On Board with Mike Hawthorn at Le Mans 1956 | D-type Jaguar

[@mbrenneman0411]

i bet he never imagined someone would be watching this on the internet at 4am some 84 years later

[@marty154]

Couldnt be me. Im watching it at 5 am

[@naomorra]

Are you watching this in the year 2040?

[@marty154]

@@naomorra who isnt

[@mbrenneman0411]

@@naomorra yes, arent you?

[@Thomasnmi]

@@marty154 strange, that's when I watched it :)

[@wejhvabewjty]

The quality of the video is unbelievably good.

[@jayjayDrm]

yes, quality of analogue 35mm film is amazing. but because "advancement" does not mean better quality, but more easy sellable consumer products, we ended up with horrible videoformat in the 80s.

[@TheAravindtop]

Yeah it went from high-quality film to analog storage methods with crap quality like cassettes in the 80s, 90s, and 00s. Then finally to digital methods today where quality is far better than the film.

[@750triton]

That was the VHS Vs Betamax era. In the end, cheap won

[@andrewlangley9507]

No... In the end, porno won. Sony would not allow the porno industry to buy their cassettes in large quantities. At the time, this was a major portion of the cassette market. Sony made a ethical stand and it cost them the business.

[@TheAravindtop]

+Bertie Wooster Yeah not really. The format war was mainly between Betamax and VHS and VHS won. Video 2000 was never really in the picture.

[@liamhollin8265]

That old jag sounds amazing, even with the radio static interference. 👍👍👍👍

[@dhy5342]

In 1965 while I was in the Army in Germany, three other GIs and I drove a rented VW Beetle from Munich to Paris and then south to Le Mans. We got there the day before the day of the race and I drove the Beetle around the entire ~8.5 mile race course. I pushed it as hard as I dared and it took something over 15 minutes for one lap. There were race cars on the road doing practice runs in addition to normal local traffic. It was cool to be passed by Porsche 904s, Ford GT40s, Shelby Cobra Daytonas, various Ferrari models, etc. Many people don't realize that the race consisted of various classes being run at the same time on the same course so, in addition to the above types there were also Alpines, Triumphs, MGs, and others on the course. Before the race many teams rented or contracted with local garages in the town of le Mans where they set up their cars so several of these cars were running around town after being tuned and set up. Ever see as fully setup race Ferrari 250 sitting at a stop light behind a Porsche 904, both behind a 1965 Volkswagen Beetle? Unfortunately, in the last 50+ years I've lost the pictures I took of the two days we were there. EDIT, additional info: While we were there, we spent most of the time at the first turn out of the pit area but we did do a bit of walking around. Up the hill past the S-bends and the Dunlop bridge and as far as the beginning of the Mulsanne Straight at the Virge du Tetra Rouge. I think that stretch was where a lot of the exciting action took place, aside from the 3.7 mile musanne itself which would have been a bit far to walk as there was no real path to follow.. There was a carnival set up in the area near the S-bends which was nothing special with most of the stuff you would see at any US carnival, but was a momentary diversion. We crossed the Dunlop bridge and went over to the area above the pits where Ford had a party tent set up with a large buffet table set up. We weren't invited in but could nose around a bit. I saw, but didn't talk to Carroll Shelby and probably a lot of other famous people who I didn't recognize. They had a new 1964 1/2 Mustang on display. We stayed through the entire race, even through the night hours although we did get a little sleep until the morning sun got us going again. It was exciting being there and it's an experience to remember but seeing the same cars roaring past, one after another, and on and, on and, on actually got a bit boring. All you could see is zipping by cars with no way to tell who was winning. As an aside, not related directly to the race - the VW Beetle we rented had the speedometer/odometer driven from a cable which ran through the left front wheel axle and was pinned in a square hole in the grease cap. I removed the pin to disconnect the cable so the speedometer didn't work, and more importantly so the odometer wouldn't rack up any miles. It could have been unscrewed from the speedometer head behind the dash but the company had marked the connection there with paint which would have shown if the connection was disturbed. I did have to get an international driver's license but that only took a couple of days before we left. This all was a few decades before free movement between countries came about but having a valid driver's license and our military IDs were all we needed, so there was no hassle going from German into France, or coming back. None of us could speak French and our few attempts to interact with French nationals in English were met with indignation and disdain. I can understand their expecting visitors to at least try the language but even out attempts at sign language were ignored. They were just plain rude. We had to rely on what little food we brought along plus some terrible carnival food. Our few hours spent in Paris left me highly unimpressed with the city. It seemed dingy and unkampt with dirt and trash on the streets and sidewalks. We did visit the Eifel Tower which is a lot bigger than you might think, taking up an area of an entire city block. The traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe was an adventure in itself. With six lanes circling and twelve roads entering you really have to plan ahead to get in and out at the right place.

[@JB73691]

Did you win ? Hahaha ....

[@blackswan8651]

Lovely story.

[@redwanrizvi]

Thank you kind sir for sharing your story.

[@AnotherJoe]

I love these memories, thank you sir it is much appreciated! 👌🏻😎

[@konanhuet623]

I wish I was born back then, early Motorsports must've been a blast!

[@funnyshish6305]

1956-"somebody in the way never mind" 2019- "he rejoined the track so dangerously"

[@corat248]

Hahaha!

