Fangio drives 159 Alfetta at 74 years (1985 Laguna Seca) (episode 2017-14)

Per Einarsson www.ultimostile.com Back in 1985 the Monterey Historic Races at Laguna Seca had Alfa Romeo as the featured marque. Among the many fantastic cars were the Tipo 159 F1 winning car from 1951 - and it was driven in anger by Phil Hill and also by the then 74 years old Juan Manuel Fangio. Oh, to have experienced that! Hans Sipma did - and he turned this fabulous little film on his Super 8 camera. The Canadian also raced in one of the races in his #143 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprint - and there is even some onboard footage from that race included in this film.
I post this film in order to get it out to a broader group of alfisti. The credit goes to Hans Sipma for actually recording back in the day! Enjoy :)

[@williamuerkvitz2360]

I was on the Starters crew that weekend and when Fangio pitted, I walked over to him and handed the "Maestro" a checkered flag that my crew had signed and dedicated to him. He grinned and shook my hand and tied it around his neck as a scarf, he kept it with him the rest of the day and showed it his friends and other drivers. He was wonderful, warm and gentle man. I miss him, and Phil, very much even after all these years. God, I miss those days!

[@abadedo]

Vintage!!

[@kirstenspencer3630]

Thank you and crew for acknowledging his supreme talant.

[@driverjamescopeland]

I miss the days when the people of racing were so accessible... when you could meet drivers and crew at diners like regular Joes, before they made too much money.

[@klauspohl1142]

I was born in 1946 in Hamburg and saw the Maestro at the famous German Grand Prix. When I lived in France in 1966 I went to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Ferrari and Ford battling it out, and then the Porsche 917 a few years later. And know I can see all this on KZbin with such ease. I think this platform is doing more for mankind that all the others out there.

[@Jdn19]

Well said my friend

[@federicogallo849]

Thanks a lot, from Argentina.... EL MAESTRO and a really good men

[@baoh27]

Driver in onboard Alfetta is Phill Hill... I think.. but no Manuel Fangio!!

[@Berchol]

There´s a looot of crap here, but with just a little patience, you can find gemstones like this one

[@chuckwinchester4499]

Ein großartiges Urteil

[@purplecow5150]

that is epic. a 74 year racing legend driving an F1 car around monterey in a short sleeve shirt. so cool. once a racer always a racer ;O)

[@bloqk16]

It's remarkable, given the era that Fangio raced in with F1 and sports cars AND at the levels of successes he had, that he survived to retirement and with his health intact.

[@ATEC101]

Juan Manuel Fangio: legend, artist, survivor. Never bettered, never equaled. All the rest, second best. We are not worthy.

[@andyn4797]

Fangio was not only one of the best drivers ever to race F1 but a truly humble man, beautiful human being. I was lucky enough to see him in person and say hi to him he was just a nice man! El chueco un gran corredor, y muy humilde. ser humano encantador! Gracias Don Fangio por todo lo q le dio a F1 y sus fanaticos. lo recordaremos siempre como lo que fue Ud. un campeon como pocos.

[@CAF749]

@@andyn4797 Absol Yes, es verdad.

[@CAF749]

El chueco o El rengo?

[@peterjennings2498]

@@andyn4797 That is a beautiful comment I cannot add anything to that And well deserved .It is electronics that is driving the present cars. Take away all the electrics and see how good they are.

[@thecowfy]

True, but in sports car racing Moss was the guy to beat.

[@RiXFortuna]

Cloth helmet, short sleeves and hitting full gas! He is a true mad hellman! Balls of Adamantium. Salute

[@prof.m.ottozeeejcdecs9998]

Fangio, Hill, Moss et al, were the drivers, the real ones... Personally I like Fangio the most, because he was such a gentleman and fair sportsman. I cherish his memory!

[@rasataplanta]

This is why I will always love Alfa Romeo...passion and beauty

[@randallisaeff1876]

I WAS THERE!! I SAW FANGIO DRIVING THIS CAR!!

[@TheDrAkira]

That autograph dedication... Fangio, best driver, but a truly Gentleman. Thanks for uploading this piece of history!

[@raymondlowry8564]

I was at Laguna Seca when he drove the track that year. I have a picture of him talking with Stirling Moss. I’ll never forget it!

[@Flamewalk]

It's amazing to see all these gorgeous cars (which are now mostly collectors items) do what they are supposed to do - race.

[@1madmaxx80]

Fangio = Best pilot ever!

[@mrrolandlawrence]

according to Murray walker .. Tazio Nuvolar was the best. according to sterling... Fangio all the way. :)

[@1madmaxx80]

@@mrrolandlawrence My nonno saw Fangio race live in Argentina in the early or mid '50s before immigrating to North America. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't even know who Fangio was. Statistically he is still 1 of the all time greats, but let's not forget what types of vehicle/s he was driving compared to modern pilots. In slacks, golf shirt, leatherette helmet/gloves, and loafers no less!

[@312KINGFISHER]

What a treat to see the Alfetta with both Phil Hill and Fangio driving it! Beautifully stunning! A car and drivers for the ages! RIP gentlemen!

