Harry Schell, an American in Paris
Harry O’Reilly Schell (1921-1960) was an American racing driver, who lived in Paris. He was the first American driver to start a Formula One Grand Prix and participated in 57 F1 Grand Prix between 1950 and 1960.
Superb picture here-above of Harry Schell in his Maserati 250F at the German Grand Prix held at the Nürburgring in 1957, where he finished seventh.
Most notable spells in F1 came for BRM, Vanwall and the Maserati factory team, scoring two podium finishes and 32 career points. He also drove for Scuderia Ferrari for a single run at the 1955 Monaco Grand Prix.
Though Schell never won a championship Grand Prix and had a reputation for being a ‘bon vivant’, he was highly respected as a driver. He twice stood on the podium with a best place of second in the 1958 Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, won the Caen Grand Prix in 1956, and finished second with Stirling Moss at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring in a Maserati 300S
Harry Schell carved out a reputation as a safe and prudent competitor, but he also proved his class when the opportunity presented itself. The American sadly died in practice for the non-championship 1960 International Trophy at Silverstone, when he crashed his Cooper at Abbey Curve.