[@StarsOfPleiades]

+5 seconds penalty

[@thesauciestboss4039]

This was the very reason the Le Mans disaster happened. 84 people dead, and 180 or so injured. Now, cars a lighter and faster. Without precautions, many more would die in a similar crash

[@thesauciestboss4039]

Funnyshish also, people seem to have lost all common sense, so more safety for them too :/

[@Paule.1893]

@@thesauciestboss4039 It's funny because Hawthorne caused the disaster 1 year before that recording.

[@matthewetherington3895]

The quality of this 60+ year old video footage is absolutely incredible! What a fantastic piece of history.

[@sarahcampbell8819]

Yes, great quality. I just don't understand the people riding bicycles on the side of the track.

[@MrGaryGG48]

@@sarahcampbell8819 It's an open country road when they're not racing. I've been around the course (and in the #1 Starting Position, in a VW WestFahlia Camper! 🤣) and watched bicycles and motor scooters pass in the other direction. Knowing that teams do, or at least use to, drive the course before the race just to get a few more laps in, we kept a close watch on the mirrors. We traveled throughout Europe in a 1963 VW Camper and for some reason, it just wouldn't pass that racecourse without stopping. Of course, a 13 year old kid in the back, bugging his dad incessantly may have had something to do with that! 😂

[@Dave5843-d9m]

It’s a 16mm film camera.

[@dorklyasmr6017]

"...where there was a terrible accident that occurred last year." Understatement of the century.

[@TDrewBR]

right???? 83 killed lmao, i think in those times they were like "yeah its gonna happen again in a couple of years".

[@RennKurusu]

This was less than 2 decades after the war, so imagine the psychology of these people. We live in relatively peaceful times.

[@trackie1957]

Drew Insur “lmao”?? 83 killed and who knows how many badly hurt and it’s “lmao”?? What have we become?

[@richardthefox3412]

After the crash, it seemed that god cursed him, especially with bad kidneys. He lost one in 1955, and his other was failing. He had only 3 years to live.

[@todd.goslin6190]

@@richardthefox3412 I think maybe bad driving may also have shortened his life expectancy.

[@Zyntherion2202]

This! Ladies and gentlemen, might literally be the first car vlog ever recorded.

[@karelpgbr]

You, good sir, are a genius.

[@MedicMain9]

he ought to have started a youtube channel

[@SunnyD1865]

I’d be careful, there might end up being “beef” between him and Jim Clark. Or something.

[@MagnumLoadedTractor]

Or lap onboard

[@ifeeIcoke]

This was like Nico Rosberg’s how to master each track series

[@bigtex144]

It's incredible to see how different the track was back then, when it was quite literally just a country road that was shut down for some race cars. Fantastic history!

[@abadenoughdude300]

The first thing that strikes you when you drive on it in a sim or see it on film is how obscenely narrow it is, compared to the modern version of the track. A wall of trees on both sides and barely any room to pass other cars, in a car with zero downforce and safety measures in the form of "just don't crash, mkay?" going almost 300kmh. Old racing is terrifying af.

[@savage22bolt32]

Like the Isle of Mann TT.

[@SeanCFarnum]

still the case today

[@leechjim8023]

It's not even shut down!

[@sambarker7930]

You can still see that 1956 track in the one we have today though. There’s a few more chicanes, but it still follows basically the same route

[@MrINSANITY321]

175mph in a car as safe as that... in the dark. Balls of steel

[@redram5150]

MrINSANITY321 that’s why it’s interesting

[@scotpurdy8132]

Absolutely!

[@TomTheCat.]

And then 30 years later doing 240MPH in the dark

[@abadenoughdude300]

@@TomTheCat. At least you weren't falling out of that one straight into the trees when you crashed.

[@DharcTunesYT]

Fun fact: 185 mph in 1956 is like going 250 mph today

[@garyfan3526]

Unbelievable! POV from 60 years ago

[@arkadiuszweiss]

To think that this apparatus recording the image and sound was so complicated, large and heavy, the tape recorder with vacuum tubes and the batteries were all huge, consumed a lot of electricity and lasted for a short time. This movie was expensive but what a wonderful legacy of human science. As the saying goes, "a lot of work is a lot of satisfaction".

[@runlarryrun77]

That's probably a wind up 16mm camera, not that heavy or technical (you can see it on a pole in the opening part of the sequence, it's about the size of a couple of shoeboxes) & the film stock was black & white, so not very expensive at all by 1954. Even if it's an electric camera the batteries they took weren't big or heavy, we still put them in bike lights in the 80's when I was a kid. The sound is likely recorded to a small, separate reel to reel located on the cockpit floor & synched up afterwards. Obtaining this footage wasn't nearly as difficult as you seem to think it was. Film tech was always simple, unlike TV cameras of the time.

[@arkadiuszweiss]

Still, it's amazing. Older video and audio recording systems were very complex and susceptible to vehicle vibration. It always impresses me when I see old movies in motion, and even more so handcrafted racing cars. Thank you and good health :)

[@Balafoutre]

Another era altogether in deed....unbelievable footage.

[@boothegoopc8417]

I feel like growing a mustache after watching.

[@Kringlebeast]

boothegoo pc My moustache shrivelled away, I am not a true man compared to these chaps.

[@JimmyS.25]

"I have to be carefully , theres a lot of traffic today" ( *accelerates* )

[@wallymcguire2033]

Jimmy S. I’m blown away he’s on a hot lap with the roads open and traffic and cyclists and pedestrians on both sides and directions. I need to go find out when Le Mans changed from public roads to a closed circuit. Fascinating.

