
00:25:32,470 --> 00:25:36,080
and it's just no way, I'm
not gonna make the turn.
513
00:25:36,110 --> 00:25:38,780
So when I got to the end, I just
spun
514
00:25:38,810 --> 00:25:40,110
and I killed the engine.
515
00:25:40,150 --> 00:25:42,680
I said, well, that's it now,
whatever.
516
00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:44,050
Whatever they want to do.
517
00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:46,290
So they put me on the pole.
518
00:25:47,250 --> 00:25:49,220
We don't want to see that again.
519
00:25:54,390 --> 00:25:55,400
Spin out on turn one,
520
00:25:55,430 --> 00:25:57,970
spin out on turn one.
521
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,670
- This is the 1953 Tatum GMC
Special.
522
00:26:06,770 --> 00:26:09,380
Was built in Stockton,
California
523
00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:11,680
by Chuck Tatum.
524
00:26:13,080 --> 00:26:15,750
Chuck was a young man having
just returned
525
00:26:15,780 --> 00:26:18,350
from World War Two in the
Pacific.
526
00:26:18,390 --> 00:26:22,660
He was a survivor of the
first wave on Hiroshima.
527
00:26:24,320 --> 00:26:26,990
- Well the idea to find the
Tatum Special,
528
00:26:27,030 --> 00:26:31,000
was the fact that I'd always
been interested in race cars.
529
00:26:31,030 --> 00:26:34,800
And I'd built a lot of race
cars before the Tatum Special.
530
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,900
- This is a car that was,
531
00:26:37,940 --> 00:26:41,340
according to Chuck, built almost
on a bet.
532
00:26:42,780 --> 00:26:44,680
- One time, I was at a race
533
00:26:44,710 --> 00:26:46,880
in Stockton, California Road
Race
534
00:26:46,910 --> 00:26:50,980
and they had a lot of big,
famous cars out there.
535
00:26:51,890 --> 00:26:54,450
One of them was called a
Cadillac Allard,
536
00:26:54,490 --> 00:26:56,090
and that was a real fast car,
537
00:26:56,120 --> 00:26:58,790
no one could beat it, actually.
538
00:26:59,730 --> 00:27:01,330
- He was having dinner one night
539
00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:03,430
with Sammy Weiss and with
540
00:27:05,370 --> 00:27:07,170
Phil Hill in Stockton
541
00:27:08,100 --> 00:27:10,270
ahead of the Road Races.
542
00:27:10,300 --> 00:27:13,340
- Someone says, "It's hard
to ever beat an Allard".
543
00:27:13,370 --> 00:27:14,340
I said, well, I could.
544
00:27:14,370 --> 00:27:15,410
And they said, "Well,
how could you do that?"
545
00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:18,910
I said, well, I'd make a
car that could out run it.
546
00:27:18,950 --> 00:27:21,920
They said, "No, no, forget all
that."
547
00:27:21,950 --> 00:27:24,120
- And there was a lot of
discussion.
548
00:27:24,150 --> 00:27:26,990
I suspect there were some
jokes back and forth.
549
00:27:27,020 --> 00:27:29,890
- And later on, one of
the guys there says,
550
00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:31,260
he came to me and he says,
551
00:27:31,290 --> 00:27:33,290
"Is that really true, you can
build a car
552
00:27:33,330 --> 00:27:34,760
that would beat an Allard?"
553
00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:36,330
I said, absolutely.
554
00:27:36,360 --> 00:27:38,830
- But this is what resulted.
555
00:27:39,830 --> 00:27:41,130
So, what do we have here?
556
00:27:41,170 --> 00:27:44,040
Tube frame, coil over shock
absorbers
557
00:27:44,070 --> 00:27:48,740
on a rear axle, all four junk
yard suspension components.
558
00:27:48,780 --> 00:27:53,210
Big GMC truck motor and a
beautiful aluminum body.
559
00:27:53,250 --> 00:27:56,120
And that is the Tatum GMC
Special,
560
00:27:57,250 --> 00:27:58,120
as it was.
561
00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:01,220
First raced in 1953.
562
00:28:12,370 --> 00:28:14,030
- There was a certain amount of
talent
563
00:28:14,070 --> 00:28:17,970
that was developed just
by the men being there
564
00:28:18,010 --> 00:28:21,140
and racing and every
race, they got better.
565
00:28:21,170 --> 00:28:22,840
They learned more about their
vehicle,
566
00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:24,310
their vehicles got better,
567
00:28:24,340 --> 00:28:26,950
and therefore, their talent
grew.
568
00:28:26,980 --> 00:28:29,850
- That whole era of designing
cars
569
00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:33,790
and building them and racing
them.
570
00:28:33,820 --> 00:28:35,820
Was so influential in my life
571
00:28:35,860 --> 00:28:38,060
because you got to see
guys who built stuff
572
00:28:38,090 --> 00:28:40,030
with their hands.
573
00:28:40,060 --> 00:28:43,360
And the lines that came
out in some of these cars
574
00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:45,530
were really excellent.
575
00:28:45,570 --> 00:28:47,270
I mean, as good as anything that
came out
576
00:28:47,300 --> 00:28:48,570
of Europe at that time.
577
00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:50,940
- It's really too bad that
578
00:28:53,410 --> 00:28:55,880
more people don't appreciate
579
00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:59,480
just exactly how much thought
and work
580
00:28:59,510 --> 00:29:03,780
goes into balancing all
of those delicate aspects
581
00:29:05,120 --> 00:29:06,520
to building a car.
582
00:29:07,990 --> 00:29:09,520
- And of course, Phil Hill
was in some of those races
583
00:29:09,560 --> 00:29:13,290
and there's some really
exciting drivers back then
584
00:29:13,330 --> 00:29:16,600
and it was a fun time
and a very early time,
585
00:29:16,630 --> 00:29:19,430
very early period of racing.
586
00:29:19,470 --> 00:29:21,600
- The first time I was
going to race this car,
587
00:29:21,630 --> 00:29:24,070
I looked down and there's
masking tape
588
00:29:24,100 --> 00:29:27,210
covering the tachometer, the
speedometer,
589
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,940
the oil pressure gauge,
they were all taped up.
590
00:29:30,980 --> 00:29:34,450
And I turned to Carsten, who
owned the car
591
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,150
and I said, what's going on
here?
592
00:29:37,180 --> 00:29:38,320
What's all this tape?
593
00:29:38,350 --> 00:29:40,390
He says, "I don't want you
looking at the instruments,
594
00:29:40,420 --> 00:29:43,490
"your job is to look at the
road."
595
00:29:43,520 --> 00:29:46,990
Carstens wanted to be sure
that I was paying attention
596
00:29:47,030 --> 00:29:50,260
and looking straight
ahead and he was right.
597
00:29:50,300 --> 00:29:52,970
He was, bless you, Tom, thanks.
598
00:29:55,100 --> 00:29:56,300
- Tell you how wonderful it was
599
00:29:56,340 --> 00:29:58,010
to walk around the pits and see
600
00:29:58,040 --> 00:30:00,340
all the innovation,
ideas that were going on
601
00:30:00,370 --> 00:30:05,080
from these guys that
were building these cars.
602
00:30:05,110 --> 00:30:08,950
Nothing like that today,
absolutely different.
603
00:30:11,950 --> 00:30:15,160
- A well known driver was Ernie
McAfee,
604
00:30:15,190 --> 00:30:18,930
who was working on other
people's cars
605
00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:20,490
for quite some time.
606
00:30:21,490 --> 00:30:25,100
- Below a large sign, it was
very visible.
607
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,240
Was Turtle Wax, a huge
thing of Turtle Wax.
608
00:30:31,270 --> 00:30:34,010
And down below was Ernie's shop.
609
00:30:36,380 --> 00:30:38,180
And he took care of everybody,
610
00:30:38,210 --> 00:30:39,880
he was an engineer.
611
00:30:41,010 --> 00:30:43,320
He was a first rate mechanic,
612
00:30:44,250 --> 00:30:46,150
he competed in Montville,
613
00:30:46,190 --> 00:30:48,120
hot rods and so forth earlier
on.
614
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:52,060
When my dad started Remak
Engineering he backed him.
615
00:30:52,090 --> 00:30:54,960
Ernie always wanted to drive
sports cars
616
00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:58,570
and so my dad financed
his career, started it
617
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,600
in sports car racing in
California.
618
00:31:01,630 --> 00:31:04,940
- In 1952, Ernie entered
the Mexican Road Race
619
00:31:04,970 --> 00:31:07,370
with a co-driver, Jack McAfee.
620
00:31:08,310 --> 00:31:09,440
They were not related.
621
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:11,950
They entered and came in fifth
622
00:31:11,980 --> 00:31:13,580
in the Mexican Road Race.
623
00:31:13,610 --> 00:31:15,950
- My father became
frustrated being a mechanic
624
00:31:15,980 --> 00:31:19,290
and in 1954 really decided to go
racing.
625
00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,290
He raced before, but not
seriously.
626
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,390
- Ernie was such a good driver.
627
00:31:23,420 --> 00:31:26,660
He would drive in the
under three liter class
628
00:31:26,690 --> 00:31:29,130
in the Monza and win that.
