Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

Rick · Site Admin Joined: 27 Apr 2005 Posts: 22784 Location: UK

Hi all,

Uploading the old Fangio photo, posted earlier today, got me wondering who you've met/conversed with/bumped into that is a "famous" name in the world of motoring, whether it be racing, designing, styling or engineering? Either from ye olden days or of today.

RJ
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stuchamp · Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 546 Location: Iowa, USA

When we were drag racing in the 70's we met and talked to a lot of the big names at the national meets. Longest conversations were with Don "Big Daddy" Garlits, "Dyno" Don Nicholson, Tommy Ivo, "Miss Hurst" Linda Vaughn, and a few others. Actually hung out with Garlits for a few hours when racing ended for that day.
Shirley Muldowney and Don Prudhomme weren't all that friendly Rolling Eyes

Met many others in that era of drag racing.
Also have met a few Indy drivers over the years, Andretti, Foyt, the Unser's, Len Sutton, etc.
Was surprised how small Mario is. They always tried to give an autograph but all I wanted was their seat (job) Very Happy

Talked to Indy car designer and master mechanic AJ Watson at the Harry Miller Meet in Milwaukee.
Also met Studebaker designer Brooks Stevens in the early 90's.
There are probably others that have slipped my mind.
I learned early on that the so-called big names are no different than the rest of us unless their heads have swelled. Laughing

MikeEdwards · Joined: 25 May 2011 Posts: 2707 Location: South Cheshire

I haven't met all that many, and most of them quite recently. Barrie 'Whizzo' Williams pops up at quite a few events, and I met Paddy Hopkirk when I was on a stand at the Autosport show some years back and he came to ask about our products. More recently (earlier this year) I met Chris Coburn, who ran the Vauxhall rally team in the 1970s. I was with my mate when he said hello to Derek Bell at Race Retro a few years back, too.

Riley Blue · Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 1751 Location: Derbyshire

As a motoring journalist I met quite a lot, James Hunt would be one you may have heard of... Wink

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David

1963 Riley 1.5
1965 Riley 1.5

47p2 · Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 2009 Location: Glasgow

I spent 4 hours in a car with Paul Stewart (Jackie Stewart's son) a couple of years ago. As we passed Dumbuck he went into great detail reminiscing of his childhood at the family home there and the (first Austin then Jaguar) dealership his grandfather started.
I can remember passing the garage when it was a Jaguar dealership, would be great to see a picture of it as it was back then, but Google has nothing to show Sad

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One of Britain's Fine Cars

roverdriver · Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 11:18 am Post subject:

I managed to meet Lord Montague, and have quite a chat with Michael Sedgwick when they visited Melbourne in the late 1960's.
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Old Wrench · Joined: 23 Dec 2013 Posts: 226 Location: Essex and France

Without trying to boast, loads in the late 60s/early 70s when deeply involved in circuit racing.

Much later on (late 70s) one of the more interesting was Bill Riley, the grandson on of the founder: we were involved on a project then, where Bill had re-engineered the Chinese Pekin Jeep, an archaic military vehicle built under license from the Soviet Russian manufacturer GAZ.

Bill's assistant parked one outside our offices in Kingsway, in Central London at evening rush hour and that was a real crowd stopper!"

Uncle Alec · Joined: 14 Jan 2008 Posts: 734 Location: Manchester

We were caravanning with the Riley and Cheltenham at a pub in north Lancashire; it turned out to be the local for Colonel Gray, of Sharp's Commercials, a.k.a. Bond Cars. A good chat was had by all!

Fatbloke · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 4:33 pm Post subject:

I once met Jonathon Webb of Bath and England rugby fame on a petrol station forecourt. Does that count as car related?
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Mike,

A Fatbloke in a Herald.

Rusty · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 10:53 am Post subject:

Most of you blokes won't ever have heard of him, but when I was an apprentice, (more years ago than I care to remember) I met "Cannon Ball Baker" and had a lengthy conversation with him while I was repairing his car at my work. He was a famous old Barnstormer from the 1920s in Australia and spent a lot of time proving both Dodge cars and various Aeroplanes in Australia. I enjoyed talking to him because even then most of the old barnstormers had disappeared so it was a real treat to talk to someone from such a background.

peter scott · Joined: 18 Dec 2007 Posts: 7215 Location: Edinburgh

Lord Steel is President of the Jaguar Drivers Club and I've chatted briefly with him on a number of occasions and sat across the dinner table from him after a JDC rally a few years ago.

http://www.jaguardriverforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=263

Peter
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

P3steve · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:33 am Post subject:

Met and had a nice chat with Norman Dewis the Jaguar test driver once at a car show and have sat and had a pint with Martin Brundle the racing driver both were utterly charming to chat with
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