[@elperenza]

@@wallymcguire2033 he's not on an hotlap. He's just doing a tour of the circuit. That's why the roads are still open as it isn't race day. On race day the roads are obviously closed.

[@killakanzgaming]

Yeah, this is not a hot lap... Looks like he's driving fast, but compared to what he'd be doing in the actual race, this was a relaxing cruise...

[@JimmyS.25]

@Jimmy to be fair, yes he does accelerate very gently. The joke was a bit ruined by the might of facts 😁 oh, and, nice name, btw.

[@druidofthefang]

and you can't be careful if you accelerate, right

[@failmiserably]

This is the coolest video on the internet.

[@_Diamond-Dog]

Damn straight

[@tattymagoo]

I love the sound of the D-Type Jaguar

[@MrTiti]

the sound is faked

[@GreaseMonkey771]

MrTiti Your justification for that comment?

[@MrTiti]

are you kidding me? if you demand an explication for the obvious, how do you want to do that? please just use common sense and listen to ACCEELERATION SOUND (engine full load, rpm going up) in braking zone. is this argument understandable? or do you think otherwise? if yes, what is different?

[@sebdupree1]

No the sound is not fake kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYewd6qLnd2rb9E

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

Paty of the engine noise you're hearing, the static, is from the ignition system interfering with the recording gear. Also there's no way the driver would endanger a racing car for a short tour of the track the day before when the public has access. By the sound of it I believe the engine sound is genuine, just remember that the microphone was designed to block as much outside noise as possible, allowing the driver to be heard. That this film is in as good of condition is amazing, but then again, it was probably shown very little and archived fairly well.

[@dpcustoms_]

piece of history of motorsport!

[@chriskappert1365]

175 miles per hour ............. That demonstrates how damn good that XK engine was, why it became a legend . 6 pistons , 2 camshafts and 3 SU carbs made this unforgetable powerhouse of an engine . Those where the days my friend ......

[@chaytonhurlow840]

When professional racing was street racing. Still moving faster than most would dare today.

[@iaidagger8278]

​@@chaytonhurlow840😊😊+1!!!!😊😊😊😊

[@AlonsoRules]

The 1950's GoPro!!

[@s.sestric9929]

The buzzing in the audio is from the Jag's unshielded ignition wires. The mike is picking up RFI interference from them.

[@rousemotorsport]

What an amazing video! Thank you for posting it.

[@henrikcarlsen1881]

And GoMic. Good thing he didn't crash with the gadgetry strapped on. Fun to see how the scenery has changed.

[@Boemel]

So that is whats wrong with my 1975 sony recorder :D i can hear the tape motor whirr when recording ...

[@promerops]

Technology one step ahead of having an artist and a scribe on board! Great piece of history, thanks for uploading.

[@daedalus_20v]

Among other things, just look at how much of the track has trees less than 10m from the edge, not even a tire barrier to slow a 150+mph impact. Such a dangerous era of motorsport, but that was simply how things were back then. My grandfather raced on dirt tracks in a time of leather helmets, homemade goggles, and no seatbelts - sometimes no windscreens, wearing slacks and short sleeves. Unthinkable these days, but that was the era. Amazing he lived through it - many did not. It's often referred to as a romantic time of "real men" but that does a disservice to many great drivers of the modern era, and certainly there are countless "real men" who would rather be alive today than having died their "heroic" (and terrible) deaths. It makes them legends, I suppose, but I'd still prefer to be able to see and hear them today, telling their stories of the early days of modern motorsports. Their bravery was unquestionable, and I have a lot of respect for them, but I have to say I'm glad things have changed. Regardless, great video footage, thanks for posting!

[@robcohen7678]

it's just to increase the chances of being able to have an open casket funeral

[@slipngrip]

+Rob Cohen LMAO

[@saulocpp]

And some people think it was those cars, and not the stupid rules, that made racing dangerous in the past. Still think it is the car? Put a modern racing car there, that is at least 2x as fast, and keep the same stupid rules. Now tell me if it was really dangerous because of the cars...

[@xmbdesign7421]

Some of the problem was the cars. Mercedes using FLAMMABLE magnesium alloy bodies, for instance. The manufacturers certainly didn't help make the sport any safer back then either. ;)

[@M3LKS]

You know, the WRC exists. Even today they race in much more dangerous locations than Le Mans in the 50s.

[@TARider2]

This has to be about the coolest historical race type footage I've ever seen. Nowadays this is normal but to have a driver miced up talking you through the course back then?? That's awesome!

[@Nightstalker321]

Now imagine it in the dark!

[@katrinapaton5283]

At full race pace. So much respect for guys that would do that.

[@shanebaker-hill967]

FARRRRRRKKKKKK !!!!!!

[@fauberkaupfmann982]

Get a toyota 70 in gt6 and just try. Total madness.

[@kasper5688]

Idk that looks pretty dark to me. can't even see colors properly

[@windyworm]

... then imagine dark and wet 😱

[@hashrulsubzero]

Before GoPros, SJCams and helmets with build-in microphone was born... Wow, how different it was back then..that D-Type sounds nice!

[@kyokoprice260]

God

[@chrismartin1231]

Forget all the consumer technology you are talking about, it was before the Pc or internet was born. Wonderful! History of motorsports.

[@YOLOLMK]

Now this video is a very important historic treasure

[@TrenosUK]

Corrects oversteer as motorcycle passes. “Much safer this year.”

