EPISODE · Aug 16, 2022 · 18 MIN
Peter Brock On Datsun, Baja, And Mary McGee
from Slow Baja · host slow baja
Peter Brock is an American automotive design and motorsports legend. At age 19, while attending Art Center School, Brock became the youngest designer ever hired by General Motors' design department. In November 1957, legendary GM stylist, Bill Mitchell, selected one of Brock's sketches to become the iconic 1963 Corvette Stingray. After securing his SCCA racing license at 21 years old, he acquired an ex-Le Mans Cooper and returned to California to pursue a career in racing. He landed at the famed Max Balchowsky's Hollywood shop. His next move would be as Carroll Shelby's first employee, running the newly-formed Shelby School of High-Performance Driving. Soon he was working for Shelby American, where he penned logos, merchandise, ads, and car liveries. He designed the Shelby components of the Shelby Mustang GT350s, and his renowned Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe won the FIA GT World Championship. Following his success at Shelby, he founded Brock Racing Enterprises. Brock put the previously-unknown Japanese car maker, Datsun, on the map. The BRE prepared Datsun's dominated SCCA racing, winning on Sunday --and selling on Monday. In 1967, he ventured to Baja with Mary McGee to race in the first Mexican 1000. The experience led to an obsession with off-road racing, and the desolate peninsula. Brock returned to lead the Datsun factory race team for the next three years. Since those early days, he's repeatedly covered the Baja 1000 as a journalist. In 2010, the Art Center College of Design awarded Brock their Lifetime Achievement Award for "Outstanding accomplishment in the fields of automotive design, technology, innovation, motorsports, and journalism." He was inducted into the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame in 2017. Follow Peter Brock on Facebook here. Learn more about Peter Brock and BRE here.
What this episode covers
Peter Brock is an American automotive design and motorsports legend. At age 19, while attending Art Center School, Brock became the youngest designer ever hired by General Motors' design department. In November 1957, legendary GM stylist, Bill Mitchell, selected one of Brock's sketches to become the iconic 1963 Corvette Stingray. After securing his SCCA racing license at 21 years old, he acquired an ex-Le Mans Cooper and returned to California to pursue a career in racing. He landed at the famed Max Balchowsky's Hollywood shop. His next move would be as Carroll Shelby's first employee, running the newly-formed Shelby School of High-Performance Driving. Soon he was working for Shelby American, where he penned logos, merchandise, ads, and car liveries. He designed the Shelby components of the Shelby Mustang GT350s, and his renowned Shelby Daytona Cobra coupe won the FIA GT World Championship. Following his success at Shelby, he founded Brock Racing Enterprises. Brock put the previously-unknown Japanese car maker, Datsun, on the map. The BRE prepared Datsun's dominated SCCA racing, winning on Sunday --and selling on Monday. In 1967, he ventured to Baja with Mary McGee to race in the first Mexican 1000. The experience led to an obsession with off-road racing, and the desolate peninsula. Brock returned to lead the Datsun factory race team for the next three years. Since those early days, he's repeatedly covered the Baja 1000 as a journalist. In 2010, the Art Center College of Design awarded Brock their Lifetime Achievement Award for "Outstanding accomplishment in the fields of automotive design, technology, innovation, motorsports, and journalism." He was inducted into the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame in 2017. Follow Peter Brock on Facebook here. Learn more about Peter Brock and BRE here.
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Peter Brock On Datsun, Baja, And Mary McGee
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