A circular drive invites friends, family and former racing associates into the eucalyptus- and citrus-shaded home of the legendary race driver and founder of the world-famous Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving.
Built on two-plus acres in 1984 by Hermosa Homes, with design by David Ross, both Scottsdale, the 7,880-square-foot five-bedroom custom Santa Barbara was renovated in 2002, with new interior design by Ernesto Garcia, ASID, Phoenix.
Throughout the home are photographs and automotive memories of Sebring, Daytona, Le Mans, Laguna Seca, the old Riverside International Raceway and Grand Prixs at Watkins Glen, New York, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Belgium, France and Monaco, where the Bondurants married in May 2010.
Many of these tracks Bob last raced on more than four decades ago when, as a member of the Shelby American Racing Team, he helped win the1965 Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile World Manufacturer’s Championship — the first and still only Americans to win that prestigious title. And, they did it against Enzo Ferrari’s “unbeatable” GTOs.
Recently, Pat and Bob invited us in for a tour of the home and the automotive and personal histories it celebrates. “Our home joins both of our worlds, like a powerful engine in an intelligently, beautifully designed car,” Bob says. “We have the memories of the lives we had before we met, and we have brought them together to celebrate the business, the life and love we now share. We could not both be happier.”
The couple’s full schedule includes regular visits to the Bob Bondurant School of High Performance Driving at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix and trips worldwide to racetracks and car and concourse events, where Bob is honored for his racing past. In September, for instance, the Bondurant’s will attend the Good wood Revival Festival in England, which celebrates the ‘glory days’ 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s of the famed Good wood Motor Circuit.
Since 1968, when it opened in Southern California, the school has trained 400,000-plus students to be better drivers: 90 percent of NASCAR drivers; movie stars such as James Garner, Robert Wagner and Paul Newman; kart racers; weekend car enthusiasts; housewives; teenagers; and military specialists and chauffeurs for anti-terrorist and -kidnapping training. The only purpose-built facility of its kind in the world, it’s a world destination, from China to Turkey to Germany.
Photo Allison Tyler Jones
