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Iconic Racer Sam Posey Is Honored at Lime Rock Park in the Fight Against Parkinson’s
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- Iconic Racer Sam Posey Is Honored at Lime Rock Park in the Fight Against Parkinson’s
When the invitation arrived to view a unique private car collection in New Jersey, followed by a scenic drive to Connecticut's Lime Rock Park ( Paul Newman 's home track) to celebrate racing champion Sam Posey, our answer was an immediate "yes." After all, no one defines "Renaissance man" quite like Posey, who through the course of his storied career has also been an esteemed motorsport commentator, author, painter, and architect.
The icing was that the event was hosted by Drive Toward a Cure , a non-profit that organizes rarefied motoring experiences to raise funds for research in the fight against Parkinson's disease, which Posey was diagnosed with 30 years ago. (Parkinson's has cruelly afflicted other car legends, including Phil Hill and Parnelli Jones.)
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Non-profit charity Drive Toward a Cure paid tribute to racing great Sam Posey at Lime Rock Park racetrack on October 10.
As with other Drive Toward a Cure gatherings we've had the pleasure of attending (a spirited run to Yosemite comes to mind), this one was exceptionally curated. Perfectly timed to coincide with peak Northeastern leaf-peeping on a gorgeous fall day, the event began with our cadre of about a dozen invited guests—many who were automotive luminaries themselves—convening at a private home an hour outside New York City.
There, amidst gently rolling farmland and pristine barns, perched a meaningful collection of race cars—including rally winners—and hot rods. Each racer sported a competition resume of magnitude, and each had been painstakingly preserved in order to do what they were intended to do: participate and win events around the world—and a few Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance awards along the way, too.
Sam Posey with his teammate Paul Newman.
After the enthralling tour, it was tough to peel away from, for example, an Alpine that won in class at Le Mans in 1964, a 1970s Porsche 911 that thrived in a recent African off-road rally, and a pristine early Ford high boy. But peel away we did in an all-electric Lucid Touring, which nimbly carved every turn on our scenic drive to Lakeville, Conn., where the Lime Rock racetrack is nestled. There, in the Infield Chalet—one of several freestanding buildings on-site that Sam Posey designed—we met up with the renowned racer himself.
Those attending Posey's tribute toured a private collection of cars rich with racing provenance.
Reading Sam's bio simply doesn't do such an erudite soul justice. This is a man who can write better than just about anyone we know, paint like a Master, and whose prowess behind the wheel was consistently breathtaking and award-winning.
This 1950s Mercedes-Benz 300 SL "Gullwing" was Sam Posey's first car at the age of 14, and he never sold it.
On hand to celebrate was former racer and Ferrari insider Luigi Chinetti Jr., whose eponymous father was responsible for bringing the first Ferraris into the U.S. as well as establishing the North American Racing Team (NART) under the Prancing Horse banner. Bill Warner—founder of the beloved Amelia Island Concours in Florida—was also there to pay homage to Posey, as was racing-school founder Skip Barber, who credited Posey as being his most important source of inspiration. All assembled laughed, teared up, and were reminded of the bravery and greatness, continuing today, embodied by the man of the hour.
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All too soon, lunch and accolades were over. Outside, Posey climbed into the passenger seat of his immaculately maintained 1950s Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing" coupe . Incredibly, it was the first car he acquired, doing so at 14 years of age.
Sam Posey with Deb Pollack, founder of Drive Toward a Cure—a non-profit established to support research in the fight against Parkinson's through philanthropic motoring events throughout the U.S.
As for Posey's insights and intellect, a few poetic words from one of his features in a car publication speak volumes: "Monaco is about seawater and Champagne, about very rich people wearing very few clothes, about a giant immovable granite citadel and the fast, frail cars that race in its shadow." We dare anyone to top that.
Drive Toward a Cure's next event is the fourth annual Genau AutoWerks Rally in Woodside, Calif., and is limited to 30 vehicles. For more information, visit drivetowardacure.org .
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Click below for more photos from Sam Posey's career in motorsport.
Sam Posey at the 1971 Questor Grand Prix in Ontario, Calif.
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