The Shelby American (Winter 2021)

opportunity to poach Bondurant away. That lasted about six months through the 1966 LeMans race and Bondurant bounced around a bit until he picked up a ride in a McLaren Elva MK III for Dana Chevrolet, which was then owned by Peyton Cramer, formerly of Shelby American. Dana Chevrolet sent Dick Guildstrand and Bondurant to LeMans in 1967 in a new L88 Corvette. Guildstrand had never been to LeMans and he asked Bondurant how to tell he was nearing the 90-de- gree turn at the end of the Mulsanne Straight. Bob answered, “ Look for the burning Ferraris. ” The pair DNF’d after 13 hours. Just two weeks later Bob Bon- durant’s racing career all but ended when he flipped his McLaren at Watkins Glen in a spectacular 150 mph crash which left him in question of ever walking again. During a long and courageous recovery, he hatched a plan for a driving school and the Bob Bondurant School of High Perform- ance Driving opened in 1968. There’s been some ups and downs with the school, and it was acquired in 2019 by new owners. Bob Bondurant is 87 years old and retired in Arizona. Phil Hill dipped into and out of rac- ing for Shelby American and Ford in the mid-60s as his busy racing sched- ule would allow. His speed and skill were never questioned, a testament to his resume: highlights included three OA wins at LeMans, 1958, 1961 and 1962; the first (and still only) Ameri- can-born World Formula I Champion in 1961 and three OA wins at Sebring, 1958, 1959 and 1961. His racing career spanned from 1949 to 1967, with the likely unique distinction of having won his first and last races. After leav- ing Ferrari in 1962 he dabbled in sin- gle seaters for a couple of more years before taking up sports car racing with Shelby American and Ford in 1964 and 1965. These were the years when Shelby American pivoted from domes- tic to international racing, including all the teething problems that came with developing race cars suitable for the European tracks. Hill was in an FIA roadster (CSX2260) with Jo Sch- lesser at Sebring in March 1964 where they finished 6th OA and 3rd GT. He and Schlesser then moved into a Day- tona Coupe (CSX2287) for the LeMans tests in April, followed by a DNF with Bob Bondurant at the Targa Florio in another FIA roadster (CSX2345). Next were a series of DNF’s in the dark days of the Ford GT program for Hill and Bruce McLaren in GT102 and GT103 at the Nürburgring, LeMans, Reims and Nassau. If not yet reliable, the cars were fast. In June 1964 Hill qualified his GT102 4th on the grid at LeMans, just 4 seconds off John Sur- tees in a Ferrari 330P. McLaren and Hill in particular had been doing much of the development work on the Mk II big-block GT40 and the car was poised for greatness by the end of 1964, to be realized in Shelby’s hands the next year. Phil Hill put his Mk II (GT107) on the pole at LeMans with a blistering lap record of 3:33, two sec- onds better than John Surtees in a Ferrari 330P2. Unfortunately, GT107, like all the Fords that year, would re- tire after seven hours. While Hill’s results were mixed, at best, for Shelby American and Ford, there is no doubt that his European racing experience and development work contributed to Ford’s ultimate success on the continent. He was the proverbial adult in the room for that effort. Phil Hill moved on to Jim Hall’s Chaparral program in 1966 and 1967, winning the last race he entered on July 30, 1967, in a Chaparral 2F. After retiring from racing Hill opened a vin- tage car restoration shop and judged for years at the Pebble Beach Con- course. He succumbed to Parkinson’s disease in August 2008 at 81. There were two Bob Johnsons rac- ing in Ohio in the late ‘50s and ‘60s. One was called “Columbus Bob” John- son, the other was called “Marietta Bob” Johnson and both cut their rac- ing teeth in Corvettes. Columbus Bob served in the US Navy during World War II and eventually opened up an industrial catering business in 1952 in his hometown. Business was good and he bought his first sports car in 1958, at age 30, a Corvette which he soon took racing. Success came quickly and he gathered the 1960 SCCA “B” Pro- duction Championship in the car. As the early ‘60s unfolded astute racers The SHELBY AMERICAN Winter 2021 48 Phil Hi Bob Johnson Phil Hill