[@koolerking440]

Amazing. I don't think I've ever heard Mike Hawthorne's voice before. Taken far to early. Also its completely nuts they we're doing 175 mph plus in these cars, no seatbelts, harness, any kind of protection.

[@crumblefest]

NO. What they do now is nuts...

[@emansnas]

Seat belts were a driver and crew decision. Most drivers thought it better to be thrown clear. In some cases it was as being trapped in a burning car was not that uncommon.

[@Thorny5718]

Different times and a different mentality mate. As simple as that.

[@Noremax]

In the dark

[@abadenoughdude300]

@@Noremax Also drunk.

[@leependragon9400]

He was 27 at the time.... Amazing how much class he had in his voice.

[@ant2312]

@Mr. Handsome what a moron you are, fancy coming out with all that crap you just did

[@leependragon9400]

Wow you really have a personal issue with this guy lol. Dont cry.

[@johnjephcote7636]

Eagle comic called him 'The Farnham Flyer'. I remember the news of his end.

[@offgrid8445]

He was the 'Farnham Flyer' but originally from Mexborough in South Yorkshire.

[@Ohtechnik]

He's British, all British people's accent has classiness

[@menayazzie7765]

185 mph is fast even for today.

[@davedirk4373]

ye it prolly took these pos about 30 sec down the whole 2 km straight to get that LOLOL shit cars

[@maxbtl]

Mena Yazzie yes because the engines were monsters, but see how he has to brake for 10 seconds to take the corner at the end...

[@chrissss696]

Agîlity he obviously wasn't going at 185mph and he obviously wasn't fully braking

[@stinger15au]

Christ chris true but braking and cornering speeds are the 2 biggest differences between racing then and now. A Lmp1 can stop from 210mph in 300m in 4seconds. 200mph racing cars were possible from the 1930s, they couldn't stop or turn worth a dam in comparison to todays cars though

[@stinger15au]

Gregisonutube production public? None. But race and specialty? The land speed wheel driven record was 203mph in 1927, by 1939 it was 394mph, 200mph racing cars were most definitely possible by this time period. My point was, its braking and corner speed that has made the most strides, not really top speeds.

[@mickeymouze5]

Le mans in the 50's looked beautiful but.. also was deadly

[@joe125ful]

Extreme agreed!

[@hauskins9516]

yea living in a world that is only black n white must of been amazing.

[@mickeymouze5]

@@hauskins9516 what? im talking about the track not the color lol

[@hauskins9516]

@@mickeymouze5 what color?

[@1mariomaniac]

Speaking of deadly tracks have you heard of a circuit called Pescara?

[@metalmitch]

What an amazing driver, it's a pity that he's all but been forgotten. A true gentleman racer . Vale Mike Hawthorn.

[@t3hgir]

I started watching F1 in 2010 and he's not forgotten for me

[@shugaroony]

Why would he be forgotten? To any British F1 fan who knows their history, people like Mike, John Surtees and Stirling Moss (though he never won the F1 World Championship) are all legends.

[@Wayne_Robinson]

"I've got to be a little bit careful today because there's quite a lot of traffic on the road" right before curtailing some throttle-induced oversteer when the oncoming bicyclist appears in the corner @ 1:26, lol.

[@matvt.2451]

"Have to be careful because of trafic" 😂😂he wasnt careful in 1959 when he hit a truck on the road

[@TheFreekill17]

Commando Ultra 84 you would be the type of person to bring up something completely unrelated just to belittle somebody you don’t even know

[@johnchurch4705]

Commando Ultra 84 it was a tree on the A3 Guildford bypass. He was racing against an 300SL gullwing Merc in a Coombes MK2 Jaguar.

[@catm4403]

If you look closely in the rear mirror there is a Williams FW42 trying to follow up but couldn't keep up in the second half.

[@drewhender3999]

It's a lap down too

[@bigshow196]

@@drewhender3999 GOT'EM! XD

[@rj9617]

Good eye, Cat. Nice pic too 😉

[@harrisons62]

Balkan banana your gay

[@harrisons62]

@Balkan banana Can't right now maybe later.

[@NoosaHeads]

Just look how smooth his hand movements are. I've been in modern rally cars, driven by top drivers - the common factor is that, even though they're driving ridiculously fast, the steering wheel is being "nursed", never jerked or wrenched. They could put a half full glass of water on the dashboard and not spill a drop. If we all drove like that, we'd use less fuel, be quicker and have less accidents.

[@mohamedalkaboom]

Exactly. The trick to driving well is smoothness

[@johngriffiths118]

Jim Clark approves that message

[@1zanglang]

Yes. He had caused less accidents... Only two of them are worth mentioning: Le Mans 1955, 83 dead and 180 injured and the one he lost his life, three years later. This dude was a true "smooth criminal"...

[@samuelelsby1800]

I noticed that..I thought ‘soft’ hands.

[@dinglepringle1380]

Well, we can’t exactly all drive like that because racing cars are set up to be that way. No car with stock steering and suspension will be able to handle that way.

[@freenational]

The ride of the Jaguar is incredibly smooth.

[@joe125ful]

Becease he drive slowly on normal road..

[@ciello___8307]

Nah you can tell it kinda wallows around like a lot of old cars

[@nigelcarren]

I never thought I would ever witness Mike Hawthorn overtaking a Velo Solex at Le Mans!!! Only in France. Thank you so much for this.

