Letter of Provenance
As long time race crew member of Bob Sharp Racing, I was one of their fabricators from 1972 to 1987.
Doing everything required to construct one of a kind competitive racing vehicles.
And over all those years I worked a lot of hours, traveled the country met many celebrities. Among them was Mr. Paul L. Newman.

I knew that he was a great competitor, winning the D-Production SCCA championship 1976 and he enjoyed the time on the track but he had become frustrated with his present teams racing efforts, some equipment failures etc.
And I guess that's where Bob Sharp can in.

I was present on the very first day that Paul drove one of Bob Sharps Race car at Lime Rock Park in CT. It was the season right after Bruce Macinnes drove for BSR.

The two Paul Newman Nomex Driving suits were worn during the early 1980's.
As you may know corporate sponsorship is very important to all Racing, and as sponsors changed so did the driver Suits. They would influence the design of his driving suits. And it just so happened that Red, White, & Blue, were BSR colors.
Placement of patches were important to the sponsors, it's all about placement, from the camera's eye view. The suit with the Datsun - Hanna Car Wash was around the time we started racing the Trans-am series. The other with the Diet Coke-Nissan patches was during the first season Nissan 280ZX. To help with future sponsorship funding the teams name was changed to Newman-Sharp Racing.

What I will always remember about him, apart from his award-winning movie performances, is that he seemed like such a regular guy! Or at least he wanted to be, particularly when he was around racing. It was his hobby, his release valve for a pressure-packed career, and his retreat from his public persona. In private, he was hilarious, sarcastic and a practical joker. I had the great pleasure of calling him a friend. And I always told him "Don't Mess with the crew."
The world could learn something from a great man as he.

P. Avanzato (Zato)
NEWMAN SHARP

Phil Avanzato
Fabricator/Machinist

Paul Newman
Celebrated for his cool charisma and outstanding character in films like The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, beloved American actor Paul Newman was beloved by all. Beyond Hollywood, he became closely associated with the Rolex watches, often wearing them everyday including while racing, and even becoming one of the most iconic nicknames for a wristwatch— the “Paul Newman” Daytona, a special model that was fitted with an "exotic" tri-color dial, and has now become one of the most sought-after vintage watches in the world. Newman was highly passionate and expertly skilled as a race car driver, competing in professional events for decades and even finishing second overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.