Among my many talents ("gifts?), I am an artist. I displayed my auto racing paintings in Europe and the US. Got tangled up with this danged computer thing and put my brushes away for a while. Back at it now and searching for a good color (or is it colour?) picture of the emblem on Harry Schell's racing helmet. There are, to my knowledge, two versions. One was a shield form with an American Flag. The other (later) form was a shield with a blue upper portion and vertical red and white stripes.

HELP!

Gil Bouffard

Hey Guys!

I am researching the life and times of Harry Schell. Harry was born in Paris, France, to an American mother and father. Right after Harry and his brother Phillipe were born, his mother registered them (individually) as American Citizens with the U.S. Embassy in Paris.

He is truly the first American professional Formula One racing driver.

During the fifties, he was raced Maserati, Ferrari and Vanwall, BRM and was killed whilst testing a Cooper for the Yeoman Credit racing team in 1960 at Silverstone.

Harry Schell was my first real idol. He was American (actually Franco-American), raced professionally against the greatest in the world in F-1 and wore the USA emblem on his helmet.

I have been researching the life and times of Harry Schell. As an old fahrt, I no longer have the books and magazines
I collected in my youth. I do, however, have an excellent memory. One of the things I remembered was that there was an article in the February 1957 issue of (the American How-to magazine) POPULAR MECHANICS, written by Harry Schell or ghost
written by Bernard Cahier. I recently obtained a copy of that article which caused me to believe that Cahier could enlighten me on the German occupation period. In the article, Harry says that he was in the U.S.Army and got out in France. I have also read that he spent a part of the 40's in Monaco before joining the Army.

I find it disappointing that so little has been recorded about the exploits of drivers like Harry and numerous others such as Jean Behra, Herbert Mackay-Fraser, or Timmy Mayer. Old folks like myself remember these guys and others as being the ones that kindled the spark for sports car and Formula One racing.

I have approached Jose Froilan Gonzalez, Phil Hill, Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Roy Salvadori, Maurice Trintignant, Bernard Cahier and Jesse Alexander for their recollections of Harry and personal anecdotal stories about the era..

I have talked with Bernard twice and he sent me a couple of photos of Harry. He also told me that Phillipe Schell had lived here in California but that he had died a couple of years ago.

Bernard said that he will see if he can get an address. He didn't say whether Phillipe had any children. I hope he did.

I received a letter from Stirling begging off because of his schedule.I have replied that I have all the time in the world for him.

I am also a displaying Watercolorist and (as you might expect) most of my paintings are of auto racing. My paintings are primarily from the time when British cars were Green and Italian cars were Red.

If you know of or have a colour close up of Harry in his helmet, I would love to get a copy.

I will give full credit for your assistance.

Thank you.

Gil Bouffard
14513 Pinewood Drive
Lathrop, California, 95330
USA

Sorry I can't help you with the emblem but a couple of things.

1) How American was Harry? He was American only on paper when it gets right down to it. His first visit to the States wasn't until he was a teenager(age 17). He could barely speak English from what I have heard.

2) Masten Gregory was the first true American to compete on a regular basis in Formula One. Masten was born here, grew up here and developed his racing talents in the U.S.

Then Croats can claim Mario Andretti- he was born in Motovun, a small town in adriatic part of Croatia. Alas, his parents, as I'm told, were just passing through the town.

As for Timmy Mayer, he was barely an arrival... a year in an Austin Healey, then a year in a Cooper FJr in the US, won a drive in the US GP at Watkins Glen, went to Europe to drive FJrs, had a run in a Cooper Monaco in the Guards Trophy, then he was headlong into the Tasman series that ended with his death.
I'm still at work on the story of his last race, which encapsulates these facts and the concludes with his death a week later.
Fortunately, I spoke to him myself for an hour or so the week before he died.

Re Joe Fan's post above: Sorry Joe. Harry Schell was an American driver. The fact that he was does not in any way diminish Masten Gregory. Schell was an American. You can't change that.

