A brief thread about Walter Wolf, one of the most interesting people I have ever interviewed. Owner of the first Canadian F1 team in the 1970s and won at Monaco, the first person to put a wing on a Lamborghini Countach, and once commissioned the fastest road car in Europe in the 1980s. - ThreadSky

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social • 79 days ago

A brief thread about Walter Wolf, one of the most interesting people I have ever interviewed. Owner of the first Canadian F1 team in the 1970s and won at Monaco, the first person to put a wing on a Lamborghini Countach, and once commissioned the fastest road car in Europe in the 1980s.

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brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

The first time I spoke to Walter, he was still wanted by Interpol, which we did not go into. We talked about the development of this, the first proper Wolf Prototype. Engine handbuilt by Dallara, first to wear those massive rear tires, first to have that V-wing. Car is currently in Japan.

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

Wolf was born penniless in Slovenia, and arrived in Canada with nothing. Working as a diver repairing oil rigs, he began speculating in oil. He bought in on a ship that was crossing the Atlantic when the first of the '70s fuel crisis hit.

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

Long interested in racing, he was able to buy into F1. In the film Rush, the Hesketh team sadly has to sell off their cars and equipment, and James Hunt is out of a job. In real life, Wolf bought those cars. WR1 was a Cosworth package typical of the time, but with Scheckter at the wheel it won.

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

1977 was the team's best season, with a win right off the bat in Argentina. For Monaco, Enzo Ferrari had made a bet with Wolf because Walter was showing up in races in a Lamborghini. Enzo: "I win, you buy two Ferraris. You win, I give you a 512BB." Walter: deal. Wolf won.

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

The 512BB showed up with a bill for the tires and a note from Enzo saying, "The car is free, the tires are not." Because Enzo. Walter drove this car a bit and had it serviced in Maranello. One time, too busy to drive it back, he asked his neighbour Gilles to do it. Yes, *that* Gilles.

brendanmcaleer.bsky.social•79 days ago

Gilles Villeneuve drove the car from Maranello to the south of France so hard that the car had to be shipped back immediately to have all the worn out bits replaced. I imagine that was a good day for Gilles. Incidentally, Wolf claims to have made the Ferrari connection happen for Canada's F1 hero.

reactionlab.com•79 days ago

Epic guy, epic thread!

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