1954 Watkins Glen Grand Prix
lithograph print on archival paper
300 limited edition signed and numbered prints
Image size 15” x 18.5”
lithograph print on archival paper
300 limited edition signed and numbered prints
Image size 15” x 18.5”
lithograph print on archival paper
300 limited edition signed and numbered prints
Image size 15” x 18.5”
This print celebrates the duel between Bill Spear and Phil Walters’ on the Watkins Glen interim circuit laid out on public roads. Here, for three laps, Bill Spear’s Ferrari 375MM and Walters’ Cunningham C-4R vied for the lead under threatening skies on the very fast Baker Hill Road section of the temporary Glen circuit. Walters commented that this second track was “a course for brave men”.
Phil spent about an hour in an apple orchard on the outside of a tight turn the day before the race deciding which trees he should definitely avoid if his car suffered brake failure.
Walters told the artist that as he pulled up alongside the Ferrari at approximately 160 mph on Baker Road. He then glanced to the right. Bill was intent on the road. This happened for two consecutive laps, but then on the third, the two driver’s eyes met. The Cunningham successfully passed and went on to win the race in the rain. While running a close second, Spear’s Ferrari eventually broke its rear axle.
Several hundred pounds of weight had been trimmed from the #18 Cunningham nicknamed “Old Ironsides”. Two of the three fuel tanks had been removed and the driving light openings had been plugged with rags.