Phil Hill with a Peugeot in a R&T ad. Now listen to the recording below.
Below, we give our readers a chance to hear a rare 33 1/3 rpm recording, sent to us on a plasticized square piece of cardboard which measures seven by seven inches. It is about four minute long. It is simplistic, it is advertising, and it is not particularly well executed, even for the late 1950s. But it offers us a unique insight into what was then a new world for Americans, that of sports car racing and strange foreign cars with even stranger names. Despite being scripted, it says something about Phil Hill we may not have been able to ascertain elsewhere, and Hill explains his affection for Peugeot, which stems from his childhood. Most telling, even though it is obviously a bought and paid for commercial, it is honest, as honest as Phil Hill always was.
Click on record to listen to Phil Hill.
Note that there is a 20 second
pause at the start. A window will appear and for the duration of the recording it will be dark. To return to VT, use the back arrow in you top browser bar.
This rare audio record came our way via Serge Dermanian, a retired Ferrari restorer living in Nice, France. Shortly after publishing an excellent article by Philippe H. Defechereux, which used an ad in which Phil Hill was photographed with a Peugeot 403, we received an email from Dermanian who mentioned that he had a record to go along with the ad. He added that he would be glad to send it along. We hooked up our stereo phonograph, carefully played the ancient audio device for pickup to a digital recorder, and finally converted it to the digitized format for use on a computer.
In addition, on this old, scratchy record, we hear Road & Track Editor John R. Bond, almost a lone voice in the wilderness, who used the magazine’s power and platform to beg Detroit to build cars with good handling, quality, common sense and good gas mileage. There is a message here, then, and now.
Our thanks to Serge Dermanian for finding and sending along this rare recording of the late Phil Hill. Note that there is a 20 second pause before the actual voices are heard, so have patience.
It makes me feel proud to think I was of the same mindset as Phil Hill when it came to my love of the Peugeot 403. A friend of mine had just purchased a new 403 and we drove it from New Orleans to Shreveport(325mi.) to see an SCCA race. I owned a 54 VW bug and thought it was the best car around, but after that trip in the 403, I knew I had to have one of those. Soon after I had a sedan for me and a 403 wagon for my wife and eventually became a new car dealer for Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault. Although this didn’t become a financial success, I still don’t regret my decisions.
Peugeot performance was just as good in 1985, when my wife and I, along with another couple rushed around Scotland in a red “estate” version. They went in the back seat, as far from the expected crash as they could get, while we enjoyed travel before the dreaded speed cameras were installed everywhere. By the third day, even while sustaining 95 mph on the excellent roads, confidence in the car more than the driver enabled them relax enough to converse as we went.
The wagon was robust, sturdy, quiet, very comfortable and handled extremely well. Remarkable that so few Americans knew the history of the car, and sad that the car fell far below the radar in the US market.
Love the comparison of Yank Tanks of those days to Jukeboxes.
Never heard that one before and so apt.
Phil Hill told me the story of driving his Peugeot to von Trips’ funeral with Richie Ginther. Laura Ferrari had gone with Amerigo Manicardi, the then ‘global’ sales rep. She didn’t want to make the return trip with him and asked to go back with Phil and Richie who quickly made up a story about going to Sweden. Manicardi’s car passed the Peugeot on the return trip and Laura Ferrari asked if that wasn’t Phil’s car…he had ducked down when they saw the car coming! Good ole Peugeot stories.
Ed McDonough
Apparently Peugeot won the world’s first motor vehicle race from Paris to Rouen on 22 July 1894. Peugeot was actually beaten by a De Dion, but as that was steam powered, rather than petrol, it was relegated to second place as not being easy enough to drive (per the rules) as it required stoker.
I guess no Ferraris entered as they were too unreliable!
At the time, I worked as an engineer for Renault USA, which also distributed Peugeot (poorly). The 403 was universally respected by the French engineers, and a pleasure to work on. I later owned a 404, which was mechanically similar, and a 504, which was a significantly updated design. The cars handled beautifully on their “Michellin X” tires, and with their unusual drivetrain. I never have heard that a well maintained Ferrari was unreliable, and I’m certain that in 1894, had it existed it would have been the reliability “champ”. – Don
Pete
Reminds me of funny story the very same year I drove my VW accross America in something like 3 days,,boasted to Phil of this but he topped me by telling of his own drive straight thru in 49 hours in Peugeot ..then commented that he had his 80 year old aunt along for the trip..! The same aunt was only family member who understood him and let him take over her 1940 Packard convertible(1 of 2 built)with custom body by Bohman & Schwartz of Pasadena) Hill was only 16 at the time. Later in 1951 he used the Packard to tow his 2.9 Alfa race car to Pebble
Beach fore the races
Jim Sitz