Hill Tribute Number 4 for September 7
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Sixty years ago this week, Phil Hill won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, and the World Championship. Photo by Jim Sitz
This is the last of Jim Sitz’s recollections of Phil Hill as we celebrate his World Championship year with the victory at Monza on September 10th. We have also combined all four of Jim’s photo recollections we have previously published this summer, so scroll down to read them all. Our thanks to Jim and his incredible memory, photography, and never ending contributions to the history of motorsports.
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Hill in thought at the Times Grand Prix, October 16, 1960. I have no idea what he was thinking, but probably the poor performance of the von Neumann Ferrari was foremost in his mind. It was not improved or quick enough to deal with the new Maserati Birdcage and a pair of Lotus 19s driven by Moss and Gurney.
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Hill and Harold. There seems to be a little disagreement between the tense driver and patient mechanic, Mr. Harold Broughton. The mechanic got his start tuning Ferraris by repairing body work for damaged VWs arriving at von Neumann’s dealership in 1957. Eleanor von Neumann had just gotten the new Testa Rossa, fresh from the Goodwood Tourist Trophy, but Hill was having some trouble getting it up to speed and asked Harold to pump up the tires even more. So the sweet natured man (another life time friend till his death) got the portable compressor and fiddled around with the gauge, pretending to do just that. Phil went out and came back faster and satisfied!
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With Cooper, Riverside GP, November 20, 1960. Hill had to drive a Cooper since Ferrari did not send any factory cars. He found a ride in a Cooper entered by Yeoman Credit Racing, teamed with Tony Brooks, Oliver Gendebien and Henry Taylor. Phil was not happy with the seat, and had the mechanics fabricate a new one before the race. Tony Robinson, chief mechanic, was not amused. That evening, I happened to be at the Yeoman garage, and heard Robinson refer to “…the new throne for his Majesty.” Phil finished 6th. Photo by Jim Sitz
Previous Segments
Hill Tribute Number 3 for August 2
This week, 60 years ago on August 6th, Phil was at the Nurburgring where he placed third, behind von Trips and Moss, who garnered one of his greatest victories that day. Still, during practice, Hill became the first man to lap under 9 minutes, coming in at 8 minutes 55.2 seconds for pole position. Sitz recalls that Phil came into pits, and all the press was making a big fuss. Then he just blurted out, ”Yea, did one lap without screwing up.” The race finished with von Trips with 33 points for the World Championship, Hill 29 and Moss 21. The Championship would be decided at Monza, September 10th.
We continue with a few more of Jim’s photos from 1955 and 1956, taken at Torrey Pines and Pebble Beach. Recalls Sitz:
Torrey Pines had eight events there from December 1951 through January 1956. Plans to build the new golf course could have included allowing racing to remain and co-exist with golf, but there were insufficient letters to San Diego city council for them to consider the idea, a real shame. Now the area is all medical buildings and gated communities, one called the Black Horse Stable, where Michael Lynch lived in the 1990s. How about that?
Funny thing about that final fling at Torrey Pines: von Neumann ran the Mondial for Phil and Richie and a Monza on Sunday for Phil, and also a 550 Spyder for Ken Miles to make his Porsche debut. But Johnny himself was not driving. They blew up the old Mondial and von Neumann had them fit the bigger 3-liter motor for Pebble Beach coming in April. Oddly, von Neumann sold off all his Ferrari sports racers, but did keep his original MG special as raced in 1951. Sentimental, I guess. I thought the nicest cars he ran were pair of 500 TRCs for himself and Richie.
The final event at Pebble Beach in 1956 was due to death of (the very popular) Ernie McAfee, the local Ferrari importer in Hollywood race won by Shelby in last year’s winner 750 Monza. Typical of Phil, he kindly helped Ernie’s widow Jean with all the paperwork and affairs at the Ferrari dealership owned by sportsman William Doheny. This event was my first assignment for Auto Age magazine and I stalled and procrastinated making my report but finally put on my big boy pants and got it done. Welcome to the real world, Sitz.
All photos below taken by Jim Sitz with Hasselblad with standard ektar 80mm lens.
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Phil has trouble getting off the line at Torrey Pines in the four cylinder Ferrari Mondial, s/n 0438 M, January 14, 1956. Manny (or Manning) Post, a friend of von Neumann, was listed at the entrant for Hill’s Ferrari Mondial at Torrey Pines. For some reason, von Neumann let him ‘enter’ the car in his name. Not sure why. Porfirio Rubirosa brought that Ferrari out west and ran the September 4th event at Santa Barbara in 1954. He got beat by Ernie McAfee in a Siata 208, and sold it to von Neumann. I was there for the Santa Barbara race and walked into pit area. There was the Mondial in dark blue and next to it was the gorgeous Zsa Zsa Gabor. It was all just stunning and did not know what to look at first. Well, I had just turned 16 at the time.