[@craigpennington1251]

One of the best ride alongs ever made. Thanks for posting.

[@rvandijk65]

What an imcredible piece of history in superb quality. "Hawthorne says: lot's of traffic, cyclists typically French" Then a giggle. How very fanatstically British . Keep it up chaps. Thanks. RUUD

[@matthewclark9628]

better quality footage than half of todays

[@domzbu]

matthew clark it’s thanks to using good old fashioned normal perspective lenses, not the dumb fisheye lenses used today to exaggerate sensation of speed but which lose all perspective.

[@avada0]

Well this was a big-ass suitcase size movie camera. Today's cameras are tiny palm sized cameras. It's hard to work around the difference.

[@nanderlizernanderlizer684]

because the car is going slow, with no big forces on the camera, and they are using a huge camera.

[@alexanderwiand6997]

100th like!

[@joe125ful]

Not surprised,they use gopro:)

[@alansbinnie1446]

I like the way he casually mentions the 1955 crash that he was involved in himself.

[@bencezavarko7312]

pretty much he caused it 🙄

[@John-k6f9k]

​@@bencezavarko7312 I was harshly critical of Hawthorne for years for Le Mans 1955 but learning more about the disaster it's hard to single out anyone for the blame. You could blame the organizers for not widening the pit straight when the cars started to get really fast in the 1950s. You could question Austin Healey for the design of putting a sloped rear on the back of a racing car, it seems like it's practically designed to launch a rear ending car into the air. A crazy design in hindsight. I can't blame Macklin or LeVegh, and I can at most say that Hawthorne was guilty of reckless driving. But all he did was to decide to pit on that lap, and the new disc brakes of Hawthorne's Jaguar provided braking power racers just weren't accustomed to. His situational awareness was down to a blurry image of a few cars in a shaky mirror. The infamous post race pics of him celebrating with champagne are misleading too. There are some pics of him looking somber and miserable after the race. But if someone comes up to you with a post race garland of flowers and some champagne it seems just natural to many people to just accept it with a smile, even if you don't feel like celebrating. Not trying to exonerate him fully, but I think he's been unfairly targeted for decades for causing the disaster.

[@SWog617]

"Involved in"? Some people thought he caused it.

[@alansbinnie1446]

@@SWog617 He didn'.

[@trackie1957]

He did not cause it. He saw the instruction from his team to enter the pit. He did. In auto racing, as in bicycle racing, you are responsible for your front wheel. This world today is too quick to blame and to slow to sympathize.

[@pinduro1618]

That's a Coles Lip microphone. Murray Walker and James Hunt shared one. And you can still buy them! Great film, thanks! 👍

[@mrbluesky744]

It's impressive to see how much the track has changed since then

[@rovervitesse1985]

That microphone to his chest is huge. Imagine infiltrating the mafia back then and the police asking you if you’d mind wearing a microphone

[@waqaasmahmood4118]

L😂😂😂😂😂😂L

[@jamesprice6381]

those neumanns fetch 2-3 grand now!

[@TheLeadSled]

This is absolutely fascinating, a look back into history, it is such a wonderful view into the past especially with an excellent driver.

[@dnsrollin1837]

this is the video you live for to see if you're true racing enthusiast.

[@iaidagger8278]

Gorgeous!! The sound is simply stunning!! The great in line six Jaguar XK engine sounds as it has a very high compression ratio,lets say 10:1!!! For 1956 racing engine indicates very high octane fuel or methanol mixture!! Thanks for sharing the D type is one of my favorite racing cars!!😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@RichOple]

I love seeing all the houses and farms along the way. What a piece of history. This camera quality is amazing!

[@MrJimbaloid]

I think that might be the coolest thing I've ever seen.

[@scottlewisparsons9551]

I think you may possibly be right! I have never seen anything like this, loved it. About to watch again.

[@SecondHalfofLife]

It's amazing technology has come so far, yet the camera angle that shows driver, track and car is so good and better than many current angles they use. And actually the sound isn't bad either. Obviously the crackles but you get good amount of engine noise, clear audio and just enough wind to get a sense of speed. I'm also always blown away by how differently people spoke then to now. It sounds like he is playing a British gentleman character in a play, but it was just how he and his contemporaries spoke. Excellent film!

[@soulewh]

Imagine putting along on your tiny motorbike and then Mike Hawthorne goes screaming by you in a Jaguar D type...

[@ole9421]

That has got to be the best ride along footage I've ever seen. Breath taking.

[@MilouTintin]

That microphone is HUGE! It's fun to see how advanced the Jaguar is in comparison to the other cars on the road, even the Citroën 2CV. Driving Le Mans with pedestrians, bicycles, cars, motorcycles....

[@hepphepps8356]

The STC 4104. Still produced, sold and used today, and a favourite for commentators on noisy sports events as the Coles 4104.

[@tophand22]

Very cool video. The first time my brother Pat Hennen raced motorcycles at Le Mans was at the 1976 French GP, his first ever GP. He rode a privateer production RG500 Suzuki, his first ride on the bike. It's amazing how vastly different Le Mans was by then. It had transformed since the year this video was made into a proper race track that was much shorter, no trees or buildings close by the track, with proper race-grade tarmac all the way around. He raced on the version of the track with the long back straight and really enjoyed racing on the circuit. One part of the center of the circuit had a large carnival with a huge farris wheel. At night, the evening before the race, the center of the track was all lit up with the lights and noise from the carnival. We had never seen anything like it in the U.S., so we were really blown away by the track and the whole atmosphere.

