The Ford GT was a hit at my daughter’s Career Day.
In March of 2014 my daughter’s junior high school had a career day. I signed up to be a speaker because I wanted to let the kids know what it’s like to be an automotive journalist. I figured the Ford GT would offer some great perspective on why I’m a car fanatic.
Katie Remington, Phil Remington’s daughter, also liked the Ford GT
I showed up for career day expecting my Ford GT to be a hit with the kids, but I didn’t expect an adult fan to appear and identify herself at Katie Remington, Phil Remington’s daughter (turns our Katie’s son goes to the same school).
Phil Remington was one of Carroll Shelby’s primary fabricators and a key component of Shelby’s successful racing career. He came up with too many innovative mechanical features for me to keep track of, but one of them was the interchangeable brake design he developed for the Ford GT40. This design allowed the GT40 to successfully race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans while rapidly swapping out the entire brake system during pit stops.
It was great talking to Katie and hearing her tell the stories of being around Carroll Shelby during Phil Remington’s racing career. She’s a big fan of the new Ford GT, and told me her dad was, too. I told Katie about the Ford GT40 television program I was in back in June of 2004, a program her father and Carroll Shelby also appeared in before he passed away.
Small world indeed, and a career day bonus I couldn’t have imagined.