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Jeffrey "Jeff" R. Zwart (born 24 May 1955) is an American commercial film director, racer, photographer, cameraman and author for Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, General Motors, Hyundai, Ford and more.
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Jeffrey "Jeff" R. Zwart (born 24 May 1955) is an American commercial film director, racer, photographer, cameraman and author for Porsche, BMW, Cadillac, General Motors, Hyundai, Ford and more.
Zwart was born in Long Beach, California, and learned to drive in his father’s 1964 Porsche 901, chassis number 35. [1] Growing up next door to his childhood friend and future automotive designer, Freeman Thomas, the two shared a lifelong obsession with automobiles and Porsches in particular. [2] In high school, Zwart worked as a veterinary assistant in order to save enough money to eventually purchase a yellow Porsche 914/6. In 1997 he ran that same 914/6 in the 10,000 mile, 25 day, Panama to Alaska Rally winning second place overall.[ citation needed ] In 1979, after graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, he began work as a still photographer shooting Road & Track Magazine covers, calendars, and article photos.[ citation needed ]
In 1989, following an American Photography Magazine cover story on Zwart’s automotive photography work, he was given the opportunity to direct television commercials. He joined Jon Kamen and Frank Scherma to form RadicalMedia. [3]
Zwart has published three books in collaboration with David Bull Publishing and is a monthly contributor to the Porsche Club of America’s Panorama magazine. [4]
Zwart started road racing Formula Fords during the mid-1980s on the West Coast of the United States which led to an interest in rallying. In 1989 and 1990 he drove a Mazda in the US Pro Rally Championship, eventually winning the Open Class National Championship. Zwart also competed in the New Zealand round of the World Rally Championship driving a Mitsubishi EVO in 1993.[ citation needed ]
Zwart is noted for his wins at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado. [5] In 1994, he entered the event with a Porsche and won the Open Class Championship. This success led to a number of programs; driving 10 different Porsches resulting in 8 different class championships over a period of 14 years, including his 2015 win in the Time Attack Class. [6] In 2011, he competed in what was essentially a production street car, a Porsche 997 GT2 RS. [7] The accomplishment of driving the Porsche from Southern California to the famous hill climb in Colorado and successfully racing at Pikes Peak was highlighted in the short film “Porsche, the Road to Pikes Peak,” directed by Will Roegge. [8]
Group B was a set of regulations for grand touring (GT) vehicles used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World Sportscar Championship alongside the more popular racing prototypes of Group C, Group B are commonly associated with the international rallying scene during 1982 to 1986 in popular culture, when they were the highest class used across rallying, including the World Rally Championship, regional and national championships.
Victor Henry Elford was an English sports car racing, rallying, and Formula One driver. He participated in 13 World Championship F1 Grands Prix, debuting on 7 July 1968. He scored a total of 8 championship points.
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The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. The track measures 12.42 miles (19.99 km) and has over 156 turns, climbing 4,720 ft (1,440 m) from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway, to the finish at 14,115 ft (4,302 m), on grades averaging 7.2%. It used to consist of both gravel and paved sections, but as of August 2011, the highway is fully paved; as a result, all subsequent events will be run on asphalt from start to finish.
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MillenWorks, known as Rod Millen Motorsports until 2005, was an American automotive technology company started by Rod Millen in 1980. The company began by preparing Millen's rally cars, and evolved into designing and building them. The company developed vehicles, high performance auto parts, and technology for racing, concept cars, and the US military.
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