Just two laps from the checkered flag, the left rear wheel broke and Gurney was forced to retire from the race. If not for that unusual mechanical failure, Gurney and his 1961 Impala would have won the race in dominating fashion.
He planned to prevent this from happening again at the next race at Silverstone by purchasing a set of NASCAR-spec wheels, but he never got to properly try them out. After heavy pressure from the Jaguar teams, the series organizers banned the Impala from competition. The cause or terms of the ban were never explained, but Gurney didn’t want to fight with the organizers, so he sold the car to a friend, who then shipped it to Australia.
Life after Dan Gurney
While in Australia, Gurney’s old Impala race car was converted to right-hand-drive, and it became a tow car for the local race track. At some point, the original engine was replaced. In 2017, it was sent to the United States where it was put up for sale. Foster found it, purchased it mostly sight unseen, and promptly had it shipped to England.
Foster decided to restore this Impala to its former racing glory. Unfortunately Foster was unable to tell Gurney that the Impala was found and on its path to restoration as Gurney has passed away. But he got in touch with Alex Gurney, Dan’s son, who very much looks forward to getting behind the wheel one day. Alex conveyed to Foster that well over 50 years later, his father was still annoyed by his wheel mishap.
The early-1960s Chevrolet Impala doesn’t get much credit for being a great road-handling machine, but when it was new, it was good enough to beat Britain’s best saloons.
The video is part 1 of an ongoing 4-part series, and definitely worth a watch for the rare race footage, as well as the restoration process which promises to be a true labor of Chevrolet love.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