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In his early days Phil was better known as a Jaguar driver, using his own car and those of importer Charles Hornburg. But he ran his own Ferrari at Golden Gate and Torrey Pines in the summer of 1952. After that, he was determined to become and remain a Ferrari man, even in 1954 when John Wyer offered him a works Aston for Sebring. By the next year Hill had Ferrari owners all over America asking him to drive. He was real Hired Gun and drove for Allen Guiberson, George Tilp, and John von Neumann. Here he is out on the course with the von Neumann Mondial 0438MD at Torrey Pines January 14, 1956
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The weekend of January 14-15 was a busy but overall unsuccessful one for Hill and von Neumann. And confusing for Ferrari historians. On Saturday Phil drove the Pinin Farina Mondial 0438 M, number 82, but failed to finish. On Sunday he drove the von Neumann 750 Monza, s/n 0582 M, which is seen here harassing the TR2 of Mary Bishop. I recall Hill being a bit testy that day, and again he DNF’d. Thankfully our friends the late Mr. Lynch and David Seielstad wrote a three part history of the von Neumann Ferraris for Cavallino numbers 124, 125, and 126.
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Pebble Beach SCCA National April 20-22, 1956. Hill in the ex Fangio Ferrari 860 (0604 M) which won at Sebring a month earlier and now owned by von Neumann. Hill had trailered the 860 from Florida to California right after the win at Sebring, parking it overnight in Texas; times were quite different then, and he left it on the highway on the trailer behind the station wagon. No big deal, as Hill told me of that journey. Phil took second to Shelby in a Monza, but it was the last event at Pebble after death of Ernie McAfee.
Hill Tribute Number 2 for July 13
Jim Sitz’s first tribute to Phil Hill, Jim Sitz Remembers Phil Hill was published on June 14 and received a great number of very complimentary comments. Jim’s recollections and insights illuminate a rarely seen side of the champion. This week, as we celebrate the British Grand Prix (held on July 15, 1961) of Hill’s championship year, Sitz recalls seeing Hill at Torrey Pines and Sebring, 1956 as both gain in stature in their respective careers.
During the 1961 Grand Prix season, Hill had placed 3rd at Monaco, 2nd at Zandvoort, 1st at Spa. At the British Grand Prix at Aintree, Hill placed 2nd to von Trips who drove a superb race. While Phil spun, teammate Ginther got by and then allowed Phil to pass into 2nd place and staying in the lead for the Championship by one point. The pressure was building, race by race.
Next installment will be on Tuesday, August 3, to coincide with the Grand Prix of Germany on August 6, 1961.
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January 14, 1956. Phil and Paul Richard Ginther prepare the von Neumann Ferrari Mondial 0438MD for the six hour endurance run at Torrey Pines, located just outside of San Diego. Phil had won there in the summer of 1952 driving his own Ferrari 212. At left, note the new loaner Mercedes 220 provided to Hill by Max Hoffman, who was trying to create interest in the brand.
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At Torrey Pines, Henry Pickett and friend David Sykes give a hand tuning the Mondial 500. Looks like Phil has lost something. The car had been owned by Porfirio Rubirosa, who ran it at Santa Barbara in 1954. It was then acquired by John von Neumann, who painted the original dark blue car Ferrari red and drove it to the next event.
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Despite having a contract for the 1956 season with the Ferrari factory, Hill chose to run this Sebring with friend George Tilp of New Jersey. He began the season in Argentina with a works car finishing a fine 2nd to Stirling Moss and went on to win the Swedish round in August. His place in the Ferrari squad in Florida was taken by another American, Jim Kimberly, who partnered with de Portago in the works 857 Monza. I think that he chose to wave the U.S. flag in this round, much the way Cunningham had done when his cars won the 12 hour grind in past 3 years with U.S. drivers Phil Walters and John Fitch. The idea was that Phil and Tilp would then travel to Europe in their own car, doing very well in non-championship events and making other privateers jealous, thinking the American team was getting special attention from Modena.
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“So, Sitz…You made it!”
Just a month before Sebring in 1956, I saw Phil at our local SCCA event at Palm Springs. It was cold and windy, and we shared a coffee behind the von Neumann transporter. He suddenly asked, “Are you going to Sebring?” I hesitated, but had to say that would be one expensive trip and my first one out of California. He gave me that rather annoyed look and said, “Sitz, you seriously wanna be a journalist or not?” Phil went on to inform me it would be the first time all the big teams would would enter, whereas before just Aston Martin or Lancia had done so. It was the best advice I ever received. I was just 17, finished with school and Phil’s urging gave me the confidence to take a plane to Florida. It paid off in promotion for myself, as I sent photos to several different magazines like Motor Italia, Motor Revue and a Swedish magazine.
I arrived in Sebring some days before the 12-hour grind, and found my way to the top of the pits to get an overall look of the action. I spotted Phil and shouted his name. He looked up at me and I snapped his smile with my new wonderful Hasselblad. “So, Sitz…you made it!” yelled Phil.
It seems to me that afterwards Phil decided I was no longer just a crazy teen age kid and my arrival in Europe the next season did not come as surprise, and my work became known to organizers of the Grand Prix events. Thanks Phil…
Hill Tribute Number 1 for June 15
Recently, working with Jim Sitz, we recalled that it was 60 years ago that Phil Hill won the Formula One World Championship. So why not put together something on Phil Hill, divide the photos up into four segments, each of which to be published close to the date of Phil’s remaining 1961 F1 races, culminating in the Grand Prix of Monza. And, in addition to Jim’s photos, we sneak in a couple from other photographers. But throughout we’ll get Jim to provide first hand recollections of his talks with Hill over the many years they knew each other.
You’ll catch on. We begin by noting, with pleasure, Phil’s F1 race at the Belgian Grand Prix, run on June 18th, 1961. He had already placed 3rd at Monaco and 2nd at Zandvoort. At Spa, Phil won his second Grand Prix victory after a thrilling fight with teammates Oliver Gendebien and Wolfgang von Trips.
Below, Jim Sitz recalls conversations he had with Phil over the years, providing a unique and private view of America’s first World Champion. Our next segment will be published on July 13, the week of the 1961 British Grand Prix on July 15.
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October 15, 1950 Don Parkinson ahead of Hill at Carrell Speedway, located 10 miles southwest of Los Angeles. Parkinson was Hill’s brother-in-law. “Parkinson worked for his famous family of architects in Los Angeles. His dad had the best cars prewar: Alfas, BMW, Mercedes SSK. Don Parkinson got his own Jag XK120 late in 1949; it was silver grey and provided the car (and himself) for a Road & Track road test, doing the speed runs. I watched him win at Palm Springs in 1951, beating his brother-in-law Phil, who had a factory car built for Le Mans that year.” My friend Strother MacMinn was the photographer, courtesy of Bob Ames and Dale LaFollette.
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A rare shot of Phil in Basil Panzer’s Allard at Pikes Peak, September, 1950, taken by Strother MacMinn. It was a tough car to drive. Many years later, Phil was writing a series of articles for Road & Track on historic racing cars. I suggested something more light hearted, like maybe driving the Allard at Pikes Peak. He snapped back, ignoring the attempt at humor, and said, “So, Sitz, you think that was fun?”
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After Sebring 1954 where Phil drove a Ferrari 4.5 with Bill Spears, Phil decided to retire from racing. He was living on baby food and told me he had an ulcer at the time, or maybe it was just nerves. But he couldn’t resist the lure of racing, and on July 4th showed up at Torrey Pines with Dorothy Deen’s Triumph TR 2. I caught this photo of Phil, and when I look at it today I am amazed at how frail he appears. He drove anyway. Sitz photo, courtesy IMRRC.
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Forty years later I asked him why he drove a lowly TR 2 at Torrey. He told me he did not want to make a big splash with a Ferrari, after a four month layoff since Sebring, just wanting to put a toe back in the waters before going to Mexico with a Ferrari 4.5. I also asked him if car owner and motor tycoon Dorothy Deen (whom I later married) insisted he drive. “Well Jim, you know how she is, she twisted my arm.” This photo was taken by Bob Rolofson.
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By the end of the year Phil was looking much better. This photo came to me by way of Stephen Payne, whose father Phillip was a mechanic who worked at Roger Barlow’s dealership along with Phil. The Lacoste Crocodile was a favorite of Phil’s but always reminded me of the cartoon in theNew Yorker where a crododile walks into a men’s clothing store and asks the salesman for a shirt with a tiny man on it.
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At the end of 1955, I was working at Drewry Color Photo lab in Glendale California, on West Colorado St, right next door to the offices at Road & Track. On Saturday, November 12, I could hear the cars practicing for the SCCA event at the Glendale Grand Central Airport, about a mile away. My boss, Duane Sterling, was a great guy and when he saw how enthused I was about the race, he said, “Take off!” I quickly found my way to the paddock area where I found Phil and mechanic Henry Pickett, working on the Ferrari 750 Monza, 0492M, driven by owner John von Neumann. He looked so much happier now that he was driving Ferraris again, in this case, those two Monzas owned by Johnny von Neumann, who was now the West Coast Ferrari distributor. As Michael Lynch and David Seielstad reported in Cavallino # 125, von Neumann brought two Monzas to that event. He drove 0492 M to sixth overall, while the other similar Monza 750, serial number 0582 M, was driven by Phil to first overall. Sitz photo, courtesy IMRRC.