629
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,970
And then he would jump
right into the 44 Ferrari
630
00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,570
into the main event and win
that.
631
00:31:35,600 --> 00:31:38,410
And he did that a bunch of
times.
632
00:31:41,710 --> 00:31:44,340
- This car is a 1516 OSCA engine
633
00:31:44,380 --> 00:31:45,980
with .
634
00:31:46,010 --> 00:31:48,120
The car has quite an interesting
history.
635
00:31:48,150 --> 00:31:51,450
It started off as a OSCA
entry in the 1955 La Mans,
636
00:31:51,480 --> 00:31:53,390
where the driver name's Roberto,
637
00:31:53,420 --> 00:31:55,020
who failed to finish.
638
00:31:55,060 --> 00:31:57,220
After that, the car came
back through the league
639
00:31:57,260 --> 00:32:00,230
and a few races again as a
factory car.
640
00:32:00,260 --> 00:32:02,030
Did a few things on it and then
sold it
641
00:32:02,060 --> 00:32:03,160
on to America.
642
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:05,630
Now the car was at that time
owned
643
00:32:05,670 --> 00:32:08,600
by the OSCA distributor John in
Arizona
644
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,040
called Chapman.
645
00:32:11,570 --> 00:32:14,540
He then contacted Ernie McAfee
in late '55
646
00:32:14,570 --> 00:32:17,710
and said, Ernie, you
anyway participate in race
647
00:32:17,740 --> 00:32:19,550
how about you try to compete
this car
648
00:32:19,580 --> 00:32:21,380
on my behalf and therefore,
649
00:32:21,410 --> 00:32:23,350
spread the OSCA gospel.
650
00:32:23,380 --> 00:32:26,120
- In the 1956 Pebble Beach, he
entered
651
00:32:26,150 --> 00:32:29,220
an OSCA MT4 in the small car
race
652
00:32:29,260 --> 00:32:33,060
and the 44 Ferrari in the main
event.
653
00:32:33,090 --> 00:32:36,030
- He did quite well, led the
group
654
00:32:36,060 --> 00:32:40,100
the under 1500 cc on a
Sunday, then the distributor,
655
00:32:40,130 --> 00:32:41,630
the rotor broke.
656
00:32:41,670 --> 00:32:44,670
He had to retire and hop
into his now infamous
657
00:32:44,700 --> 00:32:46,110
121 LM Ferrari.
658
00:32:47,770 --> 00:32:49,580
- And as Jack McAfee tells it,
659
00:32:49,610 --> 00:32:53,510
the 857 Sport of Jack McAfee was
overtaken
660
00:32:53,550 --> 00:32:55,680
by 121 LM of Ernie McAfee.
661
00:32:56,750 --> 00:33:00,650
- And Jack said that he missed a
shift
662
00:33:00,690 --> 00:33:02,790
then got in the wrong gear
663
00:33:04,820 --> 00:33:08,400
in a corner and went straight
into a tree.
664
00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:16,500
- He just, there was never any
doubt
665
00:33:16,540 --> 00:33:19,110
what his passion was.
666
00:33:19,140 --> 00:33:21,810
Growing up he was always cars,
667
00:33:21,840 --> 00:33:24,340
cars, and more cars.
668
00:33:24,380 --> 00:33:28,120
- Jack McAfee started
in MG that was sponsored
669
00:33:28,150 --> 00:33:30,150
and owned by John Edgar.
670
00:33:30,180 --> 00:33:33,750
- John Edgar had this real
famous MG,
671
00:33:33,790 --> 00:33:37,860
number 88 that Ernie
McAfee kept at his shop
672
00:33:37,890 --> 00:33:39,660
and did all the work on.
673
00:33:39,690 --> 00:33:42,160
- Because the Edgar MG did so
poorly
674
00:33:42,200 --> 00:33:45,100
in the first Pebble Beach race,
one lap,
675
00:33:45,130 --> 00:33:48,870
a lot of effort out of
Ernie McAfee's engineering
676
00:33:48,900 --> 00:33:51,740
shop went into preparation
677
00:33:51,770 --> 00:33:55,110
for the second 1951 Pebble Beach
race.
678
00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,210
When the McAfee's, Jack and
Ernie
679
00:33:59,250 --> 00:34:02,550
loaded the MG 88 on to the
trailer
680
00:34:02,580 --> 00:34:03,880
to take it to Pebble Beach,
681
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:06,690
they got as far as the Ridge
route,
682
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:09,820
the wheel on the trailer came
off
683
00:34:09,860 --> 00:34:11,690
and rolled out into a canyon.
684
00:34:11,720 --> 00:34:15,560
So there it was with
the trailer inoperable,
685
00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:17,200
no wheel to replace it.
686
00:34:17,230 --> 00:34:19,330
- You know, my dad was
kind of asking Ernie
687
00:34:19,370 --> 00:34:22,640
what he thought they
should do and Ernie said,
688
00:34:22,670 --> 00:34:26,470
"Well, let's roll it off the
trailer
689
00:34:26,510 --> 00:34:28,780
"and just drive it up there."
690
00:34:28,810 --> 00:34:31,280
- So, he drove the race car,
691
00:34:33,250 --> 00:34:35,650
the short stacks, no mufflers.
692
00:34:35,680 --> 00:34:38,790
- Exhaust headers about this
long.
693
00:34:38,820 --> 00:34:41,290
- The loudest thing you could
ever imagine
694
00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:44,420
from Grapevine on the Ridge
route
695
00:34:44,460 --> 00:34:46,560
all the way to Pebble Beach.
696
00:34:46,590 --> 00:34:48,900
He said when he got there,
697
00:34:48,930 --> 00:34:50,500
he couldn't hear a thing.
698
00:34:50,530 --> 00:34:52,600
He says it's probably
one of the reasons now,
699
00:34:52,630 --> 00:34:54,330
which he told me a few years
ago,
700
00:34:54,370 --> 00:34:58,170
before he passed, that
I don't hear too well.
701
00:35:00,310 --> 00:35:02,240
- And he graduated to Porsches
702
00:35:02,280 --> 00:35:04,940
and then graduated from
there into Ferraris.
703
00:35:04,980 --> 00:35:08,880
He had a fairly long career
that went beyond a decade
704
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:12,520
and was very successful in his
reason.
705
00:35:12,550 --> 00:35:13,390
- Today we're sitting in front
706
00:35:13,420 --> 00:35:17,290
of the 857 Sport serial number
0588,
707
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:20,260
that's in the Les Wexner
collection.
708
00:35:20,290 --> 00:35:22,700
Very fascinating history on the
857 Sport
709
00:35:22,730 --> 00:35:25,870
in that it was a factory team
car
710
00:35:25,900 --> 00:35:29,740
originally given to Olivier
Gendebien
711
00:35:29,770 --> 00:35:31,440
and Masten Gregory.
712
00:35:32,370 --> 00:35:34,610
Their first time out in
the car during practice,
713
00:35:34,640 --> 00:35:36,210
they crashed the car, rolled the
car.
714
00:35:36,240 --> 00:35:39,710
After the factory rebuild, 0588
was sold
715
00:35:39,750 --> 00:35:43,420
directly to John Edgar, who
was a California businessman,
716
00:35:43,450 --> 00:35:47,390
who was one of the original
Ferrari race teams.
717
00:35:48,290 --> 00:35:50,820
Jack McAfee driving for John
Edgar's team
718
00:35:50,860 --> 00:35:54,230
was terrifically
successful in the 857 Sport
719
00:35:54,260 --> 00:35:56,800
all the way to 1956 Pebble
Beach,
720
00:35:56,830 --> 00:35:58,800
where he was third overall.
721
00:36:05,270 --> 00:36:08,480
- The course itself
was really interesting.
722
00:36:08,510 --> 00:36:12,610
We got some practice, I
can't remember just how much.
723
00:36:12,650 --> 00:36:14,410
The course wasn't too hard to
learn,
724
00:36:14,450 --> 00:36:17,320
there were only approximately
five turns
725
00:36:17,350 --> 00:36:19,290
that really were turns.
726
00:36:20,420 --> 00:36:24,490
The change in elevation
was the interesting part.
727
00:36:25,690 --> 00:36:27,530
Up at the top of the course,
728
00:36:27,560 --> 00:36:30,460
was like a more or less a
hairpin
729
00:36:30,500 --> 00:36:33,830
and then you were on a downhill
section,
730
00:36:33,870 --> 00:36:35,770
which was quite fast.
731
00:36:35,800 --> 00:36:37,940
Then into the bottom turn,
732
00:36:38,870 --> 00:36:42,410
which was about a 90 degree turn
733
00:36:42,440 --> 00:36:44,580
back to the start finish.
734
00:36:44,610 --> 00:36:47,550
It was an enjoyable track to
drive.
735
00:36:48,950 --> 00:36:51,680
- The thing you worry about, I
worry about
736
00:36:51,720 --> 00:36:53,420
is getting through that first
turn.
737
00:36:53,450 --> 00:36:56,020
I mean, that is a crucial thing,
738
00:36:56,060 --> 00:36:58,330
getting stopped, not over doing
it,
739
00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:01,630
so easy you can't even get
your right foot off the floor.
