Elf Scan 6: Le Dream Team

For French motor racing fans of the late 60's, the Matra team lineup could hardly have been any better. Led by immensely talented and popular Jackie Stewart, supported by the capable gallic trio of Beltoise, Servoz Gavin, and Pescarolo (right to left in this photo).

I LOVE this shot. Looks like the best album cover ever!

Elf Scan 5: Renault R8 Gordinis in Action!

Small and boxy, the Renault R8 Gordini made an unlikely-looking racecar, but this single-marque series was a very popular stepping-stone series for French drivers in the late 1960s. There were so many aspiring competitiors lining up to participate in the series that the organizers had to set up run-offs to limit the entry size down to 40 drivers, from 387 applicants in 1970, according the the back of this card.  The evenly-matched cars provided for splendid close-quarters racing, as shown in this action shot!

Elf Scan 4: Matra MS 650

The Matra MS 650, piloted through the night at La Sarthe by Jean-Pierre Beltoise and Piers Courage to a creditable 4th place - Le Mans 1969. The back of this info card has some really cool drawings, so I couldn't resist sharing that as well!

Elf Scan 3: Jean-Pierre Beltoise

Jean-Pierre Beltoise gazes out of his blue and white helmet with the paradoxical combination of calmness and intensity that form the temperament of any great driver.  Having accomplished astounding success in motorcycle racing, Beltoise later became a fixture of the Matra team in the late 60's, piloting both F1 and Sportscar entries. Although he never equalled his motorcycle successes (11 national championships in 3 years!), he did succeed in winning the Monaco GP for BRM in 1972 before retiring from F1 in 1974.

A few interesting tidbits from the back of this Elf Oil promotional card: Beltoise's wife was the sister of Francois Cevert, who would also race for Matra and later Tyrell before he was tragically killed.  In addition to his successes as a driver, Beltoise was also a businessman in motorsports as well as author of an autobiographical book entitled "Defense de Mourir" (Loosely translated: Death Forbidden; sort of a pun on the French for "No Smoking"). 

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Beltoise is thankfully still with us today!

Elf Scan 2: Alpine A210 Protoype

This week's Elf scan depicts the Alpine A210 prototype racer at speed.  Frequent Automobiliac readers may recall my review of Veloce Publishing's excellent book that covers these cars in depth.  The A210 was a stalwart design for Alpine, consisting of a lightweight Chapman-derived space frame beneath aerodynamic fiberglass bodywork. The car proved to be both fast and reliable over a long lifespan, acheiving numerous successes in the small displacement classes at Le Mans as well as occasional upsets of more powerful cars on more technical circuits. Below is a very nice line drawing of the A210 from the back of the info card.