Harry Schell was one of hte greatest charcters of the age. He wrote the following letter to Sir Alfred Owen after the 1958 French GP. It is written exactly as he typed it the speling and the grammar are his. The letter was addressed to "Mr Owen, Darlaston, South Wal, england.


lam only sorry I din't win a race yet for you; it might be possible soion if luck comes on our side as the cars are getting very good; better every time.
I hope thisletter will not ennoy you but 1 must let you know certain facts that might be the cause of our bad show in reims.
As you know for the past three races Ihave allways been doing the best time in traing; due to better cars or better driving Ii don't know but the facts are there so at Reims the first day of training 1 made the best time fo the day on my own car 2.23 1/6 Behra 227. Ii tried Behra 's car and made 2.24 6/10 the next day 1 made an agreement with Mr Mays not to run my car as Ii was on first line and like this we were savingthe car for the day of the race. On Friday the last day of training 1 did a few laps with my own car in 2.24 6/10 going very carefully; Behra was doing 2.27 2/10 with his own car and with the new engine which came at nite with Mr Berton XXXX I was asked by Mr Berha to try his own car 1 accepted this offer and put a time of 2.24 2/10 whih is three seconds dffaster than him. Mr Trintignant put a very good time of 223 6/10 which was the fourth time of the day; 1 still was on firts line and it was not necessary for me to do a better time Which lwanted to do For my own satisfaction ; lasked Mr Berthon the permission to run the car two laps which was refused by Mr Berton this was wise and we were saving the car for the race lagree 100 % with Mr Berton.
Then five minutes before end of practice Mr Behra asked for my car; Mr Berthon ansered no so Mr Berha said in these conditions he was not started in the race and that he could not drive any more such a bad car anymore etc. etc.
The next day from 10 am in the morning till 4 pm Mr Behra stayed at the garage tryingto persuade Mr Berton to give him my car by saying he wanted to cancel his contract and anyway he was not goingto start in the race at all.
1 was then called in the garage by Mr Spear and Mr Berthon told me 'Harry . you must take another car as Berha refused to start in the race if he has not your car He has Threatened us to cancel his contract you understand the situation so Which car do you prefer of the remaining two cars'.
For the interest of the team Iaccepted this decision ; 1 Wanted to call you but Mr Spear told me Ionly couldget you at two in the XXX morning so I did not want to distub you.
Everybodyd was furious of theattitude taken by Mr Berha. 1 hope that all thefacts will be told to you exactly theway they happened Everybody has worked very hard to get the cars ready for This race. my c car was in perfect condition and prepared with care by the Mechanics,and at the last minute my car is taken away for no valuable reason; 1 am sure 1 could have won the race for you or at least be second anyway.
1 want you for the future to let me know what is your decision about the choice of cars. 1 do not want to chose my car; 1 want to be given a car and keep this car for the training and for the r race; I never asked for any car from Mr Berton or Mr Mays and 1 allways did what lwas told but 1 think for the intrest of the team thebest car goes to the faster driver; anyway for the future 1 hope things will be settle and that for the British Grand Prix We will see a BRM first.
1 am very sorry to bother you with all these litle things but feel you should know about it...
Yours sincerely

Harry O'R Schell

P.s> Could you let me Know your decisions about the letter. 'll be staying at the Beaulieu s/Mar Hotel Metropole

What a fascinating bit of insight... where did this come from, Roger?
The really outstanding thing to me is that Harry and Jean don't appear to be the close buddies one pictures them from the Mays/Roberts book... anything more on this aspect?

It was from doug Nye's BRM. I found it when I was checking on their entry for the 1958 Australian GP. There's more of this sort of thing, which I will try and post later.

Roger,

That was wonderful! This is the sort of thing that makes life worth researching! Any chance of a copy of this letter making it to the International Motor Racing Research Center at Watkins Glen (the brand new name of the Watkins Glen Motor Racing Research Library)?

Oh, the car -- with me as a witness -- was driven down the stairs, but only after 'Arry's offer to let me co-drive was declined by my Mom. Drat! I was into the car like a shot until beckoned to depart the vehicle...by a Very Sternfaced mother. I have always wished that I could have made the "hill descent" down the staircase... For some reason the hotel management did not share my enthusiasm...

Correct, it might have been an Isetta, but for some reason I recall it being a 600 although the two are as different as night and day. Of course, what 'Arry was doing with either vehicle speaks volumes about the life of a racing driver at that time...

Don't forget, 'Arry did serve in the US Army during WW2 and with his incredible American mother, was more American than he is usually given credit for being. I for one, dearly loved 'Arry as both a person and a driver. He always had a moment to speak to me and others like me.

So you were an intrinsic part of this most famous moment in Motor Racing History, Don!
Stirling didn't mention you... can you back up your assertions? Kidding...
I'm sure Stirling mentioned the make, and I think it was smaller than a 600... I'm not sure about Isetta, perhaps it was a 500 after all... with no synchros..
Err... I've driven down stairs somewhere, as I recall.

