My question is: which D-type was Hawthorn driving - and why?
And what was it doing at Le Mans in 1956?
I have looked in Andrew Whyte's book but cannot see the occasion recorded.
It seems to be a 1954 or ’55 ‘private-entrant’ short-nose (no fin on the head-fairing and ’54-style windscreen: the ’55 works cars had the new Malcolm Sayer long-nose body with head fairing and fin all-in-one and high, full-wrap, windscreen).
Could it have been taken there in 1956 for use as a practice hack? It is clearly (should that be 'surely'?) not a race entrant because for 1956 the rules were changed (after the ’55 crash) to require, among other things, full-width windscreens, full-width cockpits and proper passenger doors, none of which this car has. Also there is no race number or race number roundel. The camera mount obscures the rear registration number (which might have told us something) and there is some sort of peculiar badging or marking on the nose of the car that I do not recognise.
I am assuming that the movie was shot on a practice day some time shortly before the 1956 race - but that may not be the case at all. On the other hand Mike (this must be one of the longest continuous clips where we can hear what Mike sounded like when speaking) refers to Desmond Titterington going off in practice 'last night'.
Apologies if all this has been discussed before and I have both missed it and failed to find it through Search.
Edited by Mal9444, 02 April 2013 - 11:50.