Paul Frere: Racing driver and writer

Some years ago, a friend who worked in automotive public relations was taken for a drive on a car launch by an elderly motoring writer. On his return, he was open-mouthed in his praise for the journalist's speed, talent and smoothness, traits he had most definitely not anticipated from one who appeared to be advanced in years.

That was the thing with Paul Frère. He did the things he did best unobtrusively yet supremely well, be it driving racing cars, or the latest road models, or writing about them with his unique insight and perspective.

Born in Le Havre, France, in 1917, but of Belgian nationality, Frère mixed racing and writing and excelled in each. He made his competition début on motorcycles in 1946 before racing at the daunting Spa-Francorchamps circuit where he shared a 1936 MG PB in a 24-hour saloon-car marathon with Jacques Swaters. They finished fourth in their class. In 1955, Frère steered a Ferrari to fourth place in the Belgian Grand Prix there.

A year later he improved on that with a superb runner-up position to the Briton Peter Collins, driving a similar Lancia Ferrari. Finishing second there to a man of Collins's calibre was all the confirmation needed of Frère's own standing and ability.

He would compete in 11 grands prix on a semi-pro basis, for HWM, Ecurie Belge, the works Gordini team and Scuderia Ferrari, after winning the non-championship Grand Prix des Frontières at Chimay in 1952. He also raced for Jaguar and Aston Martin as his smooth style also suited sports cars. He co-drove a Jaguar D-Type to second place in the Rheims 12 Hours in 1956 with Mike Hawthorn, then won the race for Ferrari in 1957 and 1958 with fellow countryman Olivier Gendebien.

In 1960 they shared a Ferrari 250TR to win the Le Mans 24 Hours, after Frère had twice finished on the podium in the French endurance classic and won his class for Porsche in 1956. In 1960 he also won the non-championship South African Grand Prix in an Equipe Nationale Belge Cooper Climax. He retired at the end of the season, aged 43, to become European Editor for Road & Track magazine.

In 2006, at 89, he was involved in an accident at the famed Nürburgring while road-testing a Honda Civic Type-R. He suffered a shattered pelvis, several broken ribs and two punctured lungs. He recovered, and continued to entertain readers who saluted his sympathetic and informative writing. His seminal book, Sports Car and Competition Driving, is regarded still as a classic of its genre, while one R&T reader was moved to comment: "In middle age, I look for role models for ageing. In cars you can't do much better than Frère, Phil Hill [the 1961 world champion] and Paul Newman."

David Tremayne

Paul Frère, racing driver and writer: born Le Havre, France 30 January 1917; died Brussels 23 February 2008.