1960s Formula 1 cars

These were my birthday present from Louise -  Formula 1 cars from the late sixties.

A sunny Kyalami hosted the 1968 South African Formula 1 Grand Prix, the opening race of the season on 1st January.  Jim Clark won the race from pole position, confirming the strength of Colin Chapman’s Lotus 49 with its Ford Cosworth DFV engine.  Clark led for the final 79 laps of the race with Graham Hill making it a 1-2 for Lotus. Clark’s victory was his 25th, improving upon Juan Manuel Fangio’s record Grands Prix wins.  This was to be Jim Clark’s last GP victory, and indeed race, before his death in an accident at Hockenheim in April.

This Eagle Gurney-Weslake was raced by Dan Gurney to third place at the Canadian Grand Prix of 1967, so it seemed a good pairing to race against the Lotus.

Both cars are fantastically detailed and handle brilliantly (if anything, a little too quick - they are more controllable with the old Scalextric handsets).  They are tiny and it's quite impressive that a motor fits in the model so well.

I always had a soft spot for the Lotus F1 cars in John Player Special livery and I found this 1972 version in good condition on eBay.  I guess the model dates from the seventies and it runs very well for a 35-year old toy car!  Now to find something of similar vintage to race against it.