A Lifetime Achievement Award was presented in London to American motorsports legend Dan Gurney during the 2015 International Historic Motor Awards dinner, staged to recognize a range of achievements in the appreciation of vintage motoring and motorsports.
Gurney, 84, was a successful driver with victories in Grand Prix, Indy Car, NASCAR and World Sports Cars, as well as a race-car manufacturer with his Eagles, and a team owner and car constructor with All America Racers (AAR).
Gurney was not present at the dinner, so his award was received by racing icon Stirling Moss, a previous Lifetime Achievement winner.
“Dan is a thoroughly nice chap and really deserves this award,” Moss said in a news release. “We raced together in the same team and in 1961 he was one of the few guys who was really quick around the Nurburgring; one of the fastest guys in the world. And he’s my age and he looks as good as me!”
Gurney sent an acceptance message, which noted, “The modern world is nearly as good as the old world, and as a member of the internal combustion age, I say hello, and thank you!”
Besides Gurney’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the winners of 2015 International Historic Motor Awards were:
- Car of the Year: Fiat S76, “The Beast of Turin”
- Club of the Year (sponsored by Footman James): Benjafield’s Racing Club
- Industry Supporter of the Year: McPherson College Automotive Restoration Program
- Motoring Event of the Year sponsored by EFG): Chantilly Arts & Elegance, Richard Mille
- Motorsport Event of the Year: Rennsport Reunion gathering of Porsche motorsports enthusiasts
- Museum or Collection of the Year: Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart
- Personal Achievement of the Year (sponsored by HERO Events): Julius Thurgood for his launch of The Academy to train beginning historic racers
- Publication of the Year (sponsored by Hortons Books): The Magnificent Monopostos: Alfa Romeo Grand Prix Cars, 1923-1951 by Simon Moore
- Race Series of the Year(sponsored by Lister Motor Company) Classic Endurance Racing
- Rally or Tour of the Year (sponsored by Jaguar): Royal Automobile Club 1000 Mile Trial and The 2015 Highland Tour
- Restoration of the Year (sponsored by The Heart of England Forest): 1971 Gulf-liveried Porsche 917, Porsche Historic Motorsports, Weissach
- Specialist of the Year: 3D Engineers, for such work as panoramic and 3D scanning of historic race cars, and helping to establish 3D and 2D recording for the U.S. National Vehicle Registry
The annual International Historic Motor Awards are sponsored by EFG private bank and Octane magazine, with judging by an experienced international panel that includes Dr. Franz-Josef Paefgen, former chairman of Bentley; car designer Peter Stevens; Shiro Horie, editor in chief of Octane in Japan; musician and historic racer Nick Mason; and Dave Kinney, historic collector and journalist for Automobile and the New York Times, and publisher of the Hagerty Price Guide.
