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John Fitch: The Greatest Driver You’ve Never Heard Of

Past Gas Sep 01, 2025 54 min

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About this episode

John Fitch, a largely overlooked figure in automotive history, made significant contributions to racing and safety. From his heroic WWII service to racing alongside legends like Fangio, Fitch's journey is marked by triumph and tragedy, particularly the 1955 Le Mans disaster that claimed many lives. This episode explores Fitch's evolution from a racer to a safety advocate, detailing his innovations like the Fitch Barrier and his role in transforming the Corvette into a racing icon. His legacy is a blend of speed, engineering, and a commitment to driver safety, making him a true hero of motorsport.

Topics: john fitch le mans disaster racing safety innovations corvette history world war ii pilot endurance racing fitch barrier automotive engineering driver safety

Cars: Chevrolet Chevelle Chevrolet Corvair Chevrolet Corvette Ford Edge Ford Mustang Jaguar D-Type Mazda Tribute Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.3 (W109) Mercedes-Benz AMG GT Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Saturn Aura

Get After It! Enter for a Chance to Win a Custom Car Co-Built by Donut and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All brought to you by NOS Energy. For more details visit: https://bit.ly/45AqGyd Thanks to Allstate for sponsoring today’s episode! Click here [https://bit.ly/3Sypy82] to check Allstate first and see how much you could save on car insurance. This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at https://betterhelp.com/PASTGAS and get on your way to being your best self. This week on Past Gas, we uncover the life of John Fitch — a World War II fighter pilot who became one of the most important race car drivers in history… and you’ve probably never heard of him. He raced with legends, helped turn the Corvette into a true performance icon, and stood in the pits during the deadliest crash ever at Le Mans. That moment changed him forever — and his safety inventions have saved millions of lives on the road and track ever since. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Technical Too Afraid to Ask

IFCAR (Public domain)

Car

Saturn Aura

"...unc deadass crashing out right now. Negative 1000 aura. Right? Yeah. Thanks. I was thinking, I'm glad so..."

Hans-Jürgen Neubert (CC BY 4.0)

Car

Ford Mustang

"... enemy lines in Germany. After bailing out of his Mustang, Fitch was captured by the Nazis and put in a POW..."

Alexander-93 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Mercedes-Benz Mercedesbenz Team

"factory team at the Milamiglia. He also took his rookie test for the Indy 500 and a win at Sebring with co-driver Phil Walters. In late 1954, Fitch joined the Mercedes-Benz team as a factory driver, along with Juan Manuel Fangio, Carl Kling and Sterling Moss. This was arguably the most"

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)

Car

Chevrolet Corvette

"...egendary engineer Zora Arkus-Duntoff had made the Corvette a popular model on the street, but could it reall..."

Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)

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Corvette Grand Sport

"...ture Corvette performance programs, including the Grand Sport and ZO6. It doesn't look like a Corvette. No. It ..."

IFCAR (Public domain)

Car

Mazda Tribute

"...There's like some car that's like a Sterling Moss tribute that doesn't have a windshield. It's like maybe a..."

MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Slr Mclaren

"...eah. Yeah. Yeah. Sterling Moss. This guy. It's an SLR McLaren Sterling Moss. Heads up. Heads up. Heads to aucti..."

MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Jaguar D Types

"...ith the Cunningham team who is now competing with Jaguar D types. He also drove from Maserati at Lime Rock Park, w..."

Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Ford Edge

"...es, and an emphasis on aerodynamics to give it an edge in both racing and top speed performance. It feat..."

Crisco 1492 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Chevrolet Corvair

"...ore intense driving duties. It's like a fast-back Corvair, this thing's sick. That's really cool. That's th..."

Mr.choppers (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Car

Chevrolet Chevelle

"...h, yeah. That's sick. It looks like it has like a Chevelle roof on a Corvair, if you can imagine that. That'..."

MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Car

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes 300

"...at age 77 for a ceremonial lap in a restored 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR, honoring his fallen teammate Pierre Levet 40..."

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11 cars featured

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