Born in Miami, Florida, Phil Hill never once took the start of a major oval circuit race like the Indianapolis 500, setting him apart from most of the other American drivers of the era. He made a name for himself in sports cars before going on to triumph at the majority of the great historic endurance circuits in the world, such as Sebring (three wins), the Nürburgring (two victories) and of course Le Mans.

After debuting at the 24 Hours in 1953 at the wheel of an OSCA, he served as a factory Ferrari driver from 1955 to 1962, forming a duo with Olivier Gendebien in 1958. The collaboration immediately produced a victory, making Hill the first American to win at Le Mans. His track record at the race includes one curious aspect: in 14 starts between 1953 and 1967, he only made it to the checkered flag three times (in 1958, 1961 and 1962), but all three finishes ended on the top step of the podium representing Ferrari along with Olivier Gendebien.

In conjunction with his second win at the 24 Hours, his consistency during the 1961 Formula 1 season (one victory and four other podium finishes for the first six rounds of the season) made Phil Hill the main rival of his teammate Wolfgang von Trips heading into the Italian Grand Prix, the next-to-last race of the year. Von Trips was one up on Hill in victories, and had also finished second twice and fourth once.

At Monza, von Trips scored his first pole position, with Hill starting in fourth position. However, the German driver failed his start. As he was attempting to catch up, von Trips made contact with Jim Clark's Lotus and his Ferrari took off into a crowd of spectators. The aftermath was devastating: 15 deaths, including von Trips. Hill won the race and his only World Champion title, learning of his teammate's fate as he got out of his car. It was in those terrible circumstances that he became the only driver in motorsport history to win the Formula 1 title and the 24 Hours in the same season. Notably, on the sad Italian podium, Phil Hill was joined by Dan Gurney (second) and Bruce McLaren (third), future winners of the 24 Hours, in 1967 and 1966, respectively.

Though he would never again win a Formula 1 race (three victories total, one in 1960 and two in 1961), in 1962 Phil Hill won his third 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 1964 and 1965, he joined Ford for the first two participations in its iconic rivalry with Ferrari, having left the Italian marque in 1962. He competed in Formula 1 until 1966 and acted as a technical consultant that year to director John Frankenheimer for his film "Grand Prix," also playing the role of driver Tim Randolph. Then, in 1966 and 1967, Hill could once again be seen at Le Mans, at the wheel of the highly innovative Chaparral prototypes, particularly the 2F with its giant mobile spoiler (in 1967). At the wheel of that car, he won the last victory of his career, at the Brands Hatch circuit, before retiring.

Phil Hill then returned to his home state of California and dedicated himself to restoring vintage cars. He participated in many classic races such as the Le Mans Classic and the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elégance. Over the course of a career as rich as it was unusual, this avid music lover - a true jazz and opera enthusiast - won three of nine Ferrari wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The third driver to triumph at the 24 Hours and be crowned Formula 1 World Champion, Jochen Rindt also wrote a remarkable chapter in the Italian marque's history at Le Mans, the subject of the next installment in this series.

 

Click below for the previous installments in this series:

24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1 (1) - Four World Champions for 10 stories

24 Hours of Le Mans and Formula 1 (2) - Mike Hawthorn, the British trailblazer

 

PHOTO (Copyright - Archives/ACO): In 1961, Ferrari dominated Formula 1 as well as the 24 Hours. In addition to his F1 world title, that year Phil Hill won his second victory at Le Mans, rejoining his 1958 teammate Belgian driver Olivier Gendebien.