Fifties road racing legend Bill Murphy passed away on July 17; he was 93. Though born in Sitka, Alaska on November 17, 1912, Murphy grew up in Auburn, Washington, before moving with his family to Beverly Hills, California in the late ’20s.
Murphy attended college briefly before dropping out to start his own DeSoto and Plymouth dealership in 1940. By 1953, Murphy added a Buick dealership that went on to become the world’s largest. About this same time, Murphy began road racing and is perhaps best remembered for his inspiring drives at the wheel of one of two Buick-powered Kurtis sports cars he owned. During the ’50s, it was not uncommon to see Murphy dicing at the front of the pack with the likes of Phil Hill in a Ferrari, Bill Pollack in an Allard and Carroll Shelby in a Maserati.
