1. Shrill DFV music rules Ever popular for their distinctive shapes and liveries, which made them instantly identifiable, three-litre F1 cars of the 1960s to mid-1980s remind racegoers of the age in which engines made by Cosworth in Northampton scored the lion’s share of wins against stout opposition from Ferrari, Matra, Alfa Romeo and BRM. Silverstone hosted the British GP with Brands Hatch in alternate years back then.
Keith Duckworth’s revolutionary Ford-badged DFV (double four valve) V8 powered Jim Clark’s Team Lotus 49 to victory here in July 1967 – a month after their debut gold at Zandvoort – and went on to notch a staggering 155 world championship GP race wins until 1985. With DFVs and Hewland gearboxes commercially available in the interim, dozens of marques created cars for future superstars and pecunious or well-backed wannabes to compete for the sport’s highest prize. Not all were successful.
Expect to see Williams, McLaren, Tyrrell and Lotus out front, chased by Arrows and Hesketh cars made locally. Among the fabulous 30-car field, don’t be surprised to see Matt Wrigley (Tyrrell 011), Steve Hartley (McLaren MP4/1), Stuart Hall (March 821) and Nick Padmore (Lotus 88B) feature prominently. 2.
100 years of sportscar racing The spread of racing over the weekend offers something for all tastes, bookended by the BRDC 500 for MRL Pre-War Sports Cars and Masters Endurance Legends prototypes of the 21st century – the fastest machinery on the bill with a Le.