With Formula One on its weeks long summer siesta it’s easy to become a little despondent waiting for it to return. I like to keep myself busy watching old races and documentaries about racing in the “good old days” and so it was with much interest that I stumbled across this film, titled ‘Monaco, Race Of Kings’.
Lotus Goes Turbo is a 30 minute documentary covering the Lotus Formula One teams switch from naturally aspirated to turbo V6 engines in the 1983 season. It’s a fantastic little piece of history, seeing engineers designing a Formula One car on a drafting table with a pencil and slide rule is a reminder of just how brilliant these guys actually were.
This stunningly beautiful 1954 Mercedes-Benz W196R Formula 1 car was driven in anger by the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio, Hans Herrmann and Karl Kling – this essentially makes it about as close to royalty as a car can become.
The 1974 McLaren M16C Indy Car was an Offenhauser-powered open-wheeled racer that won the 1974 Indy 500 – the car and its driver, Johnny Rutherford, would lead for 59 of the last 60 laps before taking their historic win at the Brickyard.
This vintage BBC documentary, called James Hunt vs Niki Lauda – Historic Clash Of The Titans, is a fantastic look back at the now world famous rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
These sterling silver cufflinks by One Bond St. are a fitting tribute to Hill, they bear the colour scheme of his famous BRM P261 Formula 1 car as well as his racing number. You can pick up a pair for £90 and add a little bit of subtle 1960s motor racing flair to your wardrobe.
Racing helmets are one of those things that require a little in the way of exotic paint, with most open-cockpit racing formulas the only part of the driver that’s visible outside the car is the driver’s helmet, which means that a lick of unique helmet paint is the only way for a driver to stand out from his competitors on the track.
The 1965 Monaco Grand Prix was only the second race of the season, the famous street circuit turned out a classic battle and this is the full BBC coverage of the event.
Eau Rouge is easily one of the most famous corners in motor racing, it’s located on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the location of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix, the Spa 24 Hours and the 1000 km Spa endurance races.