Believe me, this was a Great Moment in my life! Drat, but I wish I could remember the car more clearly! But, it was small and light colored, that I recall. The uproar was quite something to behold if I recall. I was only 11 or 12 then, and had no idea how it got there until later, but I wished I could have seen 'Arry's face when he opened the door! When I arrived on the scene, the hubbub was already in full swing with all the Usual Shambles normally confined to the paddock doing on in the hallway. Lots of snickering drivers about if I remember. It was something else. I distinctly remember my saintly Mom saying, "What the hell?" when I told her about the car being in the hallway. We were on the other end of the hall, but this was too good for a young boy to miss! It wasn't until years later than it really became famous; then, it was just a prank...just one of many it seemed. Also, this made my Mom question the sanity of staying in the same places as the drivers....

Certainly a memory worth cherishing... as for why a driver might be in such a car, remember that they weren't as highly paid then, and they used to rent cars... maybe all they could get?
I recall one story of a group of drivers getting a Fiat 1100 to transport four of them to a race (Enna?)... Jack Brabham jumped into the back seat after running to the car. "Why didn't you grab the wheel?" he was asked. "I just want to be the furthest from the accident!" was his reply.

Don,

As I remember it, Phil Hill was a part of putting the car up there.

An insight: During my over twenty years in the Army, I have had the opportunity to work with many guys whose families are split between Foreign and American parents. Unless they were sent to America to learn English, they were stuck. We are talking the twenties and thirties, here. I knew an American woman who was lucky enough to have a father who worked for the military. She attended American school in Heidelberg. I had another friend who could speak French, German and Spanish. He also spoke profanity riddled conversational English. His first real taste of America was when he joined the Army. The problem was that he didn't know the protocol and the American idiom. Therefore, even though he is an American, his correspondence was horrible! He couldn't spell and he didn't know or understand American sentence structure.

If he wrote it in French or German, it would be correct.

But he is an American! I would say that in the long run he is better schooled than his state side brethren.

A couple of examples of people learning conversational English as a second language. Stefan Johannson sounded like a cockney when he talked. How about Christian Fittipaldi's exclamation to Jacques Villeneuve on the dais after Villeneuve won the Indy 500. Christian looked a Jacques and said." Jesus Christ, you were fast!" Caught on American TV, it was.

Oh, JoeFan. Some claim the Freddy Wacker was the first American in F1. He raced Gordini's beside Harry Schell.

Gil Bouffard
(I speak two languages. German and American.)

Ray,

Re:" Certainly a memory worth cherishing... as for why a driver might be in such a car, remember that they weren't as highly paid then, and they used to rent cars..."

Saw most of "The Green Helmet," last night. The Tire Baron offers the race driver $25,000 for the year. Dan Gurney said that he got more for finishing the Indy 500 than he did for winning the Grand Prix of France.

You couldn't get one of today's super stars into a car for $25,000.

Gil

Harry Schell was extremely wealthy, it was his eccentricity, not his income which caused him to be driving such a car.

Gil, Freddy Wacker was the first true American in F1 but he didn't race in enough races or stay around long enough to really snatch the pioneer tag in my mind.

Mike, I generally feel that Harry Schell was a good guy but I don't really consider him an "American." He had three strikes against him: 1) he wasn't born in the U.S., 2) he didn't grow up in the U.S. and 3) he never made the U.S. his home if memory serves me correct. I think his parents probably made the change in his citizenship just so that it would make it easier for them to come back to the U.S. if war had forced them out of France.

Wolf had brought up Mario Andretti which is a good example. Even though Mario Andretti wasn't born in the U.S., most of his formative years were spent in the U.S. and he did develop his racing skills on U.S. soil.

1. Harry Schell wasn't that wealthy, Nor was his family.

2. I don't want this to get out of hand, but setting a criterion that you must be born, bred and die on American soil, to be considered an American cuts out a vast majority of "Americans." For all we know Capps isn't an "American."

3. I have contacted the Army records folks with a FOIA request about Harry's service record.

Works for me! Hair splitting is no fun.

Gil

Having just come from Paddock Club, where an argument is raging, this is nice! Polite dissension... threats in good humour...
so how rich was Harry?

I always thought thhhat both Schell's parents were very wealthy. His mother, Lucy O'Reilly certainly sponsored a team of Talbots and Delahayes before the war.

Don, is it true that the gang of unruly racing drivers involved in the car in a bedroom scandal were led by a certain notorious 46 year old Argentinian?

Here's another Schell story.

After the 1958 monaco GP he decided to take Peter Berthon, Raymond Mays and tony Rudd to dinner in Nice. On arrival he announced to the restraunteur tht since he wished to entertain his friends in the lucky Patron's establishment he should first inspect the kitchens. He then interviewed the owneer to see if he was suitable to cater for such an august company and after tremendous ceremony they enjoyed an excellent meal and left in high spirits, suspecting very much that Harry had not paid the bill.

(Thanks to Doug Nye)

Roger,

Back then there wasn't a "sponsor," program. The Schells created and financed a racing team, bought cars and entered them with drivers like Rene Dreyfus. They got back some of their investment through appearance money and finishing money. Additionally, Lucy and Laurie Schell were racers in their own right. It's not as if Harry was broke or destitute, but wealth is a thing of perception.


Times were more gentler then, in the auto racing business. The thing that I learned from my long association in this business and was substantiated in the copy of the Harry Schell letter, is that Harry was a team player! He was more interested in the good of the team than he was in feeding his ego.

Gil Bouffard

For what it is worth, we kids considered 'Arry an American since his Mom was an American and he served in the US Army. That was good enough for us. Plus, 'Arry considered himself an American and retained US citizenship until the end. I, for one, don't real bent about this sort of thing. Where someone is from is far less important to me than what sort of person he or she is.

Indeed, Rene Dreyfus was a US Army veteran as well as a long-time US resident & citizen. So I guess he was the second American after Jimmy Murphy to win a GP race...

Indeed, Rene Dreyfus was a US Army veteran as well as a long-time US resident & citizen. So I guess he was the second American after Jimmy Murphy to win a GP race...

Yeah right! And Caracciola was the first Swiss winning the European Championship.

Hans,

Exactly!!!

It all gets a bit silly. Who really cares? Dreyfus, Caracciola, Schell, and Andretti are examples of how silly some of this can get.

Gil Bouffard asked me to put down my recollections of the day that Harry Schell died. I have deliberately resisted the temptation to look up the details in the contemporary issues of Autosport and Motorsport as I wanted the account to be just as it remains in my memory. I hope the following doesn't conflict with the actual events too much.



Looking back 40 years there were only two Silverstones; it was either hot and sunny or wet, overcast and miserable, never anything in between. This particular day was not one of the former. In the fifties Silverstone had not yet been transformed into a genuine international racing circuit, everywhere you looked there were reminders of its earlier existence. It was easy to imagine the bombers taking off for their missions over Germany. And on days like this the wet cold wind was completely uninhibited by the flat landscape of Northamptonshire.

It was a practice day and in the fifties few spectators bothered to turn up for practice. On a day like this it seemed as if there were only about two dozen spectators spread around the almost three-mile circuit. And not many of them had the courage to explore the faraway delights of Stowe Corner, which was where my post was situated. I was there as a crowd marshal! Call it a misnomer or a sinecure, whatever it was a great way to witness state of the art Grand Prix cars cornering on the limit just a few feet from where I was standing. And it was absolutely free, which was not unimportant to this college student.

The track was damp with standing water in places, if I remember correctly. The cars on their narrow tires scrabbled for adhesion as they came through Stowe. I had the impression that practice in these conditions was not being taken too seriously. Most of the drivers were changing down carefully and minimizing the unavoidable fish-tailing as they accelerated up the straight and out of my view. The engines sounded smooth and controlled.

But there was one exception even to my untutored ears. When Harry Schell came by the throttle was continually blipped throughout the corner, not once but on every lap. It was as if he was making continuous corrections and the sound was completely different from all the others. I can't say if his car was less stable or if he was fighting repeated slides as it wasn't the appearance that caught my attention but the sound. There may have been something wrong with the engine or the electrics or maybe he was just trying harder than anyone else. In my ignorance I wondered if that was the way he always drove.

Then there was silence, the practice session was halted and the cars stopped circulating. There was no public address system in operation that day maybe because there was no public to address. Slowly the news was passed round the circuit. Harry Schell had had a big one. I can't remember if we knew that he had died in the accident or indeed if he died later. All I do know is that that soggy old airfield was the last place in the world I wanted to be at that moment.

What an irony that exuberant 'Arree should perish on such a day and in such a miserable place.

I know that feeling well.
Well recorded, Tony, and your memory sounds pretty good to me, which it usually is with shattering events. It's unlikely that any contemporary reports would have told us what you have about the way he was driving... it sounds to me like he was having a real go.

Thanks for that Tony. Although only 12 at the time, I was already deeply into Grand Prix racing and I remember feeling the loss of 'Arree very deeply. Just as I did later the same year with Chris Bristow and Alan Stacey in that terrible race at Spa.

With the greatest of respect to Olivier Gendenbien and Henry Taylor, I often wonder what results Yeoman Credit might have managed with a 3 car team of Schell, Brooks and Bristow.

Tony,

Thanks for the information.

I had the same experience when Depailler crashed the Alfa Romeo at the Ost Kurve at the Hockenheimring. I lived within walking distance of the track and was in my studio working on a painting when the sounds of cars practicing at the Hockenheimring just stopped!

It wasn't much later that I learned tha Patrick was dead.

Gil Bouffard

That sound of silence gets deafening, doesn't it?
Many times I've known this feeling, like Bathurst in 1969, when Bevan Gibson inverted the Elfin 400 and skated hundreds of yards upside down... thousands of spectators standing around silent... Peter Brock and his mates walked away...
Even though it was over a mile away, our view from the top of the mountain was clear.
But the silence is greatest when you're a flaggie out on a solitary post and the cars just stop coming past in practice. Just silence, maybe you see an ambulance moving...

The story of how Harry Schell got himself onto the front row of the grid for the first U.S. Grand Prix is legendary.

However, search as I may, I am completely unable to find a COLOUR picture of the #19 Cooper. I know it was blue and white but I have it on the very best authority that there are actually more than 2 different shades of blue!

If anyone knows where such a photo might be found I would be very happy to know of it.

Bira and Don - do I win a prize for 'Beating the Nostalgia Forum'?

I'm afraid I seem to have beaten the Sebring track too because I e-mailed their historian and he tells me they have NO colour pictures from that race.

Oh well, I suppose if no-one has a colour piccy, I can choose any blue I like.......

Barry,

I have have a fair C O L O R picture of Harry Schell on the front row at Sebring. I can email it to you. And one of Phil Hill's Dino as well....

Thanks, Don, that would be great.

So no prize for beating TNF, but the picture is an even better prize in itself!

Given the quality of colour printing at that time,I doubt you would be able to tell the exact shade any more than fron a monochrome. Fairly sure I have seen colour film of that Sebring race,but can't remember where. What I would like to see is colour from the next race-the 1960 Argentine GP.

Here is my entire collection of 9 Sebring pics (B&W) 59 - 60 era.

4 meg zipped.

Sebring black and whites

I once received a slide from Walt Monaco picturing Harry Schell. I scanned it but really don't know if it's done correctly. Maybe I should flip the image horizontally but I don't see any references. Only the position of the engine could bring a solution but I'm not very familiar with that era of Motor Racing. Can anyone of you sort this out and fill in some details? Thanks!

Looks like his A6GCM/250 Maserati in 1954 in which case, yes, it should be flipped

I think the picture is mirrored. look at the driver's shirt and the 'left' wrist with no watch. Also Harry (? in the overalls) appears to be wearing a watch on his right wrist.

Try flipping the picture.

Sorry I can't help with the interesting bits.

With my flat bed scanner, I face the slide shinny side of the slide face down on the glass (the matt "emulsion" side facing up). The orientation is then always correct.

To test this on your scanner, scan another slide that has signage or similar in the image, taking note of which side of the slide is facing up.

If you don't have any another slide, try a clear food wrapper with small writing on it with the writing face down. This is the equivalent of the placing the shinny side of the slide face down.

Chris.
www.MotorsportArchive.com

Harry Schell is the gentleman sitting in the car.

methinks the webers are on the wrong side....please flip....

Done! Thanks to all for your help.



Does anyone know exactly what car, where or when? Looks like we already have the car but I would love to know the rest.

i wonder what the gentleman on the right is fishing for ......looks like a rag in a coffee can...plugs perhaps???

1954 for sure. The car behind seems to be an english one ( a Hillman?); if so it can be Silverstone, International Trophy or British GP...but it can also be Schell's car or the one of an English entrant an then where you want in Europe.

is it just me or does the rear tire seem wet....

Oops, just found out that it's Harry Schell . I've corrected this in my first post but can't change the title of this thread (Don?).

I don't think the rear tyre is wet dbw. It probably picked up some oil and grease.

I've noticed the car is standing on cobble stones so that could be a hint.

Actually Pedro you're only half wrong.
'Aree got so annoyed with people misspelling his name that he actually changed it from Schell to Shell - around 1959 I think.
By then of course everyone realised it should be Schell, and that's how it stayed

Wonderful pic now it's the right way round, really shows a lot of character. Thanks for posting!

great pic.................................and do you have any more??

To Europeans, 6'4" is about 1.93/1.94 metres I guess.

If 'arry really was that tall, what did he do with his legs on his WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT?