A new book on the late Paul Newman tells the story of how one of the world's greatest actors escaped the pressures of Hollywood by sitting behind the wheel of a race car.

As with most things he attempted in life Newman excelled at it. Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman is an illustrated history of Newman's racing career both as a driver and team owner. His interest in racing began while preparing for his role in the movie, Winning, in 1968 and blossomed into several championships competing in the Sports Car Club of America.

The actor also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing second in 1979, and in 1995 at the age of 70 he became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a major sanctioned race, winning in his class at the 24 Hours of Daytona, capping his long association with the Rolex model of that name.

The book features a foreword by Mario Andretti and many first person remembrances from those who raced against him and admired him, along with many previously unpublished photographs documenting his career at the track. Newman's personal car collection including Porsches and Ferraris is also featured.

UK watch customizer Pro-Hunter has come out with a beautiful bespoke version of the classic Rolex Daytona with a PVD coating, red numbers on the bezel and red sub-dial hands. Pro-Hunter, "adept at improving upon the original with taste, style and a unique flair," will only produce less than 100 pieces at about $29,000 each with a waiting list of up to one year. The Red Bezel Daytona Mk II as it's called pays homage to the Rolex golden years of the 1950's and the 1960's as well as models popularized by the late, great Paul Newman. Pro-Hunter, as the name suggests, started out catering to the Rolex-loving hunting community that congregates at England's country houses, and evolved into designs for "smart and exclusive timepieces that are practical and pleasing to the eye".

[via Duncan Quinn]

Paul Newman may have been known for years as an actor but certainly his Newman's Own salad dressing and philanthropic ways signify the way many know him today. Recently, Newman donated his portion of ownership in Newman's Own to support the charities connected to Newman's Own Foundation Inc. which totaled $120 million! One of the charities supported by this enormous gift is the Hole In The Wall Gang camps which take place in Africa providing impoverished children with summer programs each year. His trademark grin may be his most cherished look but I am sure the impression he leave on this world will be attributed to his big heart and significant gifts to those less fortunate.

Bastion of top-drawer British style Bamford & Sons has just come out with their own take on the classic and much-coveted Rolex Daytona Cosmograph, popularized by Paul Newman back in his racecar driving days. The London-based Bamford design team sourced 25 vintage Daytonas -- no mean feat in itself -- then customized them with an aqua blue face and a black PVD coating (a low-friction finish used by the military) over the stainless steel.

Bamford's wares are available Stateside from Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, but this limited edition timepiece can only be ordered direct from the company's own UK store (they'll ship worldwide); it costs £14,995, or just over $30,000. Bamford previously customized a cool Rolex Submariner on a black leather strap, but the Daytona is in a class by itself.

Following in the footsteps of Martha Stewart, Paul Newman becomes the latest celeb with a wine label. Newman's Own 2006 California Chardonnay and 2006 California Cabernet Sauvignon will be released next March. In the press release, Paul Newman notes that he originally bottles his first product, his salad dressing in old wine bottles with parchment labels, so the brand is coming full circle. Since that beginning 25 years ago Newman's Own has grown into a major brand offering pasta sauce, lemonade, salsa and more. Money generated from the products has allowed the Newman's Own Foundation to donate more than 200 million dollars to thousands of charities.

Newman worked with Rebel Wine Company, which also makes True Earth organic wine which we have previously profiled. The Newman wines are made from grapes sourced from coastal vineyards and are expected to sell for $16. An article in AdAge mirrors a question I had which is whether $16 is too high a price for wine's that have a celebrity name but not a lot of celebrity input. The True Earth wines sells for around $13 and Martha Stewart's wine is expected to sell for around $15. Newman's products generally seem to be a little pricer than others and consumers have been willing to pay a little more knowing that it goes to a good cause. Wine lovers, however, tend to purchase based on a complex variety of factors (including terroir and the recommendations of wine bloggers and critics) and might be a tougher nut to crack as they expect a lot from a bottle that veers toward the $20 bottle range.

For a racing junkie like actor Paul Newman there's no better place to be than Ferrari's headquarters. ANSA reports that the 81-year-old star visited Maranello and did several laps in a 599 GTB Fiorano. Newman, in addition to being a fine actor  was also at 70  the oldest driver to drive for a winning team in a major event. Newman was in Italy to visit the new camp that he is creating in Tuscany for kids who have diseases like cancer, leukemia and cystic fibrosis . Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang has camps all around the world that offer sick kids a chance to enjoy nature.

Newman has his own car racing team and is also currently trying to bring auto racing to an old rundown airfield in Brooklyn, New York. He wants to turn the airfield into a Grand Prix course and have a race to benefit charities and his children's camps.