The Fabulous Fifties NEWSLETTER September 2008 Schultz of Wauwatosa WI (Art Evans), Barry OUR FALL FESTIVAL ED JUSTICE, SR. Leitch of Invercargill NZ (Bob Schmitt), Now it’s a tradition! As in the past two Funeral services for Ed will be held on Reid Carroll of San Diego CA (who was years, our 2008 Fall Festival will feature our Thursday, September 11 at 11 a.m. in the Sky there then and Fred Puhn), Bob Bolding of Concours d’Provenance. The date is Satur- Rose Chapel at the Rose Hills Memorial Park Prescott AZ (Beverly Williams), Rick Man- day, October 11 and the location is the same & Mortuary at 3888 Workman Mill Rd., delson of Ellicott City MD (Harley Holt), as last year, the beautiful South Coast Bo- Whittier. There will be a celebration of Ed’s Steve Lloyd of Frederick MD (Harley Holt), tanic Garden at 26300 Crenshaw Boulevard life immediately after the service at the Jus- Bruce Ehrlick and Rick Barrett (no snail mail on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Things will tice Brothers Racing Museum, 2734 Hunting- addresses by Jim Paul), Gil Bouffard of get started at 10 a.m. and continue on into the ton Dr., Duarte. It was Ed’s request for peo- Manteca CA (Art Evans), Paul Merrigan of afternoon. Those who receive their newsletter ple to come and enjoy each other. La Quinta CA (Art Evans), Alice Powers of via email are treated to a page of color pho- Balboa CA (Fred Egloff), Bob Lee of Rolling tographs taken at last year’s concours. Hills CA (Ron Bennett), Jason Leon (no snail We are the only organization (non- NEWS & VIEWS mail address by Ron Bennett), Patrick Quinn organization!) to conduct a concours d’ with Art Evans of Kurrajong Heights NSW AU (Art Evans). provenance. Unlike a concours d’elegance, Quite a few of you have sent me an email LOST (Snail-mail returned by the where cars are judged by their elegance, our telling me that I can take you off the snail- USPS): Chad Struer of Redwood City CA entrants are judged by their racing prove- mail list. Thanks! At present, we have a total FOUND: David Scully by Bob Schmitt, nance. The competition is open to cars that of 1,113 on our non-member roster. But we John Martin by Earl Gandel, actually raced prior to 1970 and the same still send out 599 newsletters via snailmail. INVALID E-MAIL ADDRESSES make and model of those that actually raced. Getting your newsletter via email has advan- Membership chair Jacques Bellesiles reports Non-members are encouraged to enter plus tages: the email edition includes photographs, newsletters were not deliverable to the ad- you are also asked to encourage anyone else many in color. And we send out additional dresse on file for: Dick Irish, Art Abrahams. who has an appropriate car. An entry form is messages that are not mailed via U.S. Mail. ABSENT FRIENDS: Phil Hill; Ed Jus- on page three of this newsletter. Please, send me your email address tice Sr., Ed Mackey, Nancy; Randy St. John, The featured marque this year is Cor- ([email protected]). Cam Cooper, Craig Angel, Dave Bracken vette, but all other appropriate makes are also Some of you may have already heard via (full story next newsletter). welcome. Chairman Davey Jordan has named the net, but on August 13, Lime Rock Park Dick “Mr. Corvette” Guildstrand as the Hon- was closed for an hour and a half to honor orary Chairman. Jordan announced that a Paul Newman. He was attended by his fam- GO FAST GOOD FRIEND number of former drivers will act as judges. ily, close friends, Skip Barber, mechanics on By Bill Pollack You will have an opportunity to add to your his race team and those who happened to be Over sixty years ago, my late brother, autograph collection. at the track that day. Paul toured the track in Jim, and I drove our MG TCs to Goleta, just The Doubletree Hotel at 21333 Haw- his Corvette with his Volvo station wagon a bit north of Santa Barbara. There was to be thorne Blvd in Torrance is the headquarters following. Newman had come to say good- a time trial on abandoned roads. This was the hotel. We have a special room rate of $109. bye. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, he is first time I saw Phil Hill race. It’s best to reserve as soon as possible. Make not expected to live beyond September. Race Some time later, we met briefly in the reference to “The Fabulous Fifties” to get the driver, actor, humanitarian, family man and pits at the first Pebble Beach Race. We didn’t rate. Call (800) 222-8733, fax (310) 540- friend, they don’t come any better. have much to say and since he was driving 2065 or go on line: www.torrancesouth- The Carroll Shelby Automotive Technol- his Jaguar and I was in a blown MG, we bay.doubletree.com. There will be gatherings ogy Center has been launched at Northeast didn’t have much in common except maybe both Friday and Saturday evenings. All are Texas Community College. Its purpose is to Southern California. I thought this guy welcome including those not hotel guests. offer young people an opportunity to learn looked awfully young to be racing cars. Phil There is a lovely picnic area just adjacent valuable skills. The first class is expected to has always had a baby face and looked years to the beautiful meadow surrounded by flow- enroll this Fall. “I want to help young people younger than he was. Despite this smiling ers where the cars will be displayed. You may improve their lives through the industry that young-looking guy’s appearance, when he bring your own lunch or buy a deli lunch for has been so good to me,” Carroll said. Shelby strapped on his Cromwell and goggles he was $15 each by sending a check to Ginny Dixon, and his companies are contributing more than transformed into something quite different. I 641 Via del Monte, Palos Verdes Estates, CA half a million dollars for scholarships and was out of that first Pebble event about fifty 90274 to arrive before October 6. Please state support of the program. Additional informa- yards from the start, so I spent time watching your choice of a beef or turkey sandwich. tion is available at www.ntcc.edu. this black Jaguar number two, roaring down For spectators, the gate price is $7 with the straight. Phil had lightened and tuned his discounts for seniors and children. The fees MEMBERSHIP REPORT car to the point that it would almost fly. I are used to help maintain the garden. To get thought at the time that Phil was a competi- DONATIONS (Treasurer Alice Hanks to the garden, take the 405 Freeway to tor; definitely not just out for a ride. reported receiving from): Marc Sexton, Jim Crenshaw Blvd. Go south (towards the I was to find out later just how much this Paul, Robert W. Johnson, Fred Egloff ocean) through Torrance. After you cross mild mannered, soft-spoken young looking NEW MEMBERS (Sponsor in parenthe- Pacific Coast Hwy., you’ll begin to climb up guy could change when he got behind the sis): Bob Wenz of Los Gatos CA (Al Moss), on the peninsula. The entrance is on the left wheel of a car. Phil and I spent more time at Don Meline of Big Bear City CA (Davey and and well marked. There is a large parking lot. speed on a race course separated by a car Norma Jordan), Betty Williams of Apple If you have any questions, call Davey at length or so than we did chatting in the pits. I Valley CA (Blanche Baker), Alan Brickey of (909) 867-7998l or email him at daveynorma- liked his style and I liked the cars he drove. I Laguna Niguel CA (Kurt Bilinski), Tom [email protected]. will miss him very much. Some of the best memories of my life are ments. I always had great admiration for Phil rebuilt the family 1931 Pierce Arrow to show connected to Phil. He had great insight into and held him in high esteem. He had a great condition and won a number of concours what other drivers might or might not do and love of music and his home was filled with including the 1955 Pebble Beach. In spite of we often shared these opinions in those tortu- various musical instruments, all of which he his doctor’s warning, Phil entered and won ous minutes before the start of a race. Like could play. He was extremely intelligent and the Del Monte Trophy (main event) at Pebble most drivers, we suffered from pre-race articulate as demonstrated by the many arti- that year! nerves and often spent those moments lying cles he wrote for Road & Track. In these, he Hill gave up smoking and his stomach to each other about our strategy. combined his ability to drive unique cars and recovered, so he went back to racing. Phil I will miss Phil Hill. He was an important to relate his impressions to the readers. and Carroll Shelby piloted Guiberson’s 3-liter part of the history of racing in the U.S. “In 1979, at an MG meet in San Diego, I Ferrari Monza to finish first at Sebring in arranged a reunion of Phil and John Thornley 1955. Due to lap scoring that many felt was PHIL HILL (1927-2008) (the retired managing director of the MG Car faulty, they were relegated to second.