Friday 28th January 2011

Pic Of The Week: F1's Golden Years

Brands Hatch, and some Lotus 79s - is this F1 perfection?

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Yesterday's story about F1 Racing imagining an F1 car for 2020 with the help of Pat Symonds has had the PH office reminiscing about our favourite F1 cars and eras - and we reckon today's POTW might just about be F1's sweet spot.

It's the start of the 1978 British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch, with Mario Andretti leading Ronnie Peterson into Paddock Hill bend, followed closely by the rest of the pack.

1978 was also a season that had everything. There were great tracks (see exhibit 'A' of Brands Hatch), technological battles with Renault turbo engines beginning to take on the ageing Cosworth DFV, and clever aero tricks such as the Lotus 79's ground-effect or the innovative but controversial (and soon banned) Brabham fan car coming to the fore.

In the championship-winning Lotus 79 you also had (to these eyes at least) one of the most elegantly proportioned racing cars ever, and with a cracking colour scheme, to boot. If it wasn't for the lack of driver safety - Lotus driver Ronnie Peterson tragically lost his life in a first-lap accident at the Italian GP.

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PS - as an extra POTW bonus feature (and due to popular demand), here's the BMW 3.0 CSL of Hans Joachim Stuck and Jacky Ickx at the 'Ring in 1974, demonstrating some serious commitment, and certainly getting rather more air than the 2010 M3 GT2 we featured last week...

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[Dodgey_Rog]

Aaaaahhhhhh, Lotus 1, 2!!!

[Riggers]

Dodgey_Rog said:

Aaaaahhhhhh, Lotus 1, 2!!!

Although not at the end - both Lotuses, unusually, retired with mechanical problems...

[Sprint Rich]

Dodgey_Rog said:

Aaaaahhhhhh, Lotus 1, 2!!!

1,2, - 24,25.

[Escorttom]

Gotta be the batmobile for me. MMMMMMMmmmMMMM

[goron59]

Dodgey_Rog said:

Aaaaahhhhhh, Lotus 1, 2!!!

Then they started making office software with Lotus 1-2-3.

[alecbarclay]

Very, very good................ except for the tobacco sponsorship on many of the teams livery (Gitanes just visible at the back).

[Turbobanana]

Thank you.

Not so much for the F1 pic: that's OK, but I've been looking for a large version of the CSL for ages. In my opinion one of the greatest Motorsport pictures ever taken, and 1974 as well: imagine - no digital review so the photographer had to shoot a whole reel of film and not know if he got the shot until it had been deceloped...

[wackojacko]

Fantastic Pictures from the 'Golden age' ......... Desktop background changed

[CampDavid]

Twin monitor Mac setup is extremely useful when POTW pulls a couple of stonkers like this out of the bag

[900T-R]

I seem to vaguely remember Ronnie Peterson lost his life in that starting lap accident at Monza in an older Lotus (78?) as his car was crashed in practice/qualy and there was no Lotus 79 T-car left?

[g3org3y]

CSL = WIN.

[hesnotthemessiah]

Excellent time for F1 (the 70s I mean). I watched the 75' Season on ESPN a couple of weeks ago. Nikki Lauda won the Championship in the Ferrari. Very exciting stuff.

[Kaiser_Wull]

900T-R said:

I seem to vaguely remember Ronnie Peterson lost his life in that starting lap accident at Monza in an older Lotus (78?) as his car was crashed in practice/qualy and there was no Lotus 79 T-car left?

Ronnie Peterson was indeed killed at the wheel of a Lotus 78, which was his 'T' car. There was a 79 'T' car available that weekend but I can't remember if it was also damaged before the race or if it was reserved for Ronnie's team-mate.

Ronnie was one of the most naturally talented and spectacular drivers in the history of F1. He should have won a world championship, as should Gilles Villeneuve and Stirling Moss.

[Lawrence5]

Modern F1 needs more Lotus's in the field

My favourite F1 car ever....

[AdamPT]

that flying CSL has got to be my favourite motor-racing pic of all time...why are touring cars so crap these days?

[PAUL. S]

I was there that day, great memories, we snuck into the pits and saw all the drivers after the race, everybody did it.

[Banjo47]

alecbarclay said:

except for the tobacco sponsorship on many of the teams livery (Gitanes just visible at the back).

What a pathetic observation. Remember the picture of James Hunt having just won, fag in one hand, beer in the other, with gogeous bird sitting on the garland decked Marlboro sponsored car. Proper days.

[soad]

AdamPT said:

that flying CSL has got to be my favourite motor-racing pic of all time

Ditto, so much character and presence!

[DaveShark]

I'l see your 1978 and raise you:

[dinkel]

Kaiser_Wull said:

Ronnie Peterson was one of the most naturally talented and spectacular drivers in the history of F1. He should have won a world championship, as should Gilles Villeneuve and Stirling Moss.

My 1st F1 hero. I have a snap of his earlier F1 somewhere. Those were the days. Grid full of DFVs is second to none when it comes to sound.