740
00:37:01,660 --> 00:37:04,660
I mean, you are glued all
the way to the firewall.
741
00:37:04,700 --> 00:37:07,730
- In the shadows that the trees
created
742
00:37:07,770 --> 00:37:10,470
and then as you ran your
cars through the course,
743
00:37:10,500 --> 00:37:12,970
there was this strobe effect
744
00:37:13,010 --> 00:37:15,480
that was distracting to many.
745
00:37:15,510 --> 00:37:18,650
- He was standing in the paddock
746
00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:21,610
listening to the cars going
around.
747
00:37:24,450 --> 00:37:26,690
You could tell the sound they
make
748
00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:29,020
going through the trees.
749
00:37:29,060 --> 00:37:31,890
Usually exactly what
was going on in that car
750
00:37:31,920 --> 00:37:32,930
a mile away.
751
00:37:33,860 --> 00:37:36,800
When he'd change gears, when
he'd brake.
752
00:37:36,830 --> 00:37:40,970
And of course, straight
pipes, were the only thing.
753
00:37:42,570 --> 00:37:45,070
You were allowed to make
it as slow as you want to.
754
00:37:45,100 --> 00:37:46,710
And everybody did.
755
00:37:48,810 --> 00:37:52,350
I wear two hearing aids most of
the time.
756
00:37:53,010 --> 00:37:56,880
- It was pretty exciting
on the starting line
757
00:37:56,920 --> 00:38:00,650
because all our cars had
to be hand pushed to start.
758
00:38:00,690 --> 00:38:02,820
And then they wanted to
have a standing start,
759
00:38:02,860 --> 00:38:04,360
so everybody was sitting there
760
00:38:04,390 --> 00:38:05,990
with their engines running like
crazy
761
00:38:06,030 --> 00:38:08,130
wanting to get off the line.
762
00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:12,870
And when we got the flag,
it was a real scramble.
763
00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:15,070
Guys were going in all
directions it seems.
764
00:38:15,100 --> 00:38:17,500
And it was pretty exciting.
765
00:38:19,540 --> 00:38:22,940
- The first time that we saw the
course,
766
00:38:22,980 --> 00:38:24,110
there was this
767
00:38:25,180 --> 00:38:27,050
literal wandering path
768
00:38:28,150 --> 00:38:30,680
through the Del Monte Forest.
769
00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:34,990
Fortunately, the old corral was
there
770
00:38:37,720 --> 00:38:38,990
where the horses had been.
771
00:38:39,030 --> 00:38:41,160
You could sit on the fence there
772
00:38:41,190 --> 00:38:44,960
and watch them go by on the
straight away.
773
00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:46,670
- So you had to watch where you
stepped
774
00:38:46,700 --> 00:38:50,370
'cause you were walking
around in the pits.
775
00:38:59,510 --> 00:39:01,910
- I must've started under him
776
00:39:01,950 --> 00:39:04,880
in Northern California,
even Southern California
777
00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:07,850
and I remember him today with
this white
778
00:39:07,890 --> 00:39:09,920
and red shirt on.
779
00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:13,130
He was a portly gentleman,
but quite active
780
00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:14,930
and he could jump like a
kangaroo,
781
00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:18,100
which he managed to do
at the end of every race.
782
00:39:18,130 --> 00:39:20,430
But he also got half way
out in the race course
783
00:39:20,470 --> 00:39:21,930
and then it was sort of a
challenge
784
00:39:21,970 --> 00:39:23,600
whether you were gonna hit him
or not
785
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:26,070
and he wanted to be close to the
car,
786
00:39:26,110 --> 00:39:27,810
so he was in the picture you see
787
00:39:27,840 --> 00:39:29,780
when you came across
the start finish line.
788
00:39:29,810 --> 00:39:32,480
But this was unnerving,
because you never knew
789
00:39:32,510 --> 00:39:33,880
where he was gonna be.
790
00:39:33,910 --> 00:39:36,120
He was a darn good starter.
791
00:39:37,250 --> 00:39:40,190
When he ran from the lead cars
to the back
792
00:39:40,220 --> 00:39:42,760
to the line we would
try to watch him coming,
793
00:39:42,790 --> 00:39:43,960
you know, and try to outguess,
794
00:39:43,990 --> 00:39:48,030
which we couldn't do because
we'd be jazzing the engines
795
00:39:48,060 --> 00:39:49,800
and then he wouldn't do
anything,
796
00:39:49,830 --> 00:39:51,130
he'd just stand there flat
footed
797
00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,670
and then all of a sudden,
he'd leap three feet
798
00:39:53,700 --> 00:39:55,840
in the air and we were supposed
to be off.
799
00:39:55,870 --> 00:39:58,200
I had a good respect for him,
800
00:39:59,240 --> 00:40:02,640
but I think he was in
the bullfighting business
801
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:05,140
or something before he signed up
802
00:40:05,180 --> 00:40:07,180
for the Sports Car Club.
803
00:40:15,790 --> 00:40:17,120
- Pebble Beach wasn't very
popular
804
00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:19,030
because once they knew where it
was.
805
00:40:19,060 --> 00:40:22,500
Plus the fact that it drew a
crowd
806
00:40:22,530 --> 00:40:25,060
from Los Angeles as far as the
drivers,
807
00:40:25,100 --> 00:40:27,770
as well as Northern California.
808
00:40:29,170 --> 00:40:31,000
- It was the first time that
we'd
809
00:40:31,040 --> 00:40:34,010
first me all the guys that came
up from Southern California.
810
00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:36,810
And they were a totally
different group
811
00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:40,610
than the guys that raced
around the Bay area.
812
00:40:40,650 --> 00:40:44,780
These guys were far more
professionally race oriented
813
00:40:45,850 --> 00:40:49,690
than the sort of the
amateur gentlemen racers
814
00:40:49,720 --> 00:40:51,560
that you found San Francisco.
815
00:40:51,590 --> 00:40:54,830
These guys had a lot
of hot rod background.
816
00:40:54,860 --> 00:40:57,130
So instead of running MG
engines,
817
00:40:57,160 --> 00:40:59,300
they were running V860s.
818
00:40:59,330 --> 00:41:02,570
So there was a whole transition
there
819
00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:03,570
that went away.
820
00:41:03,600 --> 00:41:05,040
The guys that came up
from Southern California
821
00:41:05,070 --> 00:41:08,010
were a whole different kind of
racers.
822
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:10,810
- And of course, you had your
rivalries,
823
00:41:10,840 --> 00:41:14,650
but it was still something
that you supported
824
00:41:15,580 --> 00:41:16,980
one another in.
825
00:41:17,020 --> 00:41:20,150
- And it was getting more
aggressive all the time.
826
00:41:20,190 --> 00:41:23,520
More competition, more money
involved,
827
00:41:24,590 --> 00:41:28,260
people from back East were
coming out.
828
00:41:28,290 --> 00:41:29,760
- We didn't have any foreign
drivers.
829
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:32,670
One has to remember that we're
simply,
830
00:41:32,700 --> 00:41:36,040
this was a fletchling
bonus of a new course.
831
00:41:36,070 --> 00:41:38,710
It didn't have the draw
832
00:41:38,740 --> 00:41:40,740
of a fixed, known venue.
833
00:41:41,940 --> 00:41:45,210
I think that played into the
fact
834
00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:47,580
that we didn't have a lot of
drivers
835
00:41:47,610 --> 00:41:49,080
from the East Coast.
836
00:41:49,120 --> 00:41:51,920
Jim Kimberly was one of the
few that made the effort.
837
00:41:51,950 --> 00:41:54,150
- Kimberly was a hell of a good
driver
838
00:41:54,190 --> 00:41:55,790
and he was doing well in the
race
839
00:41:55,820 --> 00:41:57,920
until the big sweeper at turn
three,
840
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,360
Jim Kimberly rolled his 166
Marketta
841
00:42:01,390 --> 00:42:04,300
and who was there to give him a
kiss
842
00:42:04,330 --> 00:42:07,230
and make sure that he
was not feeling too bad
843
00:42:07,270 --> 00:42:08,670
about everything?
844
00:42:08,700 --> 00:42:10,040
Ginger Rogers.
845
00:42:15,240 --> 00:42:18,080
- It was pretty obvious
that the movie industry
846
00:42:18,110 --> 00:42:21,910
did not overlook the fact
that we had already found
847
00:42:21,950 --> 00:42:25,050
these beautiful scenic places to
race.
848
00:42:25,080 --> 00:42:27,290
The film Fast and Furious was
shot there.
849
00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,320
- Connie, will you give me a
break?
850
00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,090
You drive people off roads,
851
00:42:33,130 --> 00:42:35,290
you engined men unconscious.
852
00:42:35,330 --> 00:42:37,730
- Alright, don't give me a
break,
853
00:42:37,760 --> 00:42:39,770
just remember I've got a gun
854
00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:41,170
and I know how to use it.
855
00:42:41,200 --> 00:42:43,300
- We had a shop here on Sunset
Boulevard,
856
00:42:43,340 --> 00:42:45,240
Remak Engineering.
