Phil Hill Dies at 81 R.I.P.

[KevinP73]

Shortly after 10 am, today, PST, America's first F1 World Champion, Phil
Hill, passed away in a Monterey County, Calif., hospital as a result of
respiratory problems complicated by Parkinson's disease. Hill was 81

[Icemaster]

Godspeed...

A part of my childhood has now passed.

[david c.]

A truly legendary story.

[MattKellett]

A thread has been started in Off Topics, but I thought would post in this one too about his condolence book for any who would like to sign.

http://www.philhill.com/remember_2.html

Matt

[butzi73]

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-hill29-2008aug29,0,1758007.story

Good article from the LA Times.

[Paulporsche]

It's funny...somehow along the way I'd heard that he was a bit of a curmudgeon and hated giving autographs. But when I met him, just inside Meadowbrook Hall, where he'd been judging classic cars, he had just been stung by a bee, and was feeling a little shaky. I had my GF snap a pic of me w/ him and he graciously autographed my poster while he waited for some first aid to arrive. That was the summer of 1995. I'll always remember him not only as America's first F1 World Champion and the first American to win Le Mans, but as a charming guy, willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to be nice to a fan. RIP.

[vintage guy]

This is a very sad day. Phil Hill was an American racing legend and a true gentleman.

[GrantG]

I met Phil a few years ago at the Pebble Beach concours (he drove an Alfa at Laguna in the vintage races too). He was a true gentleman and a gifted driver.

[Dantilla]

It was a privilege to see Mr. Hill at the Seattle Historic races a couple years back.

[fasteddie99]

The pic of him driving the shark-nose Ferrari is one of my ATF F1 photos. Loved his driving impression articles in R&T. Rest in peace, Champ.

[MOMO3.2]

God's speed Phil

[Mitch Leland]

I knew Phil back in the 80's... He was an easy guy to talk with, always had great stories to tell. I owned a car that he and Ritchie Ginther drove in the "53" Panamerican Mexican Road Race. In April of 1988 Road and Track did an article on the car that featured Phil Hill with pictures by John Lamm. After the shoot Phil was going to give everyone a ride in the car, just then a very nasty CHP officer arrived and told us to pack up or he would give us a ticket since we didn't have a permit for being on the service road next to the freeway. So it was a lost opportunity for a ride with the X-World Champion.

Phil always said that when they put the Mexico on the roof in the "53" race it was his worst racing accident. It wasn't the accident, it was scrambling up the hill from the wreck when he twisted his knee. Can you imagine all those years of racing, and only a twisted knee...

For years he lead a tour up the California Coast on each New Year's Day in his Bentley. I was fortunate enough to attend on one occasion. He'll be missed.

[Noah930]

Sounds odd to miss a man you've never met. But I do.

[konahic]

As much as we hate to admit it, we all must be getting older. Our boy/girl hood heroes are starting to pass along to the land of no speed limits.
I didn't get to meet Phil, but used to see him driving around Santa Monica in the early 70's when I was a wet behind the ears Mini driving teenager. My favorite story about him was he named his cat "Zo", short for Enzo. He must have liked those Ferraris.
Phil, safe travels to where this next chapter takes you...

[SteveinTO]

Back in 1980 I was a very young Regional Executive of the Cal Club here in Los Angeles. I decided to revive an old tradition of having quarterly membership meetings and was in the club office on Cahuenga Blvd in North Hollywood grousing to Silvia Treichler about how no one would come. The discussion evolved around to who would come and speak to draw a crowd and Phil's name was mentioned.

I opined he'd never answer the phone let alone agree to come to a Holiday Inn in Anaheim on a Tuesday night. Three minutes later Silvia handed me the telephone with Phil on the line. All I could do was hyperventilate, but Phil seems to understand. He was still a Cal Club member from the early '50s, havbing been around since the formation of the club, and even though he was off to Europe in short order, he always spoke fondly of racing at Torrey Pines, Palm Springs and a dozen other venues around southern California.

On the appointed evening I picked him up at his house in Santa Monica, the same house he was born and raised in. He showed me the un-restored Bentley in the garage, I believe the one now owned by Jay Leno. We went to dinner and he insisted on paying so as not to burden me or the club with the bill. While I organized a dozen other events with famous Cal Clubbers, I never had that experience again.

So there I was, a B-flat Formula Ford racer and F-1 World Champion sharing racing stories on the ride to a non-descript Holiday Inn where he entertained a SRO audience for two hours and hung around to bench race and sign autographs for another hour.

That in itself would be an interesting story, but

Fifteen years later I called him out of the blue and he came on the line immediately. He agreed to review our plans for Buttonwillow Raceway, rendering a positive opinion, and giving instant credability to what was at the time an un-funded pipe dream.

Folks, they don't come any better than Phil Hill. Just reading your comments validates what I've known for 28 years and makes me feel good. Thank you.