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James Hunt's Best Friend

31.08.2019

James Hunt was Formula 1's first (and only?) real rockstar, fantastic in a race car and, despite being a legnedary ladies man,  his best friend was actually his beloved German Shephard named Oscar.

Oscar would often be at the side of James as he went about his regular runs along Marbella's beautiful Costa del Sol beaches, near where he lived several years after he hung up his helmet. According to John Richardson, James' relationship with his pet partner "seemed far closer than any human relationship he ever had. He was completely devoted to that dog." Best friends in other words.

Oscar became a legend in his own right, as he was known to accompany the British race driver to dine at restaurants in London's west end. On one such occasion, Oscar and James famously caught the attention of restaurant patrons when they shared a dish of spinach soufflé, entrecôte de veau and cassis sorbet when the pair dined at Langan's Brassérie in Mayfair.

Also, as a keen golfer, it was not uncommon to witness the lanky F1 World Champion and faithful Oscar on the fairways of the Aloha Golf Club, the dog always attent and keen to find the wayward balls that James struck more often than not. Thus Oscar became the best caddie a golfer can wish for.

According to James, he saved a fortune in lost golf balls as Oscar sniffed them out of the deepest roughs and bunkers. However, James denied suggestions that his 'canine caddie' smartly dropped the retrieved golf balls closer to the hole!

Although the club the Marbella golf club banned dogs from accompanying players, Oscar was an exception with club management declaring that James' dog was better behaved than some of its members.

Finally, James gave his best friend the ultimate accolade when he named a Marbella nightclub - bought after his retirement from F1 - after Oscar his loyal German Shephard.

The opening night at Oscar's was a glittering affair with A-listers of the time attending including the likes of Sean Connery, Rod Stewart, Countess Gunilla Von Bismarck and Dai Llewellyn to name a few.

James and Oscar give credence to Prussia's Frederick the Great (1740-1786) who was one of the first to declare, centuries ago, that a man's best friend is indeed his dog.

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