[@HollyJansenPhotography]

I was there! It was amazing to actually see Fangio dive the 159. If I recall correctly, his Alfetta was having trouble. Seemed It was missing and sputtering a bit. None the less, it was an epic weekend walking around and seeing him and Phil Hill and all those amazing Alfa's

[@sensodyne80]

Great Phil Hill speaking italian to the Mechanics

[@rubenrachetti7076]

Un GRANDE el Chueco Juan Manuel FANGIO me siento orgulloso que haya sido Argentino y que nos haya dejado tan bien parados en la Formula 1 de las decada del 50. Gracias x compartir este documento UNICO y emocionante !!!

[@AltanirvesTeokwitlaoselotl]

Fangio was Italian 😂

[@RobertKarlBerta]

I was there along with a huge number of Northern California club ALFA owners. Mine was a 1969 Apple Green round tail spider. I remember the parade lap we drove in had ALFAS lined up as long as the entire course. I kept that car for over 40 years and only replaced it (garage space) to get a 2015 ALFA 4C LE. One of the ALFA TZs was the "Demons"....Marnix Delenius. It is the red one #7 with the green on the nose (how they would keep track of the cars on race tracks was to use different color noses). Lots of other club members and cars in the pictures. I loved seeing and hearing all those famous cars up close....and to actually see Fangio, Hill, Moss plus lots of other famous drivers. Sadly I wasn't able to get an autograph of Fangio due to the massive crowd....but I have LOTS of photos. Now living in Michigan but does this bring back fond memories! Glad that the poster took the time to digitize his old super 8 movie.

[@jameselms7310]

I remember that whole weekend as if it were just yesterday, drove my Sprint Speciale down to Monterey from Seattle and back,all those beautiful Alfas out on the track and the sound of the 159 was pure music ! on Sunday the Alfetta (and Fangio) were featured at the Concours , while unloading the car,the lovely tail got scrunched,but those cars had a pretty tough life anyway.

[@johnireland1629]

I was there in 1985...with my wife and my new 1985 GTV6 Alfa Romeo. I'm in that enormous parade lap...and up on the hill, running the hump to see the cars come down the corkscrew. Sadly, the Monterey Historics have lost the charm of those earlier years. I got Fangio's autograph and it was a thrill to spend those few seconds with such a legend. The Alfa club was huge...filled with a wide variety of people, each with their own Alfa and their own stories. A great even. Thanks for making the film.

[@RobertKarlBerta]

I was there also....in my green 69-70 ALFA spider. Great memories.

[@bodinski100]

this footage should be shown on repeat at the Museum in Lombardy....Historic and priceless....Fangio in the Alfettas...dire straits....laguna seca....bravo sir.

[@AltanirvesTeokwitlaoselotl]

Yes haha, dIRE sTRAITS. Why, one might ask 😂 no relation with the USA or Italia or what...

[@dexlex5671]

Incredible footage. Please keep it coming...

[@kennyschachat]

Thrilling to The Maestro in that car! I've seen them all and you can argue that one or two were perhaps as good as Fangio, none were greater.

[@federicoacker5672]

Seeing Fangio turning Corkscrew in his Alfetta! and the Knopfler intro! amazing footage! thank you for sharing!

[@buckzx12r]

Never a more beautiful sound in a race car than these machines!

[@46danz]

That Alfa is an absolute monster,pure racing theatre.I just couldn’t imagine racing it,pushing it to the limit with no helmet and seat belt.No real safety features.The days of big balled men.

[@leebest1a470]

Fangio...Wow....just wow !

[@glenngallup5163]

The clip of Fangio brings back the memory of my son and I crashing the Alfa owners compound and getting his autograph. Just keep going.

[@j.keranen7800]

Amazing footage! Many thanks. I will forward this video to some Alfa Romeo enthusiasts in Finland! I met Fangio in Helsinki 1992 when he took part in the 60 year celebrations of the Finnish GP (Eltsun ajot). I got his signature on a print of his 2nd placed Alfa Romeo 6CM 3000 CM at Mille Miglia in 1953. He stopped for a moment, smiled and then signed his name... I framed it and have had it on my wall ever since :-)

[@bradgotch]

Down force, mechanical grip? Screw that give me these any day. Beautiful old fashioned engineering and drivers with balls of brass.

[@ballaking1000]

You're talking about aero grip and mechanical grip- both have always been present in motor racing... It's just aero is so heavily exploited nowadays (compared to it being a non-factor prior to the mid-sixties). The cars from way back when were built around having as much mechanical grip as possible- that's your 'beautiful old fashioned engineering" minus the data screens lol

[@bulversteher]

@@ballaking1000 Nope, these cars had incredibly little mechanical grip with their unsophisticated suspensions, terrible center of gravity and skinny cotton fabric (!) non-synthetic rubber tyres. Bet you a current little 200hp hot hatch would beat it around a lap of Monaco quite comfortably. Doesn't take away from how awesome these cars and their drivers were!

[@ballaking1000]

@@bulversteher So with