Actor, comedian, media personality, and auto enthusiast Adam Carolla has teamed up with John Clay Wolfe, radio host, President, and Founder of Give Me The Vin (GMTV), to purchase Paul Newman’s 1976 Ferrari.
For those that may be too young to remember, Paul Newman was a true multipotentialite. One of the most renowned actors of his generation, Newman was also a film director, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Newman may best be known to some (yours truly included) as the eponymous salad dressing creator who dedicated all of its after-tax profits to charity. But Newman also happened to be an avid racer. With four SCCA championships under his belt, along with three more second-place and three more third-place finishes, Newman posthumously earned himself a spot in the SCCA Hall of Fame in 2009.
Beyond his SCCA runs, Newman even took second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1979, becoming an icon of American racing, inspiring many enthusiasts, like Carolla and Wolfe, along the way.
“This is what happens when two friends that are car geeks have a few drinks,” quips Wolfe. “I
knew about this Ferrari earlier this year and after seeing Adam’s collection at the National
Automobile Museum in Reno, we knew this was the final piece to make the collection complete.”
The car, with serial number 19595, was the first 308 GTB in the U.S. and was featured on the cover of Road & Track. Newman raced it and sponsored it with Budweiser. The purchase includes the transport of the car, which is now displayed at Wolfe’s GMTV Garage in Walnut Springs, Texas.
Of the purchase, Carolla says:
Carolla states, “It’s a legitimate Newman race car. Some are a little dubious [like] he drove it
one time for a celebrity race…but this is a Paul Newman car, I think he did eight races…a season in it. It’s a cool piece.”
The two new owners can be heard discussing their co-purchase on the John Clay Wolfe Show.