[@panhardrod]

The 24hr circuit hasn't changed length much since 1932 and is only used for the 24hr car race. All other races use the Bugatti circuit which is only 2.6 miles long and is all private road.

[@raypinpillager838]

"The wind on the straights puts out my cigarette but I'll lite it again after the next corner"

[@brettwyatt7165]

I'll just have a quick nip from my whiskey flask when I hit 175 mph

[@SirOliverNorwell]

Sometimes it's a bit tricky to use the cigarette lighter that the Jaguar D Type thankfully has on board properly but ultimately it's a matter of concentration and hand eye coordination.

[@berlincreation]

Oh, if only my Dad had lived long enough to experience the internet, and see stuff like this. He would have been thrilled. Part of me would like to think that he's seeing it through my eyes... thank you for this...

[@mysock351C]

I like how you can hear the ignition system in the audio. Quality is actually really good for the time!

[@robertwoodliff2536]

Makes a nice change from elevator muzac.

[@SpandanChatterjee2904]

Maybe due to electrical systems of the time? Analog circuits all?

[@MarlinRando]

Unshielded wires @@SpandanChatterjee2904

[@goodshipkaraboudjan]

Still to me it's the best car video that has been made. I'm in my 30s and love it more now than I did as a teen when it first ended up on one of Dads old VHS vids.

[@timchapman5567]

Three years later, Mike was gone. The shock of the golden boy's death still vivid.

[@lumpyfishgravy]

That Coles lip mic is incredible at killing wind noise! They are capable of quite high fidelity, too.

[@Jimorian]

I saw similar mics being used for a World Poker Tour event a few years ago, since the commentator booth was basically on the casino floor, and the casino was open for regular business aside from the tournament. You probably wouldn't have been able to hear yourself think for all the cacophony, but the commentators came through crystal clear. It was just funny seeing them all kissing those mics. :P

[@amw6778]

... and high speeds!

[@PlaySA]

It's underneath the mask isn't it?

[@1mariomaniac]

@@PlaySA Nope, take a look at his lips when the camera changes to show his face. You can see a piece going around his mouth, that's what they're talking about.

[@thethirdman225]

Sometimes referred to as a lip mic because of the metal bar you held against your top lip to get the spacing correct. I haven’t seen one with such an elaborate screen around the mouth before. There is vision out there of Murray Walker using one in the 1990s. They are still in use today but I’m not sure if they are still being made.

[@grahamwinchester8550]

Great vid.i clearly remember being in primary school in belfast when a teacher came in and said mike hawthorn has just been killed.some memories never fade.

[@ausfoodgarden]

Wow! This just popped up in my suggested list. What great footage from before I was born (only just). Obviously a relatively slow lap due to all the cars and bicycles 😊 Nice quality video thanks to film rather than later magnetic media. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to see it.

[@Synystr7]

"Cyclists everywhere... Haha Typical French."

[@Dipierox]

Synystr7 «this part of the track is a lot safer»

[@VanIsleNuckFan]

Love that

[@esimsnl]

Scaring dangerous, those cyclists.

[@taxitalknyc7600]

Typical French "P.I.T.A"'s that is !!! ;D

[@GeoMiluti]

Typical 50's french. :D

[@Guldrimand]

It's hard to believe the deadliest racing accident happened there just a single year before.

[@GrayCatbird1]

Also hard to believe that this man was involved in it and saw it unfold firsthand.

[@benjaminstuart9761]

@fenderfan85 no it wasn't him

[@benjaminstuart9761]

Hawthorn was going into the pits which he guestered to the jag and merc behind him on the turn before the start/finish straight. the jag moved from behind hawthorn in front of the merc. Then the jag braked for the turn (essentially brake checking the merc). the merc could not slow down in time because the The jaguar's had disc brakes which slow the car down faster than the Mercedes. Because of this merc ramped off the back of the jag into the crowd That's what happened hawthorn was not a fault. It was as some would say a racing accident.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

fenderfan85 We will never know if or who causes the crash in 55

[@daphnejames3571]

He brake checked Macklin TWICE. He wanted to wreck Fangio and Levegh. Fangio was coming up hard, Levegh in front, a lap down. Both Fangio and Levegh in 300 SLR's. Macklin was in a Healey, and Hawthorne was of course in the D-Type. Hawthorne tried brake checking Macklin further up on the road to the pits, but he was too far away. The second time he was successful, and Macklin, caught unawares, scandi flicked his Healey away from the back of the Jag and into the right front wheel of Levegh's Merc which reports said was doing a buck fifty at the time. The Merc was launched into the stands after that. As far as I can fathom, up until today the Gesdarmes have not released an official death toll from the '55 crash. It was a lot more horrific than was let on. From the pics I've seen, the published death toll was a joke. On youtube somewhere an American driver, John Fitch, who was Levegh's co-driver, said Hawthorne came into the pits a broken man. Fitch said, I believe, that Hawthorne was rambling on about having caused the accident.

[@Malc.Mclagan]

I know the cars owner, Sir Michael Nairn. 30 odd years ago I was commissioned to photograph it for his company. I believe they still hang in the Conference room today. Worth about £20 million.

[@Bad_Fox1]

The sound of that car is amazing

[@koraxi8958]

Speechless, what a piece of footage you have here Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

[@ericm.9911]

Une époque merveilleuse. Un grand champion, un homme au grand coeur. Quand je pense que ce temps s'est définitivement enfui, j'ai envie de pleurer.

[@chaytonhurlow840]

🤙🏻

[@kamikazeyamamoto4545]

Jaguar D type. Short sleeve polo shirt and no fireproof suit. No computers no high tech monitoring system besides Smith gauges and a driver with nerves of steel and balls of titanium. More driving skills and talent back then. I prefer the old days. Thanks for sharing this beautiful piece of auto racing history.

[@Racing_Fox]

Kamikaze Yamamoto I mean auto gearboxes, traction control, anti lock brakes and all driver aids are banned in a lot of series these days so not sure what you’re talking about

[@OfficialJulien.T]

And 84 people killed the year before this video. Yeah, the good old days.

[@Racing_Fox]

Renard Goupil tbf you can have good racing and good safety .,, look at Formula Ford

[@RedTsarOldChannel-INACTIVE]

I prefer nowadays,I do not want to remember 1955... I prefer safety than competitiveness.

[@lorenzoabanes6351]

Drivers are just as brave, modern cars at the top tier at Le Mans and F1 are much faster, complicated and require the best to get the best out of the cars, same apply with the GTE and LMP2 Cars, the forces of modern cars are twice as powerful as old cars, they are precision machines, one wrong move and then your gone

[@mattcollier5957]

My local hero, "The Golden Boy" Owned Tourist Trophy in Farnham, now Hawthorns, used to drink in the Barley Mow in Tilford up the road, sadly buried in our local Cemetrey , West Street in Farnham, killed in 1959 on the Hogs Back towards Guildford, what a Legend. R.I.P Mike Hawthorn, i visit your grave on a regular basis

[@emansnas]

Seems a fortune of place and circumstance. Appreciate that you do that.

[@RogerEvans-dx4cs]

This certainly brought back memories. I had a friend called Johnny Williams, an American GI based at Upper Heyford. Met him in an Oxford pub early sixties. He owned a metallic blue Austin Healey 3000, new. I think he paid around £3000 for it. If memory serves me correctly the number plate was 300 LAC. We went to Silverstone in the Healey one day. He knew somebody who was involved in the running of a D type and fiddled me a ride in it. I remember stalling it 2 or 3 times before I got rolling and most likely recorded the slowest ever time for a D type around Silverstone. Can't remember any other names involved, I think I was about 22 years old ( now 81 ) at the time, maybe younger. I shared an Austin Somerset saloon car with my dad- the reg was HJB 835- a somewhat different experience! There were about 3 million cars on the roads then, very low traffic movement everywhere you went. That Healey could really motor, a fantastic car. Older people will remember the salute you received from the RAC motorcyclist when you met him on the open road. Motoring was fun then....

[@maxversthappening8166]

There’s so much that I love about this video but the fact that the track is essentially the exact same layout (give or take a few chicanes lol) after 60+ years is insane

[@elta6241]

This is the greatest onboard ever.

[@medln5357]

3:03 so no one's gonna talk about how he perfectly controlled his throttle on that exit without having to countersteer while spinning

[@psychosis1767]

He is the traction control in that car

[@TonyF1MMA]

Nope. Because knowing Mike Hawthorne, it was probably completely accidental. This same guy won a world championship by accident.

[@256k_]

i know right!? in my mind i kept saying "why isn't he slowing down" then i relized that was his true racing coming out vs just a casual stroll for the camera

[@andyb.1026]

@@TonyF1MMA just like James Hunt ,, Oh and it was no accident

[@GolddenWaffles]

Yeah I know!!! Perfect amount of throttle to rotate the car around!

[@somedudebehindacomputer7392]

This is way better quality that some of the rally footage you find here on KZbin

[@dsgp7835]

This was absolutely amazing!! The sound of that Jag, wow!

[@stumac869]

Love the way he's racing around the track with cars and bicycles coming in the opposite direction.

[@stargazeronesixseven]

OMG! This is a Priceless Classic indeed! Thank You So Much for Sharing! Many Happy Good Blessings in Return! 🌷🌿🌍💖🕊🇫🇷

[@Oblio1942]

This layout was so cool how the pit lane was part of the main straight

[@matthoon3737]

Oblio1942 that is one of the main reasons 80+ people died in 1955

[@derin111]

How much it has changed...and how much it is still the same! Just beautiful!

[@jamesallen4447]

Front and rear facing cameras with proper microphone, that's impressive.

[@philwragg9529]

what a beautiful jag,timeless

[@nunchucknads3644]

Been to the LeMans races at least 6 times in my life and can hardly wait to return to THE greatest car race ever. Amazing experience.

[@AndreaRoll]

this video is a treasure

[@tothkristof7551]

Was in my recommended 6 years after the upload. Yet, this footage in itself is still very very fascinating! Didn't know they had cameras on the cars at that time

[@maurovera62]

The cameras weren't common in those days, the camera they use and can be seen at the start of the video is quite large that needs an special support

[@stanislavkos3723]

This must be the first track guide video ever. He even talks like he did it many times before and if it had a better video quality it would look like something from nowdays.

[@DOBERSTAFFIE]

That was excellent, thanks for sharing such a great clip. The car sounds so good!

[@eduardoaparicio7518]

For a 50's video, this looks beautiful

[@윤성민-q6s]

I can't believe this video is from 1965. Amazing quality especially the audio

[@zeus-mt7wx]

This in car camera is 1000 % better than anything F1 or rest of motor racing world can do.

