12 replies to this topic

[Wolf]

I have two questions for you... Local bookstore finaly ordered some GP related books and:

1. I can afford one that interests me- Brian Jones "Enciklopedia of F1"; a book mostly containing reace results from '50 onwards (unfortunately only c'ship events, but I may be getting too picky); the book seems very cheap (12US$, or somthing similar)... should I go for it and have you any remarks on that book? There was also some 'Virgin' published book, also in english, but I reckoned since they can't spell 'Stirling' correctly it may not be too good a option.

2. Leafing through book on McLaren cars (very nice packaging, but mostly newer cars), I saw a photo that puzzled me a bit. It was Bruce in McLaren/Serenissima, but the thing that poked me in the eye was Chris Amon/Pete Aaron helmet on his head (btw, I think the photo was taken Stateside)... It's B/W photo but I guess it was Aaron colour scheme (darker strip on starboard side). Since I've never heard of that version of Bruces helmet (and I recall no comments on something similar in THE thread), I would be thankful if someone was to enlighten me on the matter.

Thanks in advance...

[Don Capps]

Keep in mind that the movie Grand Prix was being filmed during the 1966 season and that fact did some result in some peculiar things happening to the cars from time to time. I haven't seen the picture in question, but strongly suspect that is the case. Also, remember that Amon was to be the second driver that season, but the engine situation never allowed that to come to pass. The Serenissima is an example of just how bad things were.... When the Serenissima puked its bearings, the BRM that Bondurant drove got a hasty paint job...

[Marcel Schot]

Wolf, I have both the Jones and Virgin books and I must say Jones wins hands down. Also the Virgin books is pure stats, no stories, whereas Jones' book contains short stories about each season, each team and each pointscoring driver.

[Wolf]

Thanx guys... Marcel, today I went to buy it but it was gone (and it was there yesterday)- talk about luck.

And to all that I may have misled by my remart of stateside race (the proximity of the wall had me fooled... didn't pay enough attention). BTW, went in again today and studied photo more carefuly and decyphered ten number (was partially visible) and came up with 14. Somewhere in the text there was mention of the place- Brands Hatch. Forx helped me to detect year- 1966 and I've located a photo on Crosswinds from that race (different one, and in colour). Here it is

http://www.crosswind...p66/66gbr14.jpg

[Gil Bouffard]

Checking out my grey cells and Eoin S. Young's "Bruce McLaren, The Man and His Machines," There is a discussion about the M2B, Bruce's first F-1 car. It was designed by Robin Herd using Mallite for the monocoque. Mallite was "an aluminium 'sandwich' with a balsa wood middle." I seem to remember reading (maybe it was Henry Manney) about "the Mallite Special."

The car was originally constructed to take a de-stroked Ford Indy motor. That didn't work. So at Spa, they fitted the Serenisimma 3-liter V-8. The photo shows Bruce getting his first points finish (6th), at Brands Hatch.

Now, as I remember it, John Frankenheimer did not film the entire 1966 F-1 season and had somehow contracted with McLaren cars to be the "actors," in the races he filmed.

Of course, if Amon failed to qualify, Bruce would have to take up the slack.

At least that's how I remember it..

Mr. Capps?

Gil

[Keir]

I believe that Chris is driving the McLaren, Bruce only wore the "Aron" helmet when being filmed fro "Grand Prix".
The main difference is that the colors were reversed. Amon wore blue, white, red left to right.

[Wolf]

Keir, although it is Amon's helmet (same colour scheme as Amon had on Oulton photo), I think it's definitely Bruce (the photo that had me started clearly showed the face).

[Gil Bouffard]

Wolf,

Run over to the retro page (http://www.crosswind...retro5/home.htm) and leaf through the 1966 season. There are many pictures of the M2B and the driver. Sometimes Bruce wears his own helmet and somtimes the "Aron," hat. There is also a picture of Mike Parkes driving a Lotus BRM with the "Aron," helmet.

Gil

"To confirm is to confirm. To deny is to strongly confirm."

Me

[Roger Clark]

Bruce McLaren definitely wore an Amon/Aaron helmet at the 1966 BritishGP. The mechanics used the pint brushes as much as the spanners that season. Motor Sport:

"All 20 cars were present on time though some were not necessarily correct and the Hollywood fim-makers had "got at" Parnell's entry so that his Lotus-BRM was red instead of its usual dark green and Spence had a white helmet painted with a circle of red dashed to make it look like Parkes' helmet instead of his own yellow-hued helmet. Bonnier was still in the "phoney-pherrari" no doubt more intent on being a film star than a Grand Prix driver and one wonders if Enzo Ferrari realised his abstention was giving the film producers ulcers"

And at the Dutch GP:

"In the background was the MGM fim-making cicus, cameras in focus and paint-pot and dollar bills at the ready, to alter GrandPrix racing to suit their own ends.... With McLaren a non-starterthe film-makers had lost their white carso Parnell let them paint Spence' Lotus-BRM to look like a McLaren, which is supposed to look like a Japanese car anyway (and Hollywood says it doesn't confuse things!) In the British GP Spence wore a helmet looking like mike Parkes', but this time it was yet another color, representing a mythical driver, and some people actually enquired "whatwas car No 17 and who was driving it?"

I've never seen Parkes with the Aaron helmet though.

[Gil Bouffard]

OOOOOpppppssss! Parkes/Spence. That's how it goes..Sorry.

Anyway, Spence is pictured at Zandvoort playing James Garner.

The Gilster

[Ray Bell]

Did Jenks ever finally say that the film was any good?

[Milan Fistonic]

Ray

In 1969 DSJ wrote about the film in one of his Continental Notes articles. He told of buying a set of post cards only to find that a number of them were of the fake F1 cars that Frankenheimer used. He ends the article by saying that perhaps one day his 10s collection of picture postcards will become a collectors item and will raise 100 pounds at a Sotheby's Auction.

He concludes; " If they do I'll buy Frankenheimer the dinner he always promised me but never got around to buying, at which he was going to ask me why I did not like his film."

[Mike Argetsinger]

I wonder if Jenks ever collected on either his dinner or the 100 pounds? Probably neither. But I am certain those cards were already worth at least that much before his death.