Walter Cronkite extolls the virtues of Sports Cars and takes us to Lime Rock

This video is a gem.  First, we have Cronkite at the wheel of an Austin Healey, explaining the concept of a "Sports Car" the general American public in an era when chrome grill and bumper assemblies probably weighed more than an entire Lotus chassis.  Then he takes us to Lime Rock in the 1950s, complete with in-car camera-work behind the roll bar. Lotus 11's galore. And is that Walter himself at the wheel of the Healey at 1:56?? I see a moustahce in the tiny mirror!  The piece ends at the glamorous Monaco Grand Prix with Stirling Moss's victory in the Lotus 18.  Without ever mentioning the marque, this piece is almost an infomercial for Colin Chapman's fledgling brand, showing its stellar capabilities at both amateur and professional levels.

Also, isn't it just remarkable how little Lime Rock has changed in all these years??

Monaco Moment of Zen

All in a day's work for this intrepid gendarme.

Automobiliac Video of the Week DOUBLE FEATURE: Fangio in the Lancia D50 at Monaco and Alfetta 159 at Monza

In the early 70s, a fantastic documentary was made about the life and career of Argentinian maestro Juan Manuel Fangio. I was fortunate enough to have a father who owned this movie on VHS, and I watched as a kid until the tape got worn out.  While trolling through youtube, I discovered that someone had uploaded two of the movie's best scenes (sorry this version is in Spanish, but at least you can hear his actual voice).

In the first clip, Fangio, now retired, is reunited with his 1956 Lancia-Ferrari D50 at Monaco, and drives it flat out with some incredible onboard camera work and stellar editing. I get chills every time I watch this clip, and I have always loved the theme song that comes in at the end during the slow motion sequences.

In the second clip, Fangio tears around a deserted Monza circuit at sunset in his beloved 1951 Alfetta 159, in one of the most atmospheric parts of the movie.

Grab some popcorn and enjoy!

Automobiliac Video of the Week: Tyrrell 6 Wheeler at Monaco

I seem to have a habit of posting onboard racing footage.  I'll try to get away from that, but in the mean time here is some more!  I particularly love this video because it is shot from a truly unique angle that I have never seen replicated anywhere else.  Not only is the camera looking down on the car, the upper portion of the bodywork is removed so you can watch Patrick Depailler as he manhandles the bizarre yet surprisingly competitive Tyrrell through the streets of Monaco in 1976.  For those of you unfamiliar with this car, yes it really had 6 wheels.  There were 4 small wheels in front that steered as well as braked.  This both increased the surface area of tire adhesion while drastically reducing frontal area and drag.  But it never caught on, thankfully, despite winning a race, and finishing well in a few others.  What did the car in, ultimately, was the reluctance of Goodyear to develop custom 10" tires for the car.  If only today's F1 rules allowed such interesting experimentation.