Phil Hill

Career

Phil Hill came into the world on April 20, 1927, in Miami, Florida, but grew up in Santa Monica, California, and called that city home for the rest of his life. He spent two years at the University of Southern California studying business administration and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity before dropping out to chase a career in auto racing, starting out by working as a mechanic on other drivers’ cars. His own racing began early, and in 1949 he went to England as a trainee for Jaguar.

By 1956, he had signed on with Enzo Ferrari’s team. Hill made his Grand Prix debut at the French Grand Prix in Reims in 1958, driving a Maserati. That same year, he and Belgian teammate Olivier Gendebien became the first American-born winners of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Hill handling most of the night shift through terrible rain. The pair would take the endurance race again in 1961 and 1962.

Hill joined Ferrari’s Formula One squad full-time in 1959, notching three podium finishes and placing fourth in the Drivers’ Championship. The following year, he won the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, marking the first Grand Prix victory for an American driver in nearly four decades—if you don’t count the Indianapolis 500, which was then part of the championship—and it also turned out to be the last win for a front-engined Formula One car. In 1961, Hill won the Belgian Grand Prix and sat just behind his Ferrari teammate Wolfgang von Trips in the standings with two races left.

A crash at the Italian Grand Prix killed von Trips and fifteen spectators; Hill won that race and secured the championship, but the victory came with a heavy heart. Ferrari then decided not to travel to America for the season’s final round, so Hill never got to race at Watkins Glen as the reigning World Champion. When he returned for his last season with Ferrari, Hill admitted he no longer felt the same hunger to race or win, and he was no longer willing to risk his life.

After racing

After retiring, Hill co-founded Hill & Vaughn, an award-winning classic car restoration business, with Ken Vaughn in the 1970s. The duo sold the partnership to Jordanian Raja Gargour in 1984, after which Vaughn started his own separate company. Hill stayed on with Gargour until the business was sold again in 1995. He also served as a television commentator for ABC's Wide World of Sports.

Hill had a deep connection with Road & Track magazine, contributing road tests and retrospective pieces on historic cars and races. In his later years, he focused on his vintage car collection and served as a judge at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance more times than anyone else, with 2007 marking his 40th appearance. Hill was married to Alma, and they had three children: Derek, Vanessa, and Jennifer. His son Derek raced in International Formula 3000 from 2001 to 2003 but had to retire after Phil was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

Following a trip to the Monterey Historic Automobile Races in August 2008, Hill was admitted to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, where he died from complications of Parkinson's on August 28. Turn 9 of the CW13 configuration at Buttonwillow Raceway Park bears his name.