857
00:42:45,270 --> 00:42:47,140
I was over there at bench race
858
00:42:47,170 --> 00:42:49,110
every Saturday and one of the
customers,
859
00:42:49,140 --> 00:42:50,880
Remak Engineering was Steve
McQueen.
860
00:42:50,910 --> 00:42:53,080
So I got to know Steve McQueen
and sort
861
00:42:53,110 --> 00:42:54,350
of the Hollywood group.
862
00:42:54,380 --> 00:42:56,380
- I got to know Steve fairly
well
863
00:42:56,420 --> 00:42:58,820
because I was running a company
then
864
00:42:58,850 --> 00:43:01,690
and we had a motorcycle type
machine
865
00:43:01,720 --> 00:43:03,990
that he wanted to play with.
866
00:43:04,020 --> 00:43:08,160
Steve took one of these
and broke it in an hour.
867
00:43:08,190 --> 00:43:12,730
He was tough on cars and I
don't know about girlfriends,
868
00:43:12,770 --> 00:43:14,830
but he was tough on cars.
869
00:43:15,840 --> 00:43:19,670
- The nexus between
Hollywood and it's honor
870
00:43:19,710 --> 00:43:22,410
and speed, which in those period
871
00:43:22,440 --> 00:43:24,080
was very much a personal thing.
872
00:43:24,110 --> 00:43:26,810
So, you know, you could
basically buy a car
873
00:43:26,850 --> 00:43:27,910
and race it yourself.
874
00:43:27,950 --> 00:43:30,420
Don't need a big team behind
you, became a little bit
875
00:43:30,450 --> 00:43:32,380
of a weekend hero type.
876
00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,420
And that feeling kind of
attracted a lot of gizmo types.
877
00:43:37,460 --> 00:43:40,690
I think you look at all this mix
and say,
878
00:43:40,730 --> 00:43:43,100
you know, it was a very
special time, Yogi Berra.
879
00:43:43,130 --> 00:43:46,170
- Jackie Cooper was a frequent
visitor
880
00:43:46,200 --> 00:43:47,430
to the races.
881
00:43:47,470 --> 00:43:49,840
It's a romantic place, at a
Highway one,
882
00:43:49,870 --> 00:43:52,940
boy oh boy, you know,
Kim Novak lives there,
883
00:43:52,970 --> 00:43:54,270
that's enough for me right
there.
884
00:43:54,310 --> 00:43:56,080
I don't even need to see her,
885
00:43:56,110 --> 00:43:59,180
I just know she lives on Highway
One.
886
00:44:01,050 --> 00:44:02,180
- All of a sudden the guy came
out
887
00:44:02,210 --> 00:44:03,720
and he was talking to me and he
says,
888
00:44:03,750 --> 00:44:05,820
"We're making a movie called
Johnny Dark,
889
00:44:05,850 --> 00:44:07,350
"it's about road racing."
890
00:44:07,390 --> 00:44:09,220
For those
of you who just tuned in,
891
00:44:09,260 --> 00:44:11,020
we are speaking to you
from the starting point
892
00:44:11,060 --> 00:44:12,830
of the border-to-border race.
893
00:44:12,860 --> 00:44:16,400
A three day, 2200 mile
ride from Canada to Mexico.
894
00:44:16,430 --> 00:44:18,800
- And suppose you do lose the
race?
895
00:44:18,830 --> 00:44:19,700
Who cares?
896
00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:22,470
- I care.
897
00:44:24,270 --> 00:44:25,440
- We'd like to rent your car.
898
00:44:25,470 --> 00:44:26,340
I said no.
899
00:44:28,780 --> 00:44:30,780
I knew I had a good car and I
was proud
900
00:44:30,810 --> 00:44:33,910
somebody wanted me to be
involved in it, you know.
901
00:44:33,950 --> 00:44:36,520
But along the way, they
kept calling me up.
902
00:44:36,550 --> 00:44:39,890
Wanted to know if I'd rent my
car.
903
00:44:39,920 --> 00:44:42,090
I said no, and no one ever asked
me
904
00:44:42,120 --> 00:44:44,090
to be an actor before.
905
00:44:44,120 --> 00:44:48,260
Finally it turned out, we're
sending you a contract.
906
00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:53,500
Off, stay off the
track.
907
00:44:53,530 --> 00:44:54,930
- And the brakes went.
908
00:44:54,970 --> 00:44:57,440
So help me, coming round
the turn I lost them.
909
00:44:57,470 --> 00:44:58,540
Maybe it was a brake fail.
910
00:44:58,570 --> 00:45:02,980
- Then the brake drums
would be hot, wouldn't they?
911
00:45:03,010 --> 00:45:05,280
Oh, you can do better than that,
Duke.
912
00:45:05,310 --> 00:45:06,310
- Forget it.
913
00:45:07,410 --> 00:45:09,050
- Johnny, he was trying to
explain,
914
00:45:09,080 --> 00:45:10,280
you didn't give him a chance.
915
00:45:11,520 --> 00:45:13,920
- I thought, well, you're gonna
need
916
00:45:13,950 --> 00:45:15,550
a lot of money in life, you
better make
917
00:45:15,590 --> 00:45:17,160
as much as you can.
918
00:45:17,190 --> 00:45:20,260
- Liz, so I lost the race, who
cares?
919
00:45:21,560 --> 00:45:22,430
- I care.
920
00:45:23,900 --> 00:45:26,070
- I made about $10,000 off of
that thing.
921
00:45:26,100 --> 00:45:28,870
Most money that I ever made in
my life.
922
00:45:28,900 --> 00:45:32,440
Screwing around with
race cars in Hollywood.
923
00:45:39,450 --> 00:45:41,410
- Pebble Beach started in
controversy
924
00:45:41,450 --> 00:45:43,250
and ended in tragedy.
925
00:45:44,250 --> 00:45:47,050
John von Neumann entered a new
TD
926
00:45:48,050 --> 00:45:51,020
and he ended up winning the
race.
927
00:45:51,060 --> 00:45:55,390
With a guy named Bill
Carrigan second in another MG.
928
00:45:55,430 --> 00:45:58,260
- And we ran three or four races
together.
929
00:45:58,300 --> 00:46:00,870
He would win it, I would win it.
930
00:46:00,900 --> 00:46:03,840
And when it got to be a habit
form,
931
00:46:04,970 --> 00:46:06,610
a speech Johnny.
932
00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:10,510
- He was the importer for
Porsche cars
933
00:46:10,540 --> 00:46:14,350
and came up with the first 356
Porsches.
934
00:46:14,380 --> 00:46:17,380
Nobody had ever seen
anything like the Porsches.
935
00:46:17,420 --> 00:46:20,920
You know, I mean, rear engine
air cool.
936
00:46:20,950 --> 00:46:21,790
I mean, this is a total
departure
937
00:46:21,820 --> 00:46:24,590
from our English background with
the MGs.
938
00:46:24,620 --> 00:46:28,390
- I caught up with him on the
uphill.
939
00:46:28,430 --> 00:46:31,060
I tried to go through the turn
with him.
940
00:46:31,100 --> 00:46:34,270
So I'm going through the turn
sideways,
941
00:46:34,300 --> 00:46:36,540
I ended up in a ditch.
942
00:46:36,570 --> 00:46:40,110
I lost a lot of ground
so I had two laps to go.
943
00:46:40,140 --> 00:46:43,440
By the time I got to the last
lap,
944
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:47,250
I'd caught him, second
place is second place.
945
00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:50,950
- After the race, the
SCCA disqualified him
946
00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:56,560
claiming that he had ethanol in
his fuel.
947
00:46:56,590 --> 00:47:00,560
Not only that, the SCCA said
that all of the entrants
948
00:47:00,590 --> 00:47:04,630
were required to drain
their fuel before the race
949
00:47:06,230 --> 00:47:09,570
and refill it with the fuel at
the track.
950
00:47:11,200 --> 00:47:15,170
John didn't do that,
so he was disqualified.
951
00:47:15,210 --> 00:47:19,010
- In the mail, a letter,
from one of the officials
952
00:47:19,050 --> 00:47:21,080
Sport Car of America.
953
00:47:21,110 --> 00:47:23,120
Awarding me first place.
954
00:47:25,120 --> 00:47:26,520
It was a surprise.
955
00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:31,290
I always wondered, through the
years,
956
00:47:31,320 --> 00:47:33,530
if anybody ever remembered that
957
00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:38,030
because I always thought
I was the only one.
958
00:47:38,060 --> 00:47:41,030
But now, originally I found out
different.
959
00:47:41,070 --> 00:47:44,200
It still doesn't matter, I was
second.
960
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,490
- Sterling Edwards bought the
car new
961
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:03,390
and he really wanted to
race it at Pebble Beach.
962
00:48:03,420 --> 00:48:05,360
So he entered it and Phil
Remington
963
00:48:05,390 --> 00:48:07,030
was his mechanic.
964
00:48:07,060 --> 00:48:09,000
- I went out to test the car
965
00:48:09,030 --> 00:48:11,560
and came in after a couple of
laps
966
00:48:11,600 --> 00:48:14,930
and told Phil, there's something
wrong
967
00:48:15,730 --> 00:48:17,700
with the handling of the car.
