{"version":"1.0.0","episode":{"title":"John Fitch: The Greatest Driver You’ve Never Heard Of","url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/john-fitch-the-greatest-driver-you-ve-never-heard-of","audioUrl":"https://pdst.fm/e/mgln.ai/e/135/verifi.podscribe.com/rss/p/swap.fm/track/i7NUCPwi3tJP053nG6mP/traffic.megaphone.fm/STU8620071817.mp3?updated=1756686650","description":"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\n\nThanks 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.\n\nThis 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.\n\nThis 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.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices"},"annotations":[{"startTime":261.6,"endTime":269.04,"type":"car","title":"Saturn Aura","url":"/cars/saturn/aura","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/2007_Saturn_Aura_XE.jpg","quote":"...unc deadass crashing out right now. Negative 1000 aura. Right? Yeah. Thanks. I was thinking, I'm glad so...","canonicalId":"car:saturn:aura","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"IFCAR (Public domain)"}},{"startTime":957.84,"endTime":962.56,"type":"car","title":"Ford Mustang","url":"/cars/ford/mustang","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/13/1966_Ford_Mustang_coupe_white_001.jpg","quote":"... enemy lines in Germany. After bailing out of his Mustang, Fitch was captured by the Nazis and put in a POW...","canonicalId":"car:ford:mustang","priority":0.7,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Hans-Jürgen Neubert (CC BY 4.0)"}},{"startTime":1321.36,"endTime":1328.48,"type":"car","title":"Mercedes-Benz Mercedesbenz Team","url":"/cars/mercedes-benz/amg-gt","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6d/Mercedes-AMG_C190_GT_R_IMG_7306.jpg","quote":"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","canonicalId":"car:mercedes-benz:amg gt","priority":0.3,"confidence":0.9090909090909091,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Alexander-93 (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}},{"startTime":1898.72,"endTime":1904.56,"type":"car","title":"Chevrolet Corvette","url":"/cars/chevrolet/corvette","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Chevrolet_Corvette%2C_BAS_24%2C_Brussels_%28P1170387-RR%29.jpg","quote":"...egendary engineer Zora Arkus-Duntoff had made the Corvette a popular model on the street, but could it reall...","canonicalId":"car:chevrolet:corvette","priority":0.7,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)"}},{"startTime":2159.76,"endTime":2164.24,"type":"car","title":"Corvette Grand Sport","url":"/cars/chevrolet/corvette","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Chevrolet_Corvette%2C_BAS_24%2C_Brussels_%28P1170387-RR%29.jpg","quote":"...ture Corvette performance programs, including the Grand Sport and ZO6. It doesn't look like a Corvette. No. It ...","canonicalId":"car:corvette:","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Matti Blume (CC BY-SA)"}},{"startTime":2174.88,"endTime":2183.12,"type":"car","title":"Mazda Tribute","url":"/cars/mazda/tribute","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/01-04_Mazda_Tribute.jpg","quote":"...There's like some car that's like a Sterling Moss tribute that doesn't have a windshield. It's like maybe a...","canonicalId":"car:mazda:tribute","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"IFCAR (Public domain)"}},{"startTime":2196.08,"endTime":2206.56,"type":"car","title":"Slr Mclaren","url":"/cars/mercedes-benz/slr-mclaren","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/2005_Black_Mercedes-Benz_SLR_McLaren.jpg","quote":"...eah. Yeah. Yeah. Sterling Moss. This guy. It's an SLR McLaren Sterling Moss. Heads up. Heads up. Heads to aucti...","canonicalId":"car:slr:mclaren","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}},{"startTime":2288.8,"endTime":2294.48,"type":"car","title":"Jaguar D Types","url":"/cars/jaguar/d-type","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/1954_Jaguar_D-Type_OKV_3_XKC404.jpg","quote":"...ith the Cunningham team who is now competing with Jaguar D types. He also drove from Maserati at Lime Rock Park, w...","canonicalId":"car:jaguar:d-type","priority":0.5,"confidence":0.96,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}},{"startTime":2366.56,"endTime":2372.08,"type":"car","title":"Ford Edge","url":"/cars/ford/edge","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/FORD_EDGE_L_%28FORD_EDGE_THIRD_GENERATION%29.jpg","quote":"...es, and an emphasis on aerodynamics to give it an edge in both racing and top speed performance. It feat...","canonicalId":"car:ford:edge","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}},{"startTime":2381.36,"endTime":2389.76,"type":"car","title":"Chevrolet Corvair","url":"/cars/chevrolet/corvair","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/1963_Chevrolet_Corvair_Monza_900%2C_Blenheim_Classics_Auto_Show%2C_Blenheim%2C_Ontario%2C_2025-06-21_01.jpg","quote":"...ore intense driving duties. It's like a fast-back Corvair, this thing's sick. That's really cool. That's th...","canonicalId":"car:chevrolet:corvair","priority":0.5,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Crisco 1492 (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}},{"startTime":2400.48,"endTime":2405.76,"type":"car","title":"Chevrolet Chevelle","url":"/cars/chevrolet/chevelle","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/1970_Chevrolet_Chevelle_Malibu_4-dr%2C_front_left.jpg","quote":"...h, yeah. That's sick. It looks like it has like a Chevelle roof on a Corvair, if you can imagine that. That'...","canonicalId":"car:chevrolet:chevelle","priority":0.7,"confidence":1.0,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"Mr.choppers (CC BY-SA 3.0)"}},{"startTime":3139.36,"endTime":3148.08,"type":"car","title":"Mercedes-Benz Mercedes 300","url":"/cars/mercedes-benz/300-sel-6-3-w109","image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/1969_Mercedes-Benz_300_SEL_6.3_by_Crayford.jpg","quote":"...at age 77 for a ceremonial lap in a restored 1955 Mercedes 300 SLR, honoring his fallen teammate Pierre Levet 40...","canonicalId":"car:mercedes-benz:300 sel 6.3 (w109)","priority":0.5,"confidence":0.96,"source":"fuzzy","data":{"imageAttribution":"MrWalkr (CC BY-SA 4.0)"}}],"speakers":[{"id":"s1","name":"Donut Media","role":"host"}],"transcripts":[{"url":"http://getcarcurious.com/episodes/john-fitch-the-greatest-driver-you-ve-never-heard-of/transcript.vtt","type":"text/vtt"}]}