Bob Wallace dies of heart attack

[David Manton]

One of NZ's understated motorsport legends has died in his workshop at Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 75. Bob Wallace, after 20 years in Italian motorsport in the 1960s, including being the original development engineer and first test driver at Lamborghini, has died at the age of 75. His brother Charlie (still in NZ) confirms that Bob had an unexpected heart attack while in the place he loved, his workshop and restoration shop in Phoenix, Arizona. Bob was a lovely bloke with an amazing recall of his time in Modena (and a fabulous photo album). Some of the stories cannot be repeated but others he said could be repeated once he had gone.... An initial look at this incredible bloke is a 12 page tribute in my book "Enzo Ferrari's Secret War".

[Kwaussie]

Very sad news, but what a life. An excerpt from Desmond Mahoney's 1970 book 'Trio at the Top'...

"One of the least known is Bob Wallace from Auckland, who was Johnny Mansel's mechanic when that driver was killed at Dunedin in 1962. He went to Italy with Scuderia Centro-Sud, then worked for Maserati, and is now chief development engineer for the range of ultra-fast Lamborghini GTs."

[Murray Maunder]

Thanks for reporting the sad news David. Hopefully Bob's great achievements will become better known after his passing. To think that a Kiwi could become a top development engineer in Italy for the Lamborghini company during it's rise out of obscurity is the stuff of legends. Apparently his role in the birth of those icons of "supercars" the Muira and the Countach, was more than significant. Maybe we may see a thread develop on TRS about Bob's achievements.

[Kwaussie]

The yanks remember....http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/lamborghinichat-com-sponsored-lamborghini-houston/422715-passing-legend.html

[Murray Maunder]

Here's excerpts from a doco on Lamborghini of Bob describing those early days with the only testing of the prototypes at high speeds possible on public roads in Italy.


http://youtu.be/zq7xvFKKxmQ

This video material is made available to view here by Duke Video the copyright holders.

[Red Angel]

On behalf of Bob's family, we would like to add the following:
Bob Wallace left N.Z in 1960 with John Ohlson. They both were involved in the early Hot Rod scene in Auckland.
He spent a bit of time working for Lotus and absolutely hated it. The workers had to tip their hats when any management went passed. The class system was very much alive and well in England.
He previously worked with Ray Stone on the Mansell 250F at Ardmore and met the Temple Buell team with the Piccolo 250F of Harry Schell and Carol Shelby.
He left England to go to Italy and ended up getting a job with Camoradi running a team of light weight Corvettes with a non existant all-alloy motor plus a couple of Birdcage Maserati.
He crashed one of the Corvettes at LeMans and it ended part way up a tree. Bob spent sometime in hospital after the crash. The motor from that car ended up in N.Z. in Rod Coppins Techmec.
He spent 1961 with Ferrari as Phil Hills head mechanic, when he won the F1 championship with the 1.5 litre car.
When Lamborghini was starting Bob, very much enjoyed his time there as he pretty much had free reign on what he did. I visited Modena in 1974 not long after he had married Anna.
Lamborghini had allowed him to build a lightweight Urraco and we had several fast drives over part of the old MilleMillglia course, leaping of the ground while going past an up market restaurant. The patrons would hear him coming and be out on the balcony to cheer
him on. The car was nicknamed "Urraco Bob".
With the rise in industrial unrest and the rise of communism, Bob and Anna came to NZ in 1975, but they never settled and about eighteen months later went to the States.
In 1977 they were hit by a car in the side and Anna had head injuries which started a 21 year slide until her death.
I visited regularly. A couple of years ago when I was there I said to Bob you need a hobby, his reply was "I have a hobby I go to work".
He had a test frame on wheels on which we used to run up the motors he had rebuilt with short exhaust and no muffler. The sound of the 12 cylinder Ferrari at full noise was enough to wake the dead!
Bob did not suffer fools gladly, but if he liked you it was ok.

RIP BIG BROTHER
CHARLIE AND FAMILY.

[Murray Maunder]

Awesome tribute Charlie.

A young bloke like me had no idea how many noteworthy motorsport endeavours Bob had been involved with.

The above video (post #7) has been blocked but they have given permission for the non commercial use here so it should come back online any time soon. I will post once it is back online as it is interesting and gives hints at those character traits Charlie hinted at as well as being testimony to how free motorsport and life in general was back in the sixties. RIP Bob.

Murray

[Murray Maunder]

The video is now back online, hope it gives viewers a sense of the man and the times.

[jamie]

R I P Bob. only met you A couple of with your brother Charlie, So long Jamie A