Stovebolt Special Returns to Pebble Beach Decades after Historic Run in Last Road Race
HWM Race Car Made First Road Racing Use of a Chevy V8
PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA (April 22, 2026) — At the drop of the green flag, in what was to be the very last road race at Pebble Beach although no one knew that then, two-time past winner Bill Pollack jumped into the lead in a much-modified car that would come to be known as the “Stovebolt Special”—a 1950 HWM fitted with experimental disc brakes and the very first Chevy V8 to be used in road racing. The date was April 22, 1956.
Although the Stovebolt Special now resides in England with renowned auto journalist and current owner Simon Taylor, it will return to Pebble Beach this August for the 75th celebration of the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, an event that began in tandem with the Pebble Beach Road Races in 1950.
Read our profile of the HWM Stovebolt Special, edited and approved by Simon Taylor, at https://dmtrg.com/1955-hwm-stovebolt-special/
Read the complete and official story at https://app.robly.com/archive?id=6e12d97503257b131368a6f1f4a62bd6&v=true
With thank to our partners in the 2026 Pebble Beach Road Races 75th, the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Such fun to be working on this amazing anniversary with you all.