Dan Gurney (1931-2018) was Hard Core

It always amuses me when I hear men disparage minivans as though they are to be driven only by women. I think so often of our friend Dan Gurney, racing legend extraordinaire and a man to be taken seriously in every way. For the past several years Dan has been driving Toyota minivans and having a hell of a lot of fun doing it. He says he always orders his with as few trinkets or extras as possible to keep the weight down, but does get the good wheel/tire package.

"Some time ago I was driving up toward Mammoth Mountain ski area when a guy in a BMW X5 went by me. So I raced with him all the way to Mammoth and took him quite by surprise. I had a similar episode on the local toll road when a Mercedes M-Class AMG went by and I tucked in behind him and we had a lot of fun until I finally blew on by. If you keep the weight down, minivans are really a kick to drive."

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Gurney began racing in 1955 and won in nearly every racing series he attempted. He drove for Ferrari, BRM, Porsche and Brabham in Formula One, then formed his own team. He won the Belgian Grand Prix in 1967 in his own car, the first and only time an American won an F1 race in a car of his own design.

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"[At Spa in 1967] our car ran 196 on the fastest part so...you had your work cut out for you."