968
00:48:17,740 --> 00:48:21,240
So Phil crawled underneath
the car for a little bit
969
00:48:21,270 --> 00:48:24,610
and tinkered around and sent dad
back out
970
00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:26,610
and dad came in the next lap
971
00:48:26,650 --> 00:48:29,580
and said, no, there's still
something wrong with the car.
972
00:48:29,620 --> 00:48:32,750
- He says, well, take it out
and see what you think of it.
973
00:48:32,780 --> 00:48:36,390
So I took it out and
we were probably doing
974
00:48:36,420 --> 00:48:39,690
90 or 95 and as I was coming up
the hill
975
00:48:40,630 --> 00:48:45,100
on this Jaguar, some fellow
in a Jupiter,
976
00:48:45,130 --> 00:48:50,040
so I nailed him and might've
hit a couple of pine trees
977
00:48:50,070 --> 00:48:53,370
and shortened the car about four
feet.
978
00:48:53,410 --> 00:48:54,440
- So the guy leading the race
979
00:48:54,470 --> 00:48:57,540
was the other C Jag, so
that guy gets a big sign,
980
00:48:57,580 --> 00:49:00,480
pit now and the driver, you
know,
981
00:49:00,510 --> 00:49:03,120
he was driver, not owner,
he comes in and said,
982
00:49:03,150 --> 00:49:05,020
"What are you doing,
I'm winning the race?"
983
00:49:05,050 --> 00:49:06,390
And the owner said, "You're
sitting
984
00:49:06,420 --> 00:49:07,590
"in Mr. Edwards' car."
985
00:49:07,620 --> 00:49:09,590
So Sterling just wrote him a
check
986
00:49:09,620 --> 00:49:12,290
and he said, "Bring the car in."
987
00:49:12,320 --> 00:49:15,530
And finished the race in his new
C Jag.
988
00:49:16,830 --> 00:49:17,760
- It was a pretty good shunt,
989
00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:19,670
but it didn't damage
the chassis or anything.
990
00:49:19,700 --> 00:49:23,300
It still has the original tub
tail section
991
00:49:24,300 --> 00:49:26,310
door and the rest of it.
992
00:49:34,710 --> 00:49:36,750
- The moment of truth is when
the starter.
993
00:49:36,780 --> 00:49:39,790
Starts his run back between the
cars
994
00:49:40,850 --> 00:49:42,720
and that's when you know,
995
00:49:42,750 --> 00:49:45,520
for the 97th time you check to
make sure
996
00:49:45,560 --> 00:49:48,260
the ignition and all, the
car's in the right gear.
997
00:49:48,290 --> 00:49:50,360
God forbid if you had you know,
998
00:49:50,400 --> 00:49:52,100
this is a three speed box.
999
00:49:52,130 --> 00:49:53,670
When he finally came back up.
1000
00:49:53,700 --> 00:49:56,700
My adrenal glands were in high
speed
1001
00:49:58,770 --> 00:50:02,310
and just when he told us to fire
up,
1002
00:50:02,340 --> 00:50:05,310
I hit the starter button and
this thing
1003
00:50:05,340 --> 00:50:07,810
just let out a boom, you know,
1004
00:50:07,850 --> 00:50:11,250
and it actually blew a piece of
asphalt
1005
00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:14,190
about the size of a salad plate
1006
00:50:14,220 --> 00:50:18,090
off it, knocked it right on the
gloss
1007
00:50:18,120 --> 00:50:19,360
and knocked it right onto the
side
1008
00:50:19,390 --> 00:50:21,130
of Michael Graham's car.
1009
00:50:21,160 --> 00:50:23,830
And I thought, well, game is
ship,
1010
00:50:24,700 --> 00:50:26,700
he's out of the race right now.
1011
00:50:26,730 --> 00:50:31,170
When my exhaust will
put a dent in his car.
1012
00:50:31,200 --> 00:50:35,110
- I don't know how much
those cars cost back then.
1013
00:50:35,140 --> 00:50:38,340
My father didn't really have
to concern himself with that.
1014
00:50:38,380 --> 00:50:41,250
He was fronted the car by Chuck
Hornberg,
1015
00:50:41,280 --> 00:50:43,480
but I do remember him saying
1016
00:50:43,520 --> 00:50:47,750
that the best thing was to
actually not race your own car
1017
00:50:47,790 --> 00:50:50,290
race someone else's car.
1018
00:50:50,320 --> 00:50:52,420
- My dad would help out
some kid with his MG
1019
00:50:52,460 --> 00:50:54,330
while they're calling his name
1020
00:50:54,360 --> 00:50:56,530
to ask him to come up for the
start line.
1021
00:50:56,560 --> 00:50:59,400
I remember Sir once saying,
"Lou, you can help that kid
1022
00:50:59,430 --> 00:51:01,300
"after your race, so will you
please
1023
00:51:01,330 --> 00:51:02,470
"come up to the line?
1024
00:51:02,500 --> 00:51:03,840
"Mr. Hill and a few other people
1025
00:51:03,870 --> 00:51:07,540
"will enjoy having a drive with
you."
1026
00:51:07,570 --> 00:51:10,780
- Al Moss came up to me
a couple of years ago.
1027
00:51:10,810 --> 00:51:13,380
He said, "You're McAfee's
boy, aren't you?"
1028
00:51:13,410 --> 00:51:14,380
And I said, yeah.
1029
00:51:14,410 --> 00:51:16,350
And he said, "Well, I've
got a story for you."
1030
00:51:16,380 --> 00:51:19,150
He said, you know, at
the first Pebble Beach
1031
00:51:19,190 --> 00:51:22,650
my fan belt came off and he was
driving
1032
00:51:22,690 --> 00:51:23,690
a J2 Allard.
1033
00:51:24,890 --> 00:51:26,560
He goes, "My fan belt came off
1034
00:51:26,590 --> 00:51:29,530
"and I came into the pits and
your dad was standing there,
1035
00:51:29,560 --> 00:51:32,460
"and he said, Jack, get a
screwdriver,
1036
00:51:32,500 --> 00:51:34,570
"a big screwdriver, we've got to
get
1037
00:51:34,600 --> 00:51:35,870
"this fan belt back on."
1038
00:51:35,900 --> 00:51:38,700
And somehow he goes, you know,
"Your dad
1039
00:51:38,740 --> 00:51:40,610
"just grabbed the belt with his
hands
1040
00:51:40,640 --> 00:51:43,680
"and got it around the
pulley and put it on
1041
00:51:43,710 --> 00:51:46,450
"just like that and off I went."
1042
00:51:46,480 --> 00:51:48,280
And he said, "I'll never forget
that."
1043
00:51:48,310 --> 00:51:52,450
That's how casual things
were back then, you know,
1044
00:51:52,480 --> 00:51:55,920
it was guys, it was
drivers helping drivers
1045
00:51:56,820 --> 00:51:59,590
and you know, it was
that kind of camaraderie
1046
00:51:59,630 --> 00:52:02,230
that made that era so special.
1047
00:52:03,360 --> 00:52:06,500
- So 1955 was a big year for my
father
1048
00:52:07,830 --> 00:52:08,870
at Pebble Beach.
1049
00:52:08,900 --> 00:52:12,400
It kind of was the icing
on the cake, sort of speak
1050
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:14,970
for what his whole
experience over the years
1051
00:52:15,010 --> 00:52:16,580
at Pebble Beach was.
1052
00:52:16,610 --> 00:52:20,450
That year he decided to
not only enter the race,
1053
00:52:20,480 --> 00:52:23,750
racing the 750 Monza for Alan
Geiberson.
1054
00:52:23,780 --> 00:52:27,920
And it rained that year, so
it was a very tricky race.
1055
00:52:31,690 --> 00:52:34,530
- I think it was quite
an effective race car.
1056
00:52:34,560 --> 00:52:36,700
Most Ferraris in those early
days
1057
00:52:36,730 --> 00:52:39,700
were B12s and they continued
with that,
1058
00:52:39,730 --> 00:52:42,300
but during these years, they
built
1059
00:52:42,330 --> 00:52:44,700
some of these four
cylinder light weight cars
1060
00:52:44,740 --> 00:52:47,340
and they were quite good.
1061
00:52:47,370 --> 00:52:49,480
Obviously by the way that this
car
1062
00:52:49,510 --> 00:52:51,680
was able to compete for a whole
year.
1063
00:52:51,710 --> 00:52:54,880
- He made an outstanding
performance in that
1064
00:52:54,910 --> 00:52:57,780
and it just showed the real
dominance
1065
00:52:57,820 --> 00:53:00,720
of what the Ferrari
could do on that course
1066
00:53:00,750 --> 00:53:02,950
and he won the race with it
1067
00:53:02,990 --> 00:53:05,890
and the car that Phil Hill
won the 1955 race with,
1068
00:53:05,920 --> 00:53:10,400
the 750 Monza, came into
Carroll Shelby's hands
1069
00:53:10,430 --> 00:53:13,630
the following year, and he won
the race,
1070
00:53:13,670 --> 00:53:16,470
the main event with the same
car.
1071
00:53:16,500 --> 00:53:17,870
- I really enjoyed having it
1072
00:53:17,900 --> 00:53:21,040
and realize what a wonderful car
1073
00:53:21,070 --> 00:53:23,610
that Ferrari makes and the fact
1074
00:53:23,640 --> 00:53:27,010
that Phil and Carroll both
won several events in it.
1075
00:53:27,050 --> 00:53:31,780
Make it and I won my first
sports car race in it,
1076
00:53:31,820 --> 00:53:34,820
so it's got a lot of history for
me.
1077
00:53:35,890 --> 00:53:37,460
It's kind of an interesting car
to own
1078
00:53:37,490 --> 00:53:39,890
still at this time of my life.
1079
00:53:43,900 --> 00:53:46,530
- Another well known name
and another Grand Prix racer,
1080
00:53:46,570 --> 00:53:47,570
is Pete Lovely.
1081
00:53:48,670 --> 00:53:51,600
Pete Lovely came down from
the Pacific Northwest.
1082
00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:53,340
His first car that he drove
here,
1083
00:53:53,370 --> 00:53:55,710
if I remember correctly, was a
home built
1084
00:53:55,740 --> 00:53:58,680
Porsche powered Volkswagen
special.
1085
00:54:00,080 --> 00:54:02,610
He did quite well in that car.
1086
00:54:02,650 --> 00:54:04,450
It had a Cooper body.
1087
00:54:04,480 --> 00:54:06,080
It had been a former Streamliner
1088
00:54:06,120 --> 00:54:07,790
that had bone to Bonneville
1089
00:54:07,820 --> 00:54:09,590
to set records and they bought
the car
1090
00:54:09,620 --> 00:54:12,460
without the engine, put
in a Porsche engine in it
1091
00:54:12,490 --> 00:54:15,660
and they called it a VW Porsche
Special.
1092
00:54:15,690 --> 00:54:19,330
And it was also known for it's
short name,
1093
00:54:19,370 --> 00:54:20,430
the Pooper.
1094
00:54:20,470 --> 00:54:24,600
In one race, he was running
up front in his group,
1095
00:54:25,740 --> 00:54:28,870
when a throttle spring broke.
1096
00:54:28,910 --> 00:54:30,780
So he drove the balance of the
race
1097
00:54:30,810 --> 00:54:32,940
with one had behind him
actuating the throttle,
1098
00:54:32,980 --> 00:54:34,950
which was a rear engine car and
driving
1099
00:54:34,980 --> 00:54:37,350
with the other hand and
he finished the race
1100
00:54:37,380 --> 00:54:38,350
and did quite well.
1101
00:54:38,380 --> 00:54:41,820
Pete Lovely went on to
win the very first race
1102
00:54:41,850 --> 00:54:43,490
at Laguna Seca in a Ferrari.
1103
00:54:43,520 --> 00:54:45,860
- After John von Neumann,
who was leading the race
1104
00:54:45,890 --> 00:54:48,730
in his Ferrari, kind of lost a
bit
1105
00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:50,960
on the final turn.
1106
00:54:51,000 --> 00:54:53,470
Beyond that, he then
traveled over to Europe.
1107
00:54:53,500 --> 00:54:55,700
He had a Lotus Formula One car,
1108
00:54:55,730 --> 00:54:58,670
as a privateer race in
many Formula One races,
1109
00:54:58,700 --> 00:54:59,940
came back to the United States
1110
00:54:59,970 --> 00:55:02,770
and was a vintage racer in his
cars
1111
00:55:02,810 --> 00:55:05,480
and a car restorer up in the
Northwest
1112
00:55:05,510 --> 00:55:09,650
for many, many years and just
passed away here recently.
1113
00:55:10,880 --> 00:55:12,780
Skip Hudson was a teenage friend
1114
00:55:12,820 --> 00:55:13,990
of Dan Gurney's.
1115
00:55:14,020 --> 00:55:16,090
They both got into sports car
racing
1116
00:55:16,120 --> 00:55:19,760
and while Skip Hudson was
over shadowed by Gurney,
1117
00:55:19,790 --> 00:55:21,430
'cause Gurney went on
to international fame.
1118
00:55:21,460 --> 00:55:24,130
He was never the well-known
driver
1119
00:55:25,460 --> 00:55:28,570
that some of his compatriots,
always overshadowed,
1120
00:55:28,600 --> 00:55:30,770
but a very good driver,
nonetheless.
1121
00:55:30,800 --> 00:55:34,810
- He loved racing and fast cars
I think,
1122
00:55:34,840 --> 00:55:37,680
probably more intensely
than anybody I know.
1123
00:55:37,710 --> 00:55:39,680
I mean, you get to talk to Skip
1124
00:55:39,710 --> 00:55:41,580
and he'd come up right in your
face
1125
00:55:41,610 --> 00:55:43,720
and his eyes would just focus on
you
1126
00:55:43,750 --> 00:55:45,950
and he was just vibrating about
it.
1127
00:55:45,980 --> 00:55:47,990
He was so passionate about this
stuff.
1128
00:55:48,020 --> 00:55:51,820
And a terrific driver and he
never made it
1129
00:55:51,860 --> 00:55:56,600
and had a chance sometimes,
and it just never clicked
1130
00:55:56,630 --> 00:56:00,770
for him the way it should've,
but great guy, great guy.
1131
00:56:04,240 --> 00:56:06,670
- The Speedster, it's a perfect
creation.
1132
00:56:06,710 --> 00:56:09,040
It's one of the most beautiful
automobiles
1133
00:56:09,070 --> 00:56:11,980
in my opinion, that has ever
been made.
1134
00:56:12,010 --> 00:56:14,110
It's just a perfect balanced
machine.
1135
00:56:14,150 --> 00:56:16,620
And I think he thought exactly
the same,
1136
00:56:16,650 --> 00:56:19,720
that this car would be perfect
for racing.
1137
00:56:19,750 --> 00:56:22,920
It's compact, it's small,
and it just looks sturdy
1138
00:56:22,950 --> 00:56:24,020
in every way.
1139
00:56:25,720 --> 00:56:28,730
Skip Hudson wanted to be
seen by the photographers.
1140
00:56:28,760 --> 00:56:31,560
He wanted to stand out, to be
able to come into the press.
1141
00:56:31,600 --> 00:56:34,930
All his race cars was either
white, red,
1142
00:56:34,970 --> 00:56:37,740
gray, there was nothing unique
to them.
1143
00:56:37,770 --> 00:56:40,170
So he decided to put two
stipes down the front
1144
00:56:40,210 --> 00:56:42,740
running down the back, and it
did work.
1145
00:56:42,770 --> 00:56:44,880
It drew attention of
all the photographers.
1146
00:56:44,910 --> 00:56:46,680
There again, is it a myth?
1147
00:56:46,710 --> 00:56:47,680
Is it a story?
1148
00:56:47,710 --> 00:56:49,650
Could it actually be a
fact that Skip Hudson
1149
00:56:49,680 --> 00:56:51,750
was the guy who started the
stripes
1150
00:56:51,780 --> 00:56:55,920
down the middle of the sports
cars that we see today?
1151
00:56:58,820 --> 00:57:00,730
But of course, the most famous
outing
1152
00:57:00,760 --> 00:57:02,830
of my Speedster, would be
1153
00:57:03,800 --> 00:57:05,800
1956 Pebble Beach races.
1154
00:57:07,130 --> 00:57:11,100
On the 17th lap, Skip Hudson
was maintaining first place
1155
00:57:11,140 --> 00:57:14,570
until he lost control of little
Speedster,
1156
00:57:14,610 --> 00:57:16,610
he crashed into some tree
stumps,
1157
00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:19,110
the left front panel was
actually damaged,
1158
00:57:19,140 --> 00:57:20,910
but it wasn't damaged enough
1159
00:57:20,950 --> 00:57:22,510
so he couldn't continue the race
1160
00:57:22,550 --> 00:57:23,550
and he did.
1161
00:57:23,580 --> 00:57:27,820
And he actually came
second place in that race.
1162
00:57:27,850 --> 00:57:30,090
He's kind of a forgotten race
driver.
1163
00:57:30,120 --> 00:57:33,630
And in some of the documents
that I found,
1164
00:57:33,660 --> 00:57:34,960
that came with my car,
1165
00:57:34,990 --> 00:57:37,960
there's something that he wrote
in there,
1166
00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,530
which I find a little bit sad
1167
00:57:40,570 --> 00:57:42,530
that he wrote, but it's very
true in everything in life.
1168
00:57:42,570 --> 00:57:44,240
He said, "If you don't come
first,
1169
00:57:44,270 --> 00:57:46,270
"you're not remembered."
1170
00:57:47,670 --> 00:57:50,110
but there again, why should
he have been remembered?
1171
00:57:50,140 --> 00:57:52,540
He was there together with
everybody else.
1172
00:57:52,580 --> 00:57:54,310
He was there to start it.
1173
00:57:54,350 --> 00:57:56,080
I mean, who were these young
guys?
1174
00:57:56,110 --> 00:57:59,120
They're just normal guys
who would jump in their car,
1175
00:57:59,150 --> 00:58:02,290
drive down to the race track and
race.
