Philippe Defechereux is a renowned former advertising executive from New York and Detroit, a published author in both English and French, and a passionate history enthusiast. Born in the French-speaking province of Liège, Belgium, shortly after World War II, he grew up just north of the notorious “Battle of the Bulge.” His family, comprising his parents and two sisters, endured this challenging era. In the early 1950s, their Sunday drives to towns like Malmédy, Stavelot, and Spa served as the backdrop for his parents to share their incredible wartime stories. This rich historical background sparked his fascination with history, a passion that has only deepened over time, along with his interest in car racing, particularly inspired by the famous Grand Prix track in Spa. Although German was the first foreign language he learned in elementary school, he took it upon himself to become proficient in English.

Philippe obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Economics from Liège University in 1967 and pursued his American dream by moving to New York in 1970. By 1972, he had completed an MBA at Columbia University and began his career at the prestigious Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency in New York. This marked the start of a successful 20-year journey in advertising, highlighted by the iconic “Fahrvergnügen” VW campaign. During this time, he wrote several notable articles for business publications, including the Belgian-American Trade Review. In 1991-1992, he took on a special consulting role at VW A.G. headquarters in Wolfsburg, focusing on the American market at the Board level; this experience rejuvenated his German fluency and deepened his understanding of German culture.

Philippe has cultivated an extensive library of history books focusing on the two world wars, a collection that continues to grow. As an avid reader, he has revisited each book multiple times, with favorites that include works by authors such as Barbara Tuchman, Ian Kershaw, Antony Beevor, and Annie Jacobsen.

By the mid-1990s, recognized as an outstanding business writer, Philippe decided to embark on a journey into authorship with his first book. He ambitiously chose to explore the history of car racing, merging his two great interests. His debut book delves into the origins of European Road Racing in America shortly after World War II, a crucial event that took place in Watkins Glen, NY, in October 1948, which quickly grew into a national phenomenon within five years—a legacy that remains significant today. Originally published in 1998 by a smaller publisher to mark its 40th anniversary, his work saw a substantial upgrade with a second edition released in 2011 by the illustrious Dalton Watson Fine Books, retitled “Watkins Glen 1948-1952 – Glory, Drama, and the Birth of American Road Racing.” This edition continues to captivate readers at a price of $50 per copy.

Philippe H. Defechereux is a former top Madison Avenue executive. Born in French-speaking Belgium, he arrived in the “Big Apple” at age 25. After earning an MBA from Columbia University, he started his advertising career with Ogilvy and Mather in New York, where he climbed the career ladder from packaged goods to handling top brands including Duracell, American Express, United Technologies and Peugeot Motors of America – winning an Effy Award for the la􀄴er.

After reaching the title of executive Vice President and Director of New Business, he was hired by another top agency, Doyle Dane Bernbach (now part of Omnicom) to lead their Detroit office and revive the VW-Audi brands. There, he achieved one of the most memorable successes of his career by championing the still-famous Fahrvergnügen campaign against many odds; which gave the VW brand a new lease on life. After that, he returned to New York where he helped a newly nominated agency in its first year with new client

Mercedes-Benz.

Having now gained an excellent command of American English, he started also writing marketing articles for various publications, notably for the “Belgian-American Chamber of Commerce Monthly Review”. But cars and car racing had been passions of Philippe’s from a very early age, he was quickly pulled back. After reading a biography of American film icon James Dean, he noticed the li􀄴le-known fact that the hero of Rebel Without a Cause himself had a deep passion for competitive racing. After investigating the ma􀄴er in depth, Philippe wrote an exclusive book on the topic, which featured rare photographs and interviews. The work was published both in America in English and in Europe in French.

For his next book, Philippe tackled the birth of European-style car racing in America, called “Road Racing. Set on “country-roads-like circuits” and featuring production sports cars, Road Racing proved so quickly popular that by 1950, it had spread through the entire country and remains popular in America.

Philippe continues to write regular feature articles about automobiles and History, notably for the poplar “VeloceToday” website. He plans to return to French writing also, among others for the popular French magazine Paris-Match, for which he wrote a dozen personality profiles.

Philippe left Manha􀄴an in 2012 and relocated to northern NJ. A long-time member of the Madison

Avenue Sports Car Driver and Chowder Society, he almost always a􀄴ends their monthly luncheons at

Sardis in the Theater District. It’s only one hour away.