Phil Hill, born Philip Toll Hill Jr. on April 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, was raised in Santa Monica, California, where he developed an early fascination with cars and racing. Hill dropped out of the University of Southern California to work as a mechanic and began competing in local events with an MG TC in the late 1940s. Hill acquired a Ferrari and rose quickly in American sports car racing during the 1950s, becoming one of the country’s top talents. In 1956, he joined Ferrari for endurance events, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1958 with Olivier Gendebien—the first American-born driver to do so—and securing multiple victories at Sebring and other long-distance races. Enzo Ferrari promoted him to Formula One where he made F1 debut in 1958 and became a full-time Ferrari driver by 1959.
Hill achieved his greatest success in 1961, winning the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari amid a tragic season overshadowed by the fatal accident of teammate Wolfgang von Trips at Monza. He claimed three Grand Prix victories (the 1960 and 1961 Italian Grands Prix, and the 1961 Belgian Grand Prix), along with 16 podiums, 6 pole positions, and 6 fastest laps from 52 entries (49 starts). A master of endurance racing, Hill won Le Mans three times (1958, 1961, 1962) and Sebring three times (1958, 1959, 1961), all with Ferrari, and in 1964 became the first driver to complete the Triple Crown of endurance racing by adding the 24 Hours of Daytona with the North American Racing Team. After leaving Ferrari in 1962, he drove for teams like ATS and Cooper with less success before retiring from full-time racing in 1967 at age 39. In later years, he focused on classic car restoration and historic racing. Hill passed away on August 28, 2008, in Monterey, California, at age 81 from complications of Parkinson’s disease, remembered as America’s first (and only U.S.-born) F1 World Champion, a thoughtful pioneer whose sensitivity contrasted with his remarkable achievements in one of motorsport’s most perilous eras.
1966 Lyons Maid (UK) “Famous Cars”