1176
00:58:06,830 --> 00:58:10,900
Imagining Skip Hudson being
behind my steering wheel,
1177
00:58:10,930 --> 00:58:14,600
is quite a thought, it's
quite amazing, actually
1178
00:58:14,630 --> 00:58:16,740
that I'm over here in Spain
1179
00:58:16,770 --> 00:58:20,270
with Danish origin myself,
and I'm driving a car
1180
00:58:20,310 --> 00:58:22,310
that used to race in America.
1181
00:58:22,340 --> 00:58:24,610
I think that's fantastic.
1182
00:58:38,320 --> 00:58:41,230
- One of the things that was
most
1183
00:58:41,260 --> 00:58:44,160
intriguing about going
down to Pebble Beach
1184
00:58:44,200 --> 00:58:47,930
was the Concord that went along
with it.
1185
00:58:47,970 --> 00:58:50,840
- Of course down there, is just
who's who
1186
00:58:50,870 --> 00:58:53,300
of beautiful, beautiful
automobile.
1187
00:58:53,340 --> 00:58:56,070
- There were a lot of
socialites at Pebble Beach.
1188
00:58:56,110 --> 00:58:59,240
They would come down for the
conquerors.
1189
00:58:59,280 --> 00:59:02,610
They were just starting to get
interested
1190
00:59:02,650 --> 00:59:04,080
in car racing.
1191
00:59:04,120 --> 00:59:06,920
I think that was something new
to them.
1192
00:59:06,950 --> 00:59:08,920
- It wasn't just Hollywood.
1193
00:59:08,950 --> 00:59:12,290
There were actresses that were
considered
1194
00:59:14,760 --> 00:59:17,130
the sort of thing.
1195
00:59:17,160 --> 00:59:19,230
If you sat at certain tables
1196
00:59:19,260 --> 00:59:22,300
you were identifiable as a
socialite.
1197
00:59:26,000 --> 00:59:28,410
- I thought brilliantly arranged
1198
00:59:28,440 --> 00:59:31,280
to have it coincide the same
weekend
1199
00:59:31,310 --> 00:59:33,410
as the Concourse that had gone
1200
00:59:33,440 --> 00:59:35,050
through all these years.
1201
00:59:35,080 --> 00:59:37,780
After having started with the
car racing
1202
00:59:37,820 --> 00:59:39,380
through the forest in 1950.
1203
00:59:39,420 --> 00:59:43,090
Then in 1956, the racing being
canceled,
1204
00:59:43,120 --> 00:59:46,930
the Concourse kept on
running in its own way.
1205
00:59:47,830 --> 00:59:50,860
And had gone through some
high and low periods,
1206
00:59:50,900 --> 00:59:52,260
but was enjoying generally
1207
00:59:52,300 --> 00:59:55,230
of a very wonderful reputation
worldwide.
1208
00:59:55,270 --> 00:59:57,340
- All I remember was good
picnics
1209
00:59:57,370 --> 01:00:00,040
on the side of the track,
1210
01:00:00,070 --> 01:00:01,210
great parties.
1211
01:00:03,110 --> 01:00:05,380
Bring your own booze.
1212
01:00:05,410 --> 01:00:07,810
- And pretty girls, oh boy!
1213
01:00:09,210 --> 01:00:11,080
- I remember the picnics much
more
1214
01:00:11,120 --> 01:00:12,850
than I do the races.
1215
01:00:13,920 --> 01:00:15,790
- Yeah, it was wonderful.
1216
01:00:22,430 --> 01:00:23,800
- You look back, you think,
1217
01:00:23,830 --> 01:00:26,060
that was a time I could've died.
1218
01:00:26,100 --> 01:00:27,830
And this was a time I could've
died.
1219
01:00:27,870 --> 01:00:30,340
You wonder how you ever
get to be 30 years old.
1220
01:00:30,370 --> 01:00:34,040
- There was a lot of
questions about safety
1221
01:00:35,070 --> 01:00:37,080
as far as crowd control,
1222
01:00:40,250 --> 01:00:41,110
trees.
1223
01:00:43,150 --> 01:00:45,420
- They had little tires
1224
01:00:45,450 --> 01:00:46,450
and a lot of power.
1225
01:00:46,480 --> 01:00:48,950
So they would be skidding
all over the place.
1226
01:00:48,990 --> 01:00:51,190
- The helmets were not much
1227
01:00:52,790 --> 01:00:55,060
than just a normal hat.
1228
01:00:55,090 --> 01:00:57,930
- They did manage to put a few
hay bales
1229
01:00:57,960 --> 01:00:59,160
on the corners,
1230
01:01:00,300 --> 01:01:02,700
which seemed to help a bit.
1231
01:01:03,530 --> 01:01:05,270
- No place to go for an escape.
1232
01:01:05,300 --> 01:01:09,110
Right off the paddock
on the start and finish
1233
01:01:10,010 --> 01:01:13,910
there was maybe 10 feet of soft
shoulder
1234
01:01:13,950 --> 01:01:16,880
and then the big pine
trees are right there.
1235
01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:20,950
So you didn't have much
of an avenue of escape.
1236
01:01:20,990 --> 01:01:24,060
- It had this little Philip of
danger
1237
01:01:25,890 --> 01:01:27,290
in the background.
1238
01:01:28,490 --> 01:01:31,030
You knew that if something went
wrong,
1239
01:01:31,060 --> 01:01:33,530
it could go terribly wrong.
1240
01:01:33,560 --> 01:01:36,170
Instead of scaring people off,
1241
01:01:37,100 --> 01:01:39,370
many people were drawn to it
1242
01:01:40,410 --> 01:01:42,140
because of that.
1243
01:01:42,170 --> 01:01:44,510
So you had a little bit of
everything
1244
01:01:44,540 --> 01:01:46,340
in sports car racing.
1245
01:01:50,880 --> 01:01:52,880
- When the accident happened,
1246
01:01:52,920 --> 01:01:54,990
I'm sure I was following.
1247
01:01:55,990 --> 01:01:58,820
Jack McAfee at the time and did
not see
1248
01:01:58,860 --> 01:02:00,830
Ernie coming down the hill
1249
01:02:00,860 --> 01:02:02,860
until I heard the crash.
1250
01:02:05,330 --> 01:02:08,230
- Ernie was an aggressive
driver.
1251
01:02:08,270 --> 01:02:11,970
Some say that perhaps he
shouldn't have driven,
1252
01:02:12,000 --> 01:02:14,540
he should have stayed with
engineering,
1253
01:02:14,570 --> 01:02:16,570
which was really his forte.
1254
01:02:16,610 --> 01:02:19,210
But he just loved to drive.
1255
01:02:19,240 --> 01:02:20,910
- You know, his number one asset
1256
01:02:20,950 --> 01:02:23,350
was a mechanic and fabricator.
1257
01:02:24,220 --> 01:02:26,990
And when he stepped into the
Ferrari,
1258
01:02:27,020 --> 01:02:29,890
you know, albeit, he did very
well
1259
01:02:29,920 --> 01:02:33,120
for a couple of races, but
when you go to Pebble Beach
1260
01:02:33,160 --> 01:02:35,830
and there is no room for error.
1261
01:02:37,460 --> 01:02:39,100
- By now the cars were so fast
1262
01:02:39,130 --> 01:02:40,500
on the Pebble Beach course.
1263
01:02:40,530 --> 01:02:42,870
Through the rises past the trees
1264
01:02:42,900 --> 01:02:45,270
and hay bales, spectator fencing
1265
01:02:45,300 --> 01:02:47,340
just you know, a few feet away
1266
01:02:47,370 --> 01:02:49,140
off the course.
1267
01:02:49,170 --> 01:02:50,610
- It was amazing that they
didn't have
1268
01:02:50,640 --> 01:02:52,910
an incident like that in the
year
1269
01:02:52,940 --> 01:02:54,850
or two previous, 'cause
they started having
1270
01:02:54,880 --> 01:02:57,220
some pretty high horse powered
cars
1271
01:02:57,250 --> 01:03:00,250
on little tracks like Torrey
Pines and Pebble Beach.
1272
01:03:00,290 --> 01:03:02,490
It was really a matter of time
1273
01:03:02,520 --> 01:03:04,460
'til somebody got hurt.
1274
01:03:05,360 --> 01:03:07,530
- Earnie and the 4.4 that he was
driving
1275
01:03:07,560 --> 01:03:10,630
was really trying to make up
1276
01:03:10,660 --> 01:03:13,000
and move up on the leaders
1277
01:03:14,130 --> 01:03:17,000
and was doing a spectacular job.
1278
01:03:17,040 --> 01:03:19,240
- He was attempting to pass
1279
01:03:21,470 --> 01:03:24,310
a car on the approach to turn
six.
1280
01:03:26,140 --> 01:03:28,480
He missed a downshift.
1281
01:03:28,510 --> 01:03:31,050
He skidded into hay bales
1282
01:03:31,080 --> 01:03:34,620
and ricochet into a
tree and died instantly.
1283
01:03:38,160 --> 01:03:40,930
- Ernie McAfee was
driving the car in 1956.
1284
01:03:40,960 --> 01:03:42,890
It was damaged very heavily.
1285
01:03:42,930 --> 01:03:45,260
The family that owned it
was the Doheny family.
1286
01:03:45,300 --> 01:03:48,030
They had retained the
car after it was crashed.
