It was Tuesday before I could get a flight home. I had planned to stay over for Monaco. By then Gilles had been home several days and was lying-in-state in the vestibule of the local arena in Berthierville. The lines to view his body just went on and on. He was dressed in a white, what I thought was a driver's suit, but I have heard conflicting reports since. When I went to pay my respects, there were so many people there I almost turned for home. I was undergoing such a range of emotions I had never felt so intensely before. I wanted to comfort the family, but was not sure it was just me I wanted to comfort. Gaston was in hospital under heavy sedation. He had lost the son he never had. He and Gilles were closer than a Father and son. Like many Fathers, Gaston had pulled Gilles out of many of life's ditches. I drove directly to Berthierville from the airport. After paying my respects I headed for home in Ottawa. I had seen my friend for the last time.
I am still in a fog about most of that week. I am not sure if it was the Thursday that the funeral was held, but I drove to Berthierville with my good friend David Morgan-Kirby, an avid race fan and sometimes journalist who, like I, had watched the rise of Gilles from Formula Fords to Formula One. He had taken the time to interview Gilles when he was in the lower ranks and still would get a good reception from him even though Gilles was now at the top of his game. David and I and my wife at the time sat in the loft to the right of the chequered flag draped coffin. We were within fifty feet of Jody when he gave the eulogy. David, a stoic Englishman was rock solid. My wife was a blithering mess. I was just stunned. In less than a week I had done the final negotiation for our Grand Prix book, received a significant advance against royalties, ventured overseas and returned home broken, but I was in better shape than my friend who was now the centre of a different type of attention.
After it was all over Gilles' body was taken to Montreal to be cremated. Joanne would then take the ashes back to Monaco. We followed the black Cadillac to Montreal on our return to Ottawa. I thought of the 'Red Cadillac' on this drive. David and I reminisced about all we had seen. There was a lot of laughter and tears on that drive. We got seriously drunk that night.
It was late the following week that I was shooting fashion in Montreal. I was running late. I phoned home to tell my wife that I would get dinner on the road, but could get no answer. When I arrived home I found my home dark and naked. Every stick of furniture was gone. She had packed up and taken my youngest son with her while leaving my oldest son to fend for himself. I did not expect this second emotional upheaval at this point. She had somehow succeeded in getting the bank to give her the advance from the publisher. Fortunately I had given half of it to Gaston who was now back in the office. He had given it to Joanne who was now in a waiting game with the insurance company. She would not do without.
Professionally things seem to be going from bad to worse. When I called my publisher, who I had two advances from, one for my downhill book and the other for the Grand Prix book, I found that they were having problems on two fronts. The agreement to do the downhill book was on the skids as the same agreement with the National Ski team had been given to two other publishers. One for a kids book and the other to produce a book on the Crazy Canucks. Both were to be on the shelves by the fall. They also felt no one would be interested in a book that did not have Gilles as the writer, even though Len Coates was to ghost-write the text for Gilles. They did not even consider the new direction the book should take. Gaston and I discussed this problem and it was decided to pay off the first publisher and find a new one. We found two in General Publishing out of Toronto and Trecarre for French in Montreal. We knew the book was now to be about Gilles. Gaston had been in touch with Jody and Jackie Stewart. Both wanted to do the Foreword. It was decided to have them both. Jody would do the Foreword and Jackie the Epilogue. Things turned around again. We would give the fans something to hold on to.
It is amazing how many people came out of the woodwork to help with the research and any images I could not provide. It was not without it's problems. Len was going through a severe family crisis and bundled with his loss of Gilles he went into seclusion. He could not be reached in any manner and was, after much soul-searching, dropped as the author. A new scribe was hired and he got to work. When I was handed the editing job I could not believe what I was reading. There were so many errors I just looked at Gaston and shook my head. He looked at me sadly and passed the manuscript to me and simply told me I had the weekend to clean it up in re-write. I was far from a writer! I could not spell! Spell-check did not exist! I got the limited text together and presented it to the publisher. The book was almost entirely photographs. It was as it should be. Just working on the project helped me get past many of my insecurities over what was going on in my life.
