Cars Yeah

1300: Bruce Kessler had a short but sweet racing career.

05.27.2019 - By Mark GreenePlay

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Bruce Kessler had a short but sweet racing career from 1953 to 1959. It started when he borrowed his mother’s XK120 Jag at the age of 17. He raced all over the world and Sports Illustrated called Bruce “Daring young Bruce Kessler.” He was sent to Le Mans in 1957 to drive for Porsche and tested for Centro Sud F1 250F Maserati in Modena. He drove for Scarab, raced Ferraris, and ran at exciting venues including The Cuban Grand Prix, the Nassau Classic, Sebring, Silverstone, Lime Rock, Watkins Glen, and Riverside. A serious accident ended his racing career and he landed in Hollywood where he became a film and television director. His film The Sound of Speed represented the USA at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962 and won the first Golden Eagle awarded by the American Film Institute. Just a few of his many other credits include The Monkees, The Flying Nun, Mission: Impossible, Marcus Welby, MD, and The Rockford Files, to name just a few.

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