1287
01:03:48,070 --> 01:03:50,140
They thought, you know,
was on the borderline
1288
01:03:50,170 --> 01:03:52,100
of being destroyed, but they
painstakingly
1289
01:03:52,140 --> 01:03:54,340
spent two years restoring it,
1290
01:03:54,370 --> 01:03:56,310
bringing it back to
its original condition.
1291
01:03:56,340 --> 01:03:58,180
Was always blue with a white
stripe
1292
01:03:58,210 --> 01:03:59,950
and the number 76.
1293
01:03:59,980 --> 01:04:01,580
It was probably a late entry,
1294
01:04:01,610 --> 01:04:04,380
so in order to get in, they
put a number two on it.
1295
01:04:04,420 --> 01:04:05,980
That was the way that it raced
1296
01:04:06,020 --> 01:04:07,990
at Pebble Beach in 1956.
1297
01:04:08,020 --> 01:04:12,120
- And that accident, the
loss of Ernie McAfee,
1298
01:04:12,160 --> 01:04:15,130
not only caused a restart of the
race,
1299
01:04:15,160 --> 01:04:19,100
but it caused the finish
of the Pebble Beach races.
1300
01:04:19,130 --> 01:04:22,130
They would never race there
again.
1301
01:04:32,010 --> 01:04:34,350
After the tragic death of Ernie
McAfee
1302
01:04:34,380 --> 01:04:37,520
and after the restart of the
race in 1956,
1303
01:04:37,550 --> 01:04:40,250
Carroll Shelby went on to win
1304
01:04:40,290 --> 01:04:42,690
in Decal's 750 Monza.
1305
01:04:42,720 --> 01:04:45,020
Phil Hill was second and Jack
McAfee
1306
01:04:45,060 --> 01:04:47,590
driving John Edgar 857S Ferrari.
1307
01:04:48,590 --> 01:04:51,330
A wonderful looking car
with a tail fin on it
1308
01:04:51,360 --> 01:04:52,230
was third.
1309
01:04:53,500 --> 01:04:54,600
But that was the last of it.
1310
01:04:54,630 --> 01:04:57,100
There would never be any
racing at Pebble Beach again.
1311
01:04:57,140 --> 01:05:01,570
Only the time honored
and wonderful prestigious
1312
01:05:01,610 --> 01:05:05,410
Concord d'Eleganza continues to
this day.
1313
01:05:05,440 --> 01:05:07,350
Now, the races are canceled.
1314
01:05:07,380 --> 01:05:09,550
Sam Morse is very concerned,
1315
01:05:09,580 --> 01:05:11,750
and he wants his cash flow to
continue
1316
01:05:11,780 --> 01:05:13,180
to come on through.
1317
01:05:13,220 --> 01:05:14,720
He goes to Monterey,
1318
01:05:14,750 --> 01:05:17,320
they concur, they form a group
1319
01:05:17,360 --> 01:05:20,060
they call themselves the Sports
Car
1320
01:05:20,090 --> 01:05:24,100
racing on the Monterey Peninsula
SCRAMP
1321
01:05:24,130 --> 01:05:27,770
and with the good fortune
of a man named Lou Gold,
1322
01:05:27,800 --> 01:05:31,640
was placed as a first
chief or head of SCRAMP.
1323
01:05:32,670 --> 01:05:35,610
- And SCRAMP was the
group that got together
1324
01:05:35,640 --> 01:05:37,710
with the U.S. Army.
1325
01:05:37,740 --> 01:05:39,740
Who had a little bit of property
there
1326
01:05:39,780 --> 01:05:41,080
called .
1327
01:05:41,110 --> 01:05:42,480
They took a corner of
1328
01:05:42,510 --> 01:05:45,480
and in I believe was in 90 days,
1329
01:05:45,520 --> 01:05:48,320
and for a very small sum of
money,
1330
01:05:48,350 --> 01:05:50,690
I think it was about $100,000,
1331
01:05:50,720 --> 01:05:54,090
they built Laguna Seca Raceway.
1332
01:05:54,130 --> 01:05:56,690
- So the Pebble Beach races in
1957
1333
01:05:56,730 --> 01:05:58,760
actually continued in name only
1334
01:05:58,800 --> 01:06:02,630
by going to Laguna Seca
as the eighth annual
1335
01:06:02,670 --> 01:06:06,340
Pebble Beach National
Championship races.
1336
01:06:06,370 --> 01:06:09,270
- In many ways, it's amazing
the evolution of this.
1337
01:06:09,310 --> 01:06:12,210
You know, Pebble Beach
and some of the pioneers
1338
01:06:12,240 --> 01:06:13,740
driving these cars.
1339
01:06:13,780 --> 01:06:16,050
These heroes through the pine
trees
1340
01:06:16,080 --> 01:06:19,780
ended up evolving into a
purpose built racetrack
1341
01:06:19,820 --> 01:06:21,350
called Laguna Seca.
1342
01:06:21,390 --> 01:06:22,820
It was a world audience.
1343
01:06:22,850 --> 01:06:26,320
The MOTO GPs, the Grand Am
series.
1344
01:06:26,360 --> 01:06:29,230
Some of the most prestigious
series in motor sports
1345
01:06:29,260 --> 01:06:32,530
come to Monterey County and
guess where they go now?
1346
01:06:32,560 --> 01:06:33,560
Laguna Seca.
1347
01:06:44,740 --> 01:06:48,550
- For a long time, after
the end of that era,
1348
01:06:49,510 --> 01:06:50,480
it was forgotten.
1349
01:06:50,520 --> 01:06:54,550
And only until, I would
say the last 25 years,
1350
01:06:54,590 --> 01:06:57,260
has the remembrance reappeared.
1351
01:06:59,320 --> 01:07:01,830
And a such an interesting piece
of history
1352
01:07:01,860 --> 01:07:03,790
of auto racing.
1353
01:07:03,830 --> 01:07:06,130
- I think it's important
that we don't only focus
1354
01:07:06,160 --> 01:07:07,530
on the guys that made first
place,
1355
01:07:07,570 --> 01:07:10,540
or were driving the most
exotic cars at the time,
1356
01:07:10,570 --> 01:07:12,100
like the Ferraris.
1357
01:07:12,140 --> 01:07:14,210
But let's not forget the guys
1358
01:07:14,240 --> 01:07:16,270
that came number two and they
were driving
1359
01:07:16,310 --> 01:07:18,310
under 1500 engines.
1360
01:07:18,340 --> 01:07:21,580
And let's not forget their
families out there today.
1361
01:07:21,610 --> 01:07:23,510
Let's give them honors as well
1362
01:07:23,550 --> 01:07:26,220
that they were part of history.
1363
01:07:32,820 --> 01:07:35,830
- As far as being a gentleman
sport,
1364
01:07:37,630 --> 01:07:40,200
I guess you could say it was.
1365
01:07:47,910 --> 01:07:50,740
- It was a romantic period of
racing
1366
01:07:50,780 --> 01:07:52,180
that it's gone,
1367
01:07:53,540 --> 01:07:55,510
it's no longer with us.
1368
01:08:00,520 --> 01:08:02,750
- I miss that exciting time,
1369
01:08:04,790 --> 01:08:07,390
when we were all a large group
1370
01:08:08,730 --> 01:08:10,130
of enthusiasts.
1371
01:08:14,970 --> 01:08:17,370
- It was quite a big thing.
1372
01:08:18,570 --> 01:08:22,440
It was an enjoyable thing
at the time, really.
1373
01:08:26,480 --> 01:08:29,580
- These are the ghosts of Pebble
Beach.
1374
01:08:29,610 --> 01:08:30,820
I don't know how else to say it,
1375
01:08:30,850 --> 01:08:32,680
but nothing is really there
1376
01:08:32,720 --> 01:08:35,850
to show you that these races
happened.
1377
01:08:35,890 --> 01:08:39,190
And I think this was a much
bigger deal
1378
01:08:39,220 --> 01:08:41,890
than people can even fathom
today.
1379
01:08:45,660 --> 01:08:46,930
- We look back at that age,
1380
01:08:46,960 --> 01:08:48,930
and every age in the past
1381
01:08:48,970 --> 01:08:51,340
is always called a Golden Age,
1382
01:08:51,370 --> 01:08:52,940
a Heroic Age.
1383
01:08:52,970 --> 01:08:55,510
As a man once said, "You
can return to a place,
1384
01:08:55,540 --> 01:08:57,910
"but not to a time."
1385
01:08:57,940 --> 01:09:01,410
The Cal Club days of that era
are gone
1386
01:09:01,450 --> 01:09:05,580
and it just remains in
photographs, maps, and memories.
1387
01:09:10,460 --> 01:09:12,790
- The words Pebble Beach are
just,
1388
01:09:12,820 --> 01:09:15,830
they're almost magical in that
1389
01:09:15,860 --> 01:09:20,200
this is where American sports
car racing really began.
1390
01:09:30,040 --> 01:09:32,340
- It was just a magic time.
1391
01:09:32,380 --> 01:09:35,010
Racing through the trees.
1392
01:09:39,620 --> 01:09:42,620
- But it all started at Pebble
Beach.
107407
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