Group 44’s Bob Tullius Inducted Into Motorsport Hall of Fame
Bob Tullius isn’t just an important figure in Jaguar history, but an icon in the world of motorsport.
For many Jaguar fans, and racing fans in general, the most surprising part about learning that Bob Tullius has been inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America was that he hadn’t already been there. That said, better late than never, and I’m happy the the 90-year-old racer and team owner is still alive to see the day. Because while he might not have the mainstream name recognition of folks like Richard Petty or Mario Andretti, his contributions to the world of racing made him a legend.
Tullius didn’t waste much time after he started racing professionally in 1963, and started winning right out of the gate. That he actually caught the racing bug at all is kind of an accident, as it was his wife’s neglected Triumph TR3 which prompted him to take up enthusiast driving. After attending a racing school and winning the graduation competition, he was hooked.
After a slew of successful outings at Sports Car Club of America events, in 1965, he quit his day job at Kodak and founded Group 44 with fellow drivers Brian Fuerstenau and Dick Gilmartin.
The team exclusively campaigned vehicles from British Leyland, including Triumphs and MGs. But Tullius is probably most famous for the green and white Jaguar XJS. Running a stock suspension and powered by a 580-horsepower V12, the car was an absolute beast of a machine, and the fire-breathing 12-pot ensured it sounded as good as it looked.
While racing for the 1978 Sport Car Club of America Championship, he brought the big cat to victory lane seven times in a row, and he ultimately won both the driver’s title and the manufacturer’s title for Coventry.
At 55, an age when many racers are thinking about retirement, Tullius brought Jaguar back to Le Mans, after nearly a three decade absence. Behind the wheel of an XJR-5 he and his co-drivers delivered a class win at the grueling French race, and made history yet again. In 1986, Tullius won the 24 Hours of Daytona and retired, putting a bow on an extraordinary career that both began and ended on a high note.
For a recap of some of the many contributions Bob Tullius has made to the wild and wonderful world of motorsport, check out the video below. It was prepared for his 2015 induction into the Sports Car Club of America Hall of Fame, and there’s some great footage of Tullius behind the wheel of his most famous creations.
But before you push play, just know that it could send you down a Group 44 rabbit whole and YouTube — and have your scouring your local Craigslist for a XJS to turn into a tribute car. Or maybe that’s just me…
Photos: Jaguar, Group 44 on Facebook