I missed Monaco for the first time in a number of years, but I thought I would turn up at Montreal and the Grand Prix and see if I could still shoot cars. I needed to shoot, but could I shoot racing cars again? The wind had been so totally taken out of my sails, I needed to know. I needed to be with my friends. Montreal's Grand Prix without Gilles was a very somber affair. The track had been renamed Le Ciruit Gilles Villeneuve. The crowd that turned out to pay homage to Gilles was massive. The raw fans and Formula One family would again be assaulted by another accident, this time at the start of the race.
I had only been on a start-line-photographers-stand twice in my career, once in Indianapolis when there had been a big accident and that Sunday. I stood on the stand about fifteen feet high just outside Turn One. It was about 100 yards from the start/finish line. From my vantage point I could see the whole grid clearly. I was up there with about ten other shooters. Just before the start a cold wind blew down the straight. Several with me remarked on it. When the start lights turned green there was a problem right away. Didier, who was on the pole, had his left hand over his head indicating he had no power and would be standing still should the start be given. Given it was! Didier hung on with one arm held high. The first few rows got around him and then the melee began with cars spinning into each other and slamming the guard-rails. From the very back row of the grid, accelerating blindly into the dust thrown up by the roaring field was a blue and white Ossella. Riccardo Paletti, in his second Grand Prix, plowed into the stationary Ferrari. The impact crumpled the front of the Ossella. Paletti's helmet slammed into the rear wing. The ferrari spun away from the force. Didier jumped from his car and ran to the stricken Italian motionless in the car. The impact was determined to be around 130 mph. Rescue crews were on the spot immediately, but the car erupted in flames. Didier tried in vain to help. He got very close, but Paletti was beyond help.
After many years I looked through the resulting book on Gilles and found an image I had taken that morning during warmup. It was a simple shot of a marshal on a safety stand beside the track. She had a black armband on her left arm'a tribute to Gilles. A single flower was stuck in a hat on the stand beside her. In the background was a blue and white car'an Ossella. Riccardo Paletti was the driver of the car. He had less than two hours to live. A shiver went up my spine.
Grand Prix racing would suffer again when Didier was severely injured in an accident much like Gilles' fatal accident in Zolder. He ran run into the back of Alain Prost's Renault on a warmup lap. The Ferrari climbed the Renault and catapulted through the air. The severely wounded Pironi was cut from the car and rushed to hospital. Ferrari did not withdraw from the race. Patrick Tambay, Gilles very close friend and replacement, would take the famous number '27' to the top of the podium. Didier would never return to Formula One. He would die in a boat racing accident several years later.
In late November the book, now titled 'Villeneue', would come off the presses in Montreal in both French and English. Political considerations were made to my name being on the book cover with the French Version having just 'A. de la Plante' rather than the full 'English' spelling of Allan as on the English version. There was another glitch in the book process. The new publisher had recently hired the head of a major music company to become CEO. At a meeting to decide how the fall list of books should be dealt with he calmly said, ''let's let Villeneuve die with Villeneuve'. Now single, I had been having a little excitement with his secretary who was taking the minutes of this meeting. While out getting coffee, as good secretaries of the era did, she got on the phone to me and told me about this new developement. I called Gaston and could not reach him. I called the French publisher and related verbatum the comment from the very meeting he had just attended. He was astonished that I knew what had been said. He knew I would be all over the sports press with this story and promised me books for a launch later in the month. The decision to put the Villeuenve book on the market in the remainder box at five bucks a shot was eased until after the launch in Montreal and the book signing in Ottawa. The reaction from the press and the buying public showed the publisher that to remainder the book would be stupid. The book signing in Ottawa took place in a small book store owned by an old friend. The press was out in droves! The fans were out in droves! There were people lined up around the block waiting to get in to get a book. It was a very cold November night. We moved the event to the ballroom of the Holiday Inn around the corner. We fed and drank until the night was gone and the sun, if there was to be one, would show it's head. We told many lies and toasted Gilles many times that night with again many a tear being shed. 'Villeneuve' became an instant bestseller and still can be found on eBay today at a considerable price.
Next: What now?
Read the rest of the Shutter Speed Series.
Related posts:
- Shutter Speed: The new kid on the block
- Shutter Speed: Two in a row
- Shutter Speed: They all hoped for better things'
- Shutter Speed: Down; but not out!
- Shutter Speed: The first book and the first nine!
