WALTER HILL'S MOTOR CAR COLLECTION
Through the years I have had the great fortune to meet a lot of special people and Walter Hill is one of those people. I met Walter through another good friend Capt. Dick Trice a former Eastern Airlines pilot. I only ever visited Walter’s place by car one time and it is almost impossible to find. All other visits were made by flying with Dick in his gorgeous Christen Eagle biplane.
Walter’s place was located in an larger portion of property that was a cattle ranch located west of Fort Pierce, Florida in a rather desalet area of the countryside. There was a hanger and another building that was home to the car collection. It was air-conditioned and humidity controlled. In front of the buildings was a grass strip used for aircraft landing and other side separated by a guardrail was a quarter mile paved tracked with loops at both ends for the return.
Real cattle with real cowboys on horses also use the grass strip during the day.
My first visit to Walter flying in with Dick offered a moment of panic as I thought we were missing the runway only to find airplanes used the grass.
Walter spent only a few weekdays each week at this location enjoying the cars and then returned to his house near the coast. Mr. Hill was a real pioneer at Eastern Airlines back when aircraft really had props. His love for aviation was also high.
Mr. Hill’s collection featured some the finest Jaguars in the world. He never like it called a collection. Painted in the car building was the following:
THEIR SWEET LINES ALL BUT TAKE MY BREATH AWAY,
AND I DESIRE THEM AS MUCH FOR THEIR BEAUTY AS FOR THEIR USE.
Walter still enjoys life today but only memories of the car collection he once had. For personnel reasons the collection was disposed of in 2005.
I was lucky enough to have ridden in several of the cars. That is me in the Group 44 number 44 Jaguar cockpit getting ready for trips up and down the track. Great times and memories…Thanks Walter and Dick.
We were sadden to hear that Walter Hill passed away on January 10, 2011 at the age of 90. He will be greatly missed by many.
Read MoreWalter’s place was located in an larger portion of property that was a cattle ranch located west of Fort Pierce, Florida in a rather desalet area of the countryside. There was a hanger and another building that was home to the car collection. It was air-conditioned and humidity controlled. In front of the buildings was a grass strip used for aircraft landing and other side separated by a guardrail was a quarter mile paved tracked with loops at both ends for the return.
Real cattle with real cowboys on horses also use the grass strip during the day.
My first visit to Walter flying in with Dick offered a moment of panic as I thought we were missing the runway only to find airplanes used the grass.
Walter spent only a few weekdays each week at this location enjoying the cars and then returned to his house near the coast. Mr. Hill was a real pioneer at Eastern Airlines back when aircraft really had props. His love for aviation was also high.
Mr. Hill’s collection featured some the finest Jaguars in the world. He never like it called a collection. Painted in the car building was the following:
THEIR SWEET LINES ALL BUT TAKE MY BREATH AWAY,
AND I DESIRE THEM AS MUCH FOR THEIR BEAUTY AS FOR THEIR USE.
Walter still enjoys life today but only memories of the car collection he once had. For personnel reasons the collection was disposed of in 2005.
I was lucky enough to have ridden in several of the cars. That is me in the Group 44 number 44 Jaguar cockpit getting ready for trips up and down the track. Great times and memories…Thanks Walter and Dick.
We were sadden to hear that Walter Hill passed away on January 10, 2011 at the age of 90. He will be greatly missed by many.
Log In: