Haskell Wexler is an Oscar-winning cinematographer, taking home the coveted golden trophies for his work on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bound for Glory. Not many car enthusiasts, however, know about his racing experiences. Wexler took driving lessons from Carroll Shelby, but gave it up when he discovered just how fast a racecar went down Riverside’s main straight. He also did some informal illegal racing on L.A.’s famous Mulholland Drive—until he crashed his homebuilt sports racing car. His racing company, Haskell Automotive, owned a Lola T70, a 275LM Ferrari and the Max Balchowsky-built Old Yellers II, III and IV, the latter of which Wexler himself was able to drive, once it had been adapted for the street. He’s still a car enthusiast, and John Wright recently spoke with him about his automotive involvements.
When did you first discover your attraction to automobiles?