Think back on the 1960's culture, and one's first thoughts might focus on the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the hippie movement. The decade started out on a different note. The Rat Pack, with Frank Sinatra as 'Chairman of the Board' started the 60's with the feel-good momentum from the 1950's, with over the top swagger and impeccable style. Dean Martin was Sinatra's right hand man with a successful career in music with a hit parade of singles. Being in the Rat Pack was elite, and Dean Martin was one of the main acts.
Dean Martin's Ghia was sent to world renowned car customizer George Barris for subtle modification, to, um, separate it from the 25 other Ghia L6.4s built. It would just be awkward to come across the same Ghia, as Frank Sinatra owned one himself. Dean Martin's car is completely original, and has never been restored, yet appears to be in excellent condition. This Ghia is for sale by Hyman Limited for a cool $199,500USD. If you were curious as to what exclusivity and coolness cost, there is your answer.
As East Coast Editor here at The Garage, I spend a good amount of time reading other auto blogs and magazines. I came across a post from Autoblog where Viper mastermind Ralph Gilles indicated that Dodge/Chrysler dealers would need to be certified to sell the Viper. There's been plenty of hype surrounding the 2013 Viper, but what many may not realize is this is NOT a Dodge. Rather, the car will be sold as the SRT Viper, a brand all its own. And not just any Dodge or Chrysler dealer will be able to sell it.
At this year's New York International Auto Show, Lincoln revealed the production version of their new 2013 MKZ. While the car looked impressive, Lincoln spent more time not talking about their new car, but how they were overhauling their dealerships, and improving how they cater to their customers. It was like a light bulb had finally lit up. Gee, a luxury car buyer stays at luxury resorts, eats at gourmet restaurants, and expects a high standard of service. Why wouldn't they expect similar service for a purchase as significant as a luxury car? Toyota knew this from the get go when they debuted Lexus in 1989. It is almost unbelievable it took Lincoln 23 years to come to the same conclusion.
There is little doubt that Lexus stands as one of the premier Japanese luxury automakers, and can boast a long list of successful cars, crossovers and SUVs. However, even with the best of intentions, not every car can be a smashing success, and in this case, the HS250h was such an example. The HS was not Lexus' first foray into selling a hybrid car, but while prior Lexus hybrids were built to offer hybrid technology as an added level of performance with decent fuel economy, the HS250h took a different tact. This was a straight up hybrid, no different from a plain Jane Prius.
For a brand of car I have never personally owned, Subarus hold a place in my heart. Never afraid to march to the beat of their own drum, growing up reading car magazines, I was bemused a car company would simply call a car a DL or GL. Their funky boxer four cylinder engines sounded like nothing else, and of course, all-wheel drive was a given. It was my cousin Tommy's 1976 blue Subaru station wagon that drove me, windows down in Spring on I-95 to my very first pizza at the famous Pepe's Pizza in New Haven, CT when I was in first grade. When I was 15, it was this same Subaru Tommy taught me how to drive a stick shift. It broke my heart that beloved blue Subie's frame was rotting and I could not own it myself.
If past Imprezas had a weak point, it was interior that bordered on crude. With the new Impreza, driver and passengers are treated to a comfortable, airy cabin with high quality plastics and soft touch materials. All gauges are easy to read, controls are a cinch to figure out. I found the seats fairly comfortable, and there was plenty of room for my 6'1' frame. Lacking satellite radio, I used the CD player in our test car, and found the audio quality not quite on par with the competition.
The Impreza is offered as a four door sedan or five door hatchback with five trim levels. Our test car was a 2.0i Premium, one step up from the base model. With 16' alloys, Bluetooth, keyless entry and USB plug for your iPod. Fitted with the optional All-Weather package which adds heated seats and mirrors and a windshield wiper de-icer, our Impreza rings in at a respectable $20,414USD, including destination.
By now you may have heard that the great Carroll Shelby, one time race car driver and constructor has passed away at the age of 89 on Friday, May 10, 2012. The automotive world has truly lost one of the greats who lead a full life and accomplished feats few men can imagine. On the news of Mr. Shelby's passing, my thoughts were he may be the last man to have such a singular impact on racing history and the cars that bear his name. My next thoughts brought me back to August, 1988. I was all of 15 years old at the time, while on vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts had read that Enzo Ferrari had died. An ocean and generation apart, Mr. Ferrari and Mr. Shelby had some similarities, but for now let's talk about Mr. Carroll Shelby.
