Remembering Quick Vic!

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit…

Vic Elford was one of the best, most versatile drivers in history. He was the 1967 European Rally Champion but in 1968 he had maybe the best week ever in racing.

He won the Monte Carlo Rally January 28th and a week later he won the Daytona 24 Hours. Later in 1968 he made up 18 minutes to win the Targa Florio road race in Sicily.

He helped Porsche develop the 917 and was one of the very few drivers to tame the beast capable of 240 miles an hour. But Elford is dead now. A beast he couldn’t tame, cancer, took him out last Sunday.

I talked with Vic Elford December 14, 2010. It was a conversation that could have lasted all day instead of about an hour.

Among the things we discussed was the state of current racing machinery.

The cars are much safer now. but are they better? Did he long to drive today’s machines?

He said absolutely but the cars a generation ago were so good you didn’t get into crashes.

Elford Drove for Porsche five years. He was the first to lap Le Mans in 150MPH+ in a long tail Porsche 917. Elford tamed the 917 but he never drove the Porsche. He’d retired when that elegant beast came on line.

He did say he would have liked to driver the Citroen C4 rally car. He would have loved that.

Porsche called him Quick Vic. Vic Elford, maybe the best all-around driver ever. Dead at 86.

May he rest in Peace.