[@sennasenna6023]

I cannot believe how much the track has changed

[@thewatcher5271]

This Is Really Great! Reminded Me Of A Book I Read 50 Years Ago Titled, 'The Black Tiger'. Thank You.

[@jointventure9935]

love how aggressive the engine sounds, fantastic

[@BOABModels]

That's incredible! I know the circuit in its current iteration quite well from playing Gran Turismo and it's really striking some of the differences. So many trees around the track, especially around the Esses and there's a chicane before the pit straight now.

[@stevejackson3112]

Absolutely fantastic historical document.

[@simpicheloup4968]

Amazing that the equipment could capture his speech over the wind noise.

[@michaelcalkins8648]

There was a special shroud in front of his mouth that deflected the wind and helped keep out extraneous noise. You can see him putting on the device just before the start of the lap. Both the video and audio aspects of this wonderful piece of film were very well though out.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@michaelcalkins8648 Apparently no measures were taken to suppress the ignition noise in the audio.

[@artistjoh]

onemoremisfit Modern noise suppression in editing was not possible back then. As a result all of their efforts went into the recording stage. They could suppress wind noise with a shroud over his lower face/microphone but there was no way to completely avoid the electro-magnetic static from the engine without rewiring the car. Interesting that the wind shield is not visible in the shots with his face. They left the mic in place to give the illusion that he is talking but would not have recorded audio in those laps. I also notice that wind buffeting is greater in the shots with his face than the shots from the rear mount camera. This is likely because he was told to keep the speed down when recording audio to minimize wind noise, but was told to gun it for the shots looking backwards to increase the visual sensation of speed. Considering the limitations of equipment the audio is amazingly high quality and they took extraordinary steps to get it this good in this car driving the circuit.

[@onemoremisfit]

@@artistjoh I was referring to resistor spark plug wires and/or spark plugs to suppress the RF noise. Such things existed back then; car radios were common. Race cars would ordinarily be using straight wire. Maybe they didn't think of this early enough beforehand to obtain resistor plugs/wires that would fit the car, and they certainly wouldn't have such parts on hand at the track, so they just lived with the noise.

[@friendlypiranha774]

I love that interference... It reminds me of my first car radio😍

[@muttratti1]

This video got better quality than any other f1 cam ive seen

[@P0RT3RS1GN4LM4N]

Unbelievable to see all the other traffic on the road, ordinary cars and even cyclists! Amazing film

[@StephenLMW]

Mike was a magnificent young driver he was very lucky to win the world title in 1958 but never the less he will forever remain a true legend of motor racing and to become the first ever British world champion in formula 1 is a very special title to hold indeed RIP Mike 🇬🇧

[@fabiangrill3638]

And also he killed 84 people with a stupid maneuver

[@StephenLMW]

@@fabiangrill3638 omg really your one of those who actually believes he killed those poor people I don’t think so

[@andrewholt9332]

It was a combination of circumstances- patriotism-Nationalism-raw speed-adrenaline, the alertness/or lack of alertness, stubbornness, and individual mindset/egos of each individual driver-the atmosphere and nature of the greatest 24 hour motor race on earth, Fangio was coming up fast behind Mike, Lance and Pierre Levegh ! There were 4 cars involved in the 1955 disaster, if just one of them would not have been their ??????? And afterwards Mike Hawthorn had a lot of so called friends and colleagues advising him how he should conduct Himself/behave and what he should do and say, it is so easy to point fingers ! Mike along with his other RACING ! friends were living a very privileged lifestyle and taking advice from their peers, It was a catastrophic disaster involving 4 RACING drivers in 4 RACING cars 🙏

[@andrewholt9332]

It was a combination of circumstances- patriotism-Nationalism-raw speed-adrenaline, the alertness/or lack of alertness, stubbornness, and individual mindset/egos of each individual driver-the atmosphere and nature of the greatest 24 hour motor race on earth, Fangio was coming up fast behind Mike, Lance and Pierre Levegh ! There were 4 cars involved in the 1955 disaster, if just one of them would not have been their ??????? And afterwards Mike Hawthorn had a lot of so called friends and colleagues advising him how he should conduct Himself/behave and what he should do and say, it is so easy to point fingers ! Mike along with his other RACING ! friends were living a very privileged lifestyle and taking advice from their peers, It was a catastrophic disaster involving 4 RACING drivers in 4 RACING cars 🙏

[@nitroex4767]

My grandmother use to drive like that in her Triumph TR2. As a kid in the 70’s I khak myself when I’d go out with her, she’d have to overtake everything regardless, she’ll wheel spin pulling off, she’d ignore police chasing her or outrun them sometimes. She never had an accident ever but caused loads no doubt lol. She always said ‘ If Mike Hawthorn can drive a Jag at Le Mans, I can drive Tilly (name of her car) as if I’m at Le Mans’. She was pure class, I swear she was pissed most times, chain smoking, getting me to change cigarettes for her long holder, getting me to light them too aged 7 lol. She was a real socialite and spoke fondly of her partying days in the 50’s and spoke fondly of all the times at Le Mans hanging around the drivers and telling me the gossip about them lol. Great to see this vid, absolute quality and commentary! 👍

[@amphilbey]

Magic footage, love how Mike says at 1:28 need to be a bit careful here as a lot of traffic on the road just as he has a bit of oversteer