Jim – Thank You for this. It is beautifully done, giving us a colorful account of the Man, the Driver. I probably missed it, but I don’t remember mention of His favorite car, possibly one of the Testarossas or the 4.5, my favorites as well. You emphasize the ease with which Phil moved from piloting one Ferrari Tipo to another, giving up nothing, exhibiting His full reportoire. Phil’s wonderful friendship with Fangio further demonstrates his acceptance into that “Inner Circle”. By necessity, the scope of your reminisces has been limited. There is a Spirit there that could carry into production of a full length Best Seller, Especially now with Ferrari collecting at its height. Fatto molto bene!!!!! Walt
The first caption should read 1960 Times GP instead of 1959. In 1959 there were no Birdcages in the U.S. and the Lotus 19 did not exist yet. Phil won the 1959 edition but was outclassed in the 1960 one.
Jim Sitz has opened his trove of on the scene observations, for us to feast on. From whom else would we have gotten such tasty morsels of Phil Hill, the first American World Champion. In these pages, Jim has shown us that his past photos did tell thousand words, but never the whole story. With his keen observations and memories, his words have fleshed out a more complete picture of our hero Phil Hill. Only Jim could have done it and he did it. Thanks,
Thanks Willem, it is corrected.
Pete, that means the date has to be changed as well. In 1960 the Times Grand Prix was held on October 16.
Phil Hill’s snappish comment about driving an Allard at Pikes Peak in 1950 could have had something to do with having been 21st out of the 23 finishers. There was no sports car class until three years later, so the Allard was lumped in with the hill climb specials, and a 2.9 Alfa Romeo driven by Johnny Mauro.
Gotcha…
I know that Jim Sitz was anxious to recognize his friend Phil Hill’s 1961 world championship, and, with the able help of Veloce Today, he’s done it in fine style.
On the Colorado Grand in the 1990s, Phil and I were walking around during lunch in Hotchkiss, Colorado, a small city on Colorado’s western slope known for its apples. Phil tasted one and wanted a bag to take home. As I walked with him I thought here I am walking around with the 1961 world drivers’ champion and not a soul in 900+ Meeker recognized him or had any idea who he was. I made a comment to that effect and drew his reply: “I like it like that!” I thought his remark was a tribute to Phil Hill the man … Thanks for sharing your memories Jim.
I can appreciate Jeff’s comment on Jim’s wonderful memoir of Mr Hill, as I was fortunate enough to spend time in the quiet haven of Hotchkiss CO in the late ‘60s. Only crack in the idyll was the sawmill making bomb racks to drop over Vietnam.
Once again life has gotten in the way of the good stuff. Now it’s time to get to the important stuff, like Mr. Jim Sitz’s friendship with Mr. Phil Hill. Being a visual person, I was able to view Mr. Sitz wonderful images in his article on Phil first. Always nice to see his candid and action pictures of such a special era. Now it is time to concentrate on his personal remembrances of his long-time friendship with him. He did not let me down there either. I can’t remember Tuesday but Jim can remember with happened nearly 70 years ago, thank God. Must have been very important to Jim. It is a real pleasure to eavesdrop on personal conversations between two good friends talking of things they truly love.
Keep it up. Allen R. Kuhn.
P.S. One of the contributors said Jim should do a book, which he should. I would tell Jim to say the same thing I said to Jay Leno when he said, that I should do a book, would you like to finance it? Jay quietly back away.
Phil was guest of honor at a Ferrari Owner’s Club dinner in Chicago in the late 1980’s. After dinner, he gave a slide/talk about his career, illustrated with a tray of slides – all of which he had taken. The audience was mesmerized; he was an excellent photographer! When he finished after talking at least an hour, he had not yet even gotten up to the 1960’s and his Championship year! One of the best nights of my life as he has long been my hero.
I brought two English-language copies for Phil to autograph of Enzo Ferrari’s book about his favorite drivers, titled, “Pilote, Che Gente!” I was stunned when Mr. Hill said he’d never seen the book. (Why wouldn’t Ferrari have sent him one, given that Phil won several Le Mans, Sebrings, and the F1 World Championship for Ferrari!)? I immediately gave him my spare copy and thanked him for having given me so many hours of pleasurable reading about his career. He was a true gentleman in every sense of the word.
Only American F1 World Champion in history until Mario Andretti in 1978 with John Player Special Lotus.