History

RIP Phil Hill (20-04-1927 - 28-08-2008)

© The Cahier Archive

A true American racing legend passed away today. Phil Hill, a former Formula 1 world champion and three times Le Mans 24 Hours winner, died in a hospital in Salinas, California. Hill had Parkinson’s Disease and was taken to hospital after making a visit to the Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races. He passed away there today.

Miami-born Hill came to the United Kingdom in 1949 and started his career racing Jaguars. In 1953 Hill made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in an O.S.C.A. MT-4 1300 but did not finish the event. In 1955, 1956 and 1957 Hill returned to the French circuit driving for Scuderia Ferrari in a Ferrari 121 LM, a Ferrari 625LM Touring and a Ferrari 335MM. Unfortunately the Italian cars did not make it to the end on all three occasions.

A year later in 1958 Hill was finally successful in France. Driving a Ferrari 250 TR58, together with Belgian driver Olivier Gendebien, hill won the 26th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans for Scuderia Ferrari. Two weeks later Hill made his Formula One debut at Reims in the French Grand Prix. In his Maserati 250F he finished in seventh place. He would also win the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1000km of Buenos Aires in 1958.

In 1959 and 1960 Hill did take part at Le Mans but on both events his Ferrari failed to make it to the finish. He did however win the 12 Hours of Sebring again in 1959 and in 1960 he won the 1000km of Buenos Aires for the second time as well. After scoring some podium finishes in 1959 and 1960 he also took his first win in Formula One in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

The most successful year for Phil Hill was the 1961 season. In Formula One Hill battled with team mate Wolfgang Graf Berghe von Trips for the title and took two wins in the season. When Von Trips was killed in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza it was Hill who clinched the World Championship. Driving together with Olivier Gendebien Hill also won the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time in 1961. Hill once said “While winning the 1961 Formula One championship was the biggest event of my career, the 1958 Le Mans remains my favourite race and the most rewarding to me.”

In 1962 Hill stayed with the Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One but he was unable to repeat his 1961 success. After finishing sixth in the championship standings he left the Italian squad. He did however win the Le Mans 24 Hours for the third time with Scuderia Ferrari and team mate Olivier Gendebien and also won the International ADAC 1000km Nürburgring.

After the 1962 season Hill remained active in Formula One with ATS and Ecurie Filipinetti in 1963. Without scoring a point in the ‘63 championship he then went to the Cooper team. In the Cooper T73 he only scored one point in the British Grand Prix. After that season Hill only returned to Formula One once. He tried to qualify the Eagle-Climax T1G but was unable to make it into the race.

After leaving Ferrari in 1962 Hill also changed teams for the sports car races. In 1963 he raced a Porsche 718 for Joakim Bonnier but did not finish the Nürburgring 1000km. His attempt in the Le Mans 24 Hours in an Aston Martin DP215 also came to an end after 29 laps. In ‘64 Hill was involved in the development of the famous Ford GT 40, racing it together with Bruce McLaren. Unfortunately there was no major result scored with the car. Hill went down under in 1965 and raced a Cooper T70 for McLaren Motors in New Zealand and Australia, as well as a Ford GT 40 in Europe and at Sebring. Like in ‘64 there was no win for Hill.

Chaparral Cars signed Hill for the 1966 season and entered a Chaparral 2D for him and Bonnier at Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans and the Nürburgring 1000km. He won the German event for the second time in his career, taking his final victory in a major international event. After the failed attempt in the Eagle at Monza, Hill moved to the American Can Am Series where he won the Laguna Seca round in October for Chaparral.

In 1967 Hill drove the Chaparral 2F in what would be his final professional racing season. In the first seven of eight races he competed in he did not finish but in his 282nd and final race, the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch, he put the Chaparral on the top step of the podium. With this victory Hill ended his career as a professional racing driver.

After his retirement Phil Hill focussed on vintage racing and classic car restoration as well as doing commentating for ABC. Hill also wrote for the automotive magazine Road & Track, for which he did tests and wrote articles about historic cars and racing.

In recent years Phil Hill was a welcome guest / judge at the Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach. He even had a cup named after him, the Phil Hill Cup sponsored by DRS Technologies, Inc. This year he was one of the Honorary Judges at the event, unfortunately it would also be his last.

We at Planetlemans would like to express our deepest condolences to his family and friends.