In early May, the American motorsport community lost another member of its postwar road racing pioneers when Bob Grossman succumbed to multiple myeloma.
Born in Philadelphia, in 1923, Grossman was a multi-talented individual who was not only a trained artist, but also a professional baritone singer. However, like many of his army comrades who served during World War II, when Grossman returned to the U.S. he turned his attention to foreign cars and road racing.
In 1958, Grossman drove an Alfa Romeo to the SCCA G-production national championship and then followed this achievement up with a C-Production championship in 1959 (Ferrari) and a tie for the A-production championship in 1961. Grossman also raced a wide variety of impressive machinery on the international endurance scene including numerous Ferraris, Corvettes, Shelby Cobras and GT40s.
Grossman also competed regularly at the 24-Hours of Le Mans. In fact, from 1959 to 1964, Grossman finished in the top 10 every year, including a career best 5th overall in 1959, co-driving a Ferrari 250 GT with Tavoni. Grossman’s other international racing achievements include a class victory in the 1969 12-Hours of Sebring co-driving a Camaro with Don Yenko.
Grossman was a fixture on the American and European racing scenes for more than 25 years. After retiring from professional competition, Grossman turned his attention back to one of his early loves, art. Grossman’s automotive artwork has been on display at numerous vintage events over the years and has adorned the covers of a number of publications. His humor and enthusiasm will be sorely missed.
Submitted by Casey Annis
