Le Mans Winner and Automotive Journalist Paul Frère Dies at 91
Paul Frère, who won the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans with Oliver Gendebien, and automotive journalist, died on Saturday at the age of 91.
Frère was born on January 30, 1917 in France. Though he was an automotive journalist, he managed to race in 11 Formula 1 events from 1952 to 1956. In 1960 Frère drove a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa to a win at Le Mans.
After moving on from racing professionally, Frère served as the European editor at Road & Track magazine, and as an editor at the French Porsche publication Flat 6. He also authored several books on automotive topics, including his autobiography, My Life Full of Cars.
Racing was in Frère’s life to the end though, and in 2006 while driving near the Nurburgring, the 89-year-old journalist managed to survive multiple injuries after a heavy crash. His competitive spirit, and sense of adventure will be widely missed.
+ Autoblog: RIP: Paul Frère, 1917-2008
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Comments
davido
He was, along with Phil Hill, a reminder that talent, intelligence, elegance and taste can be combined in one person who races successfully and later comes to write about racing and cars with those same qualities.
He was a "gentleman," a word and a manner of being that seems to be passing away with his generation and will be deeply missed when it is gone. As he will be missed.
I'm glad that Road and Track has managed, from Henry N. Manney through Rob Walker to Frere and Hill, to sustain a quality in it's writing down through the years that links past and present and has meant a lot to me over the almost fifty years that I've read the madazine.
There aren't many outlets for writing about cars and motorsports that reaches a genuinely literary standard anymore. Winding Road is one such and I value it all the more now that so many of the "old heads" have gone.
son in law
Davido couldn't have said it better.
Mr. Frere will be missed by all who had come to know him through writing and racing.
He drove the stink out of anything he was given the keys to. I hope I'm doing the same at 91.
His elagance was on a par with Cary Grant and we all benifited from it.
Rest in peace.
RobSpeed
I have never forgotten what I think was my introduction to Mr.Frere. A photo in R&T (early sixties I think) of the the speedometer of a car he was reviewing. It wasn't the speed recorded that grabbed my attention, but the way in which he held the steering wheel. Not with his fists, but with his fingers! 169 MPH and he was controlling this car with a light touch. I have tried to drive that way ever since. Thanks, Paul.
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