It wasn’t simply the words he used, it was how he used them. Gray Baskerville had a monumental influence on me and so many people over the course of his life and career at Hot Rod Magazine. He was a champion of things like Bonneville, of the history of hot rodding, of honoring traditions, and yes, of spotting trends and how things were going as well. He was as connected as anyone has been or ever will be in the automotive aftermarket world. The dude was loved by all and even though the majority of us never met him, we knew his words were honest and from the heart, so we all knew ‘Ol Dad.
I was able to stand in his office when I was a senior in college. Having traveled west to spend the week with my chum Dave Kennedy (who was working for Petersen’s 4-Wheel and Off-Road at the time) I got to visit the famed Petersen building an it was like a religious experience for a kid who wanted nothing more than to write about cars for a living. Gray was already very ill at that point and thus he was not in the building. His office door was open though and I went an just stood in there for a minute or two. I guess I was trying to suck up some of the awesomeness that was around me.
This video profile tells Gray’s story and we hear a lot of it in his own words, which is even better. We’re guessing most of your out there have never actually heard Baskerville speak. We assign a voice to the words on the page of the magazine but here’s what the real guy sounds like.
A really fun way to remember someone who’s impact on hot rodding and automotive journalism can still be felt today.
