Actor James Garner, a favorite of racing fans worldwide for his portrayal of Pete Aron in John Frankenheimer’s seminal 1966 film Grand Prix, has died at the age of 86. Garner starred in more than 50 other films as well, with the best-known being: The Great Escape; The Americanization of Emily; Victor, Victoria; Murphy’s Romance (for which he received an Oscar nomination); and Space Cowboys. He also starred on television, most notably in 122 episodes of The Rockford Files, as private investigator Jim Rockford, and Maverick, as the card-sharking title character, Bret Maverick.
Donovan was inspired by James Garner and Eves Montand in the film Grand Prix. Photo: Mike Jiggle Archive
From the moment Bob Bondurant began teaching him how to drive a racing car in preparation for his role as Pete Aron, however, Garner seemed to catch the racing bug, and started his own team, American International Racing, which raced Corvettes and Lola T70s at Daytona and Sebring in the late ’60s, as well as in the SCCA’s Continental Championship (F5000). He also produced a pair of racing films, Once Upon a Wheel in 1968 and The Racing Scene (1969), and climbed behind the wheel himself several times to contest the fabled Baja 1000 off-road classic. He drove the Pace Car at Indianapolis on three occasions, 1975, 1977 and 1985.
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