Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals

Alex has the pleasure of interviewing none other than legendary racing pioneer Jim Hall as a preface to his conversation with president of the Motorsports Hall of Fame George Levy, who has just released a fantastic biography of Hall. The trio talk about the tragedy that punctuated Hall's formative years in Colorado; Hall's first incognito race car experience at 19; going to work for Carroll Shelby right out of college; the Maserati Birdcage; the early Hall photography of Bob Jackson, who would shortly become famous for quite another photo; buying a $2,600 war surplus P-51D Mustang over the phone; crash landing said Mustang into a churchyard; the doctrine of "there's always a better way"; Levy's experience interviewing other greats like Stewart, Gurney, and Penske for the book; overcoming telemarketer stigma to get to the good stuff; the most surprising information uncovered during that extensive research; the six important elements of every F1 car that were all introduced by Hall in the '60s; a writing trial by fire at Autoweek; how to order the book; the Motorsports Hall of Fame in Daytona; the Lancia Stratos as the perfect car for the taller man; and the wonders of happenstance. Links for items discussed in this episode are below, including where to purchase Levy's new book in bold: 9:10 Bob Jackson11:20 Winner of the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Photography19:40 George's first book, Can-Am 50th Anniversary: Flat Out with North America's Greatest Race Series 1966-74, with photographer Pete Biro22:03 Chaparral 2F28:58 Chaparral 2J "sucker car"38:22 Jim Clark at the Wheel with Graham Gauld42:37 Chaparral 2K46:33 Petroleum Museum in Midland, Texas47:00 Pasteiner's in Detroit, Michigan47:04 Autobooks-Aerobooks in Burbank, California47:10 The Motorsport Collector in Downers Grove, Illinois47:18 Texas Legend: Jim Hall and his Chaparrals on Amazon47:49 Motorsports Hall of Fame of America50:20 A 1974 Lancia Stratos HF Stradale on BaT in 2017 Got questions for the BaT staff or suggestions for our next guest? Don’t hesitate to let us know! Write to [email protected] and we’ll do our best to address them.