It is well known that Ford had attempted to buy Ferrari in the 1960's, and with the deal nearly sealed, Enzo Ferrari backed out at the last minute. With the deal off, Ford vowed revenge on Ferrari, and Ford was going to beat them on their own turf. Ford called Carroll Shelby for help. The result? The Ford GT40 won LeMans four years in a row. It is the only American built race car to ever win at the historical Circuit de la Sarthe.
Carroll Shelby slipped into obscurity it seems, until the very man who demanded a Shelby Mustang-Lee Iaocca, called on him to inject some badly needed adrenaline to the ailing Chrysler Corporation. At its inception the Omni was a crude answer to VW's Golf, but with Shelby's hand Dodge created a GTI killer with 175hp on tap for an impressive 0-60mph time of 6.5 seconds with a top end of 130mph. Shelby had a hand in several other high performance Dodge products, and was an integral part of the creating the Dodge Viper.
Shelby's history with Ford resumed again with his input in the modern iteration of the Ford GT, an homage to the GT40 and Shelby Mustangs once again hit the showroom floor in 2005. Fittingly, Carroll Shelby's last car with his own input was the Shelby 1000, the most powerful Shelby to ever hit the street or track. And so we draw the circle back to Enzo Ferrari, the man Shelby beat on relentlessly at the most prestigious stage of endurance racing. When Enzo Ferrari died, the twin-turbo V-8 Ferrari F40 was the last car he oversaw was ready for market, the most powerful, fastest, and expensive Ferrari of all time. For Carroll Shelby, the Shelby 1000 holds that same distinction.
All of us here at The Garage hope you treated your mom's right on Mother's Day, and we offer a belated happy Mother's Day to the mom's that read our blog. En route to lovely Knapp's Landing restaurant in Stratford, Connecticut, my wife spotted a cool car on our way to lunch. Not wanting to be late, I vowed to check it out later. A tribute to my lovely wife for her keen eye.
When you think about it, it almost seems odd that premier British luxury car builder Jaguar has not offered over the top luxury options to its well-heeled buyers. All that ends with the 2013 Jaguar XJ Ultimate, which is essentially the ultimate expression of the XJ, Jaguar's flagship sedan. Jaguar has essentially taken the top spec XJL Supersport and decided to give the rear seat passengers some extra attention.
The Toyota Prius is the undisputed king of all hybrids, with no competitor able to come even close. With its number one status cemented, a loyal following of faithful buyers, there is huge equity in the Prius name, so it almost comes as a surprise Toyota has waited this long to cash in and expand the Prius family. That expansion has now seen its day, and The Garage was able sample the first addition to the family, the Prius V, the V standing for versatility.
Inside, Prius owners will feel instantly at home. I am not a fan of the centrally mounted instrument panel. Other controls are easy to find and use, so in spite of its unusual appearance at first, the Prius is easy to use. While the two-tone interior offered some contrast, the overall feel of the cabin felt drab and uninteresting. The graining on the plastic steering wheel did not feel right to me, and I disliked touching the most critical part of the interior I keep my hands on. It felt like the automotive equivalent to a cubicle in the movie 'Office Space'. That said, the Prius V delivers on its promise. The cabin is large, with plenty of room for all. Storage, from a two-tier glove box, generous center console storage and other nooks should more than satisfy the Prius V buyer. Up front, the adequate but flat front seats are familiar Prius fare, but the rear seat offers legroom on par with a limo, thanks to a sliding and reclining rear seat.
The Prius V was a logical step for Toyota, and should serve it well. As young families of Prius owners grow, or baby boomers simply want more, um, versatility, the Prius V should meet their needs and keep them in the family instead of abandoning the Prius and getting a crossover. Speaking of crossovers, it is worth mentioning the Prius V offers cargo capacity on par or exceeding contemporary CUV's, with the hybrid trade-off a high load floor. In sum, the success of the Prius V will be keeping the Prius and hybrid faithful graduating to the V as opposed to buying a crossover than it will be in converting the traditional minivan/crossover buyer.