The Limit – Life and Death on the 1961 Grand Prix Circuit
Michael Cannell
Will the real Phil Hill please stand up! A nation waited while three mystery guests on the TV show “To Tell the Truth” hesitated and stirred in their seats before one of them stood up. None of the three celebrity panelists and few watching from home had a clue as to which mystery guest was Phil Hill. What’s curious about this is that Hill could not show his face in Italy without drawing a crowd. There, and in much of Western Europe, where F1 was as popular as the NFL is today, Hill was a heroic figure, a motor racing god. In the U.S. he was merely another face in the crowd, and he preferred it that way. To most people, Phil Hill was an enigma but, unfortunately for those who know motor racing, Cannell fails to offer any insight into Hill’s complex character.
Part of the problem, perhaps, is that he admits he’s not a car or motor racing guy. He got the idea to write the book after looking through a book of photographs in the New York Times newsroom. That led to a massive research project and interviews with the likes of Robert Daley, Denise McCluggage, Stirling Moss and Doug Nye. His book is well foot-noted, a testament to the amount of work he did, but his technical details are a bit suspect. For example, he says the 156 Ferrari delivered 400-hp (more than double the actual amount). That’s but one example.
Cannell is a fine writer. He knows how to tell a story. He presents details logically and well, enhancing rather than detracting from the narrative. He could, however, have offered new insights rather than simply reciting what others have already written. I had hoped for something more.
