On April 13, 1931, Daniel Sexton Gurney was born in Long Island, New York, by his beloved parents John Gurney and Roma Sexton. Dan graduated from Manhasset High School and Menio Junior College. After his studies, Dan served two years with the United States Army overseas in the Korean War. In the late 1940s, Dan’s family moved to Riverside, California where he would soon develop his famous racing driving skills.
One of his earliest vehicles was a 1932 Ford Roadster which he enrolled into his first automotive competition. In 1955, he experienced his first road race with a Triumph TR-2 in California. In 1959, Dan joined Phil Hill as the second American to be signed by a European factory racing team, the Italian firm of Enzo Ferrari.
In 1959, Dan received his first run in Grand Prix racing at the French Grand Prix. Driving a front engine 2.5 liter Ferrari, he quickly accelerated from 12th to 6th place. That year, Dan was named "Rookie of the Year" and his reputation was firmly established. He parted with Ferrari shortly after the season and by 1960 he signed with the BRM team from England. Though his Grand Prix season was discouraging in these Formula cars, he was again outstanding in sports car racing. His best win was during the Stirling Moss when they won the 1000 kms sports car race at the Nurburg Ring, Germany.
During the end of the 1960, Dan left BRM and signed with Porsche for the first year of the 1.5-liter formula. Dan finished the season and tied for 3rd place in the world championship standings. In 1962, Daytona Continental, which was a three hour race for sport cars, Dan won the race driving Frank Archiero’s Lotus 19. During that race, he showed the coolness of a champion as he crossed the finish line on the starter after his engine failed in the closing minutes.
In 1962, Dan won his first Grand Prix victory with his Porsche in the French Grand Prix at Rouen, which he joined a select circle of only 25 drivers ever to have won a world Championship event. In 1967, Dan won the Grand Prix in Begium in an Eagle Gurney-Weslake V12 which marked the first and only time that an American citizen built and raced a vehicle of his own construction and placing it into the winner’s circle of a World Championship F1 race.
Dan has made many accomplishments within the racing industry but also with many other industries as well. He developed the Gurney Flap (wickerbill) which was an invention used by the automobile racing and aviation industries throughout the world. He is also a member of various Motorsports Hall of Fame accomplishments and one of the original founders of Championship Auto Racing Teams (Cart). Dan was always instrumental by bringing the Monte Carlo street car racing to the United States.
Dan is also a co-founder of the Long Beach Grand Prix in 1974 where he continues to serve on the Board of Directors for 24 years. Dan appeared in Hollywood racing films such as “Winning”, “A Man and a Women", and "Grand Prix”. He also loaned his talent with his friend Brock Yates to write the screenplay for the "Cannonball" movies. Today, Dan enjoyed life in Newport Beach, California, with his wife Evi of 25 years.
A special thanks to Robert Tate, Automotive Historian and Researcher, for donating the story to the MotorCities Story of the Week program. Photographs courtesy of National Automotive History Collection and some features of Bob Tate’s personal collection. Please do not use any photographs without the permission of MotorCities. For further information contact Robert Tate at btate@motorcities.org
If you have a story that you would like to donate to be featured as a MotorCities Story of the Week, email Lisa Ambriez at: lambriez@motorcities.org
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