The Gulf/Wyer GT40s and 917 In Action. Terrific Stuff Videos. 65min,£17.99.
Maybe, in 20 years’ time, there will be those who hark back to 1992 and drone on and on about how exciting sports car racing was in “the good old days”. Somehow, I doubt it.
After the farce of the 1992 SWC, this recent Terrific Stuff release will be manna to those who know how a good sports car race should be.
It comprises two brief films. The first focuses on the JW Automotive team’s ultimately successful Le Mans assault in 1968, the second on the 1970 world championship season (when JWA had switched from Ford’s charismatic GT40 to Porsche’s equally appealing 917).
Although each was originally made as a promotional film (for Ferodo and Gulf respectively), plugs for the two trade suppliers are reasonably subtle.
The accent is firmly on the action, and much of that is absolutely superb.
This is particularly true of part two, A Year to Remember, in which John Wyer explains the hits and misses of a successful season. The sight of Siffert and Rodriguez slithering arounds Brands Hatch, or thundering, side by side, into Eau Rouge, makes you wonder how it all went so badly wrong in later years.
The whole thing is set to an appropriate period soundtrack, which would sound ridiculous if broadcast on any radio station nowadays, but which is entirely appropriate here.
It is now possible to order Terrific Stuff’s releases via a dedicated credit card hotline, on 0962 856546. In this particular instance, an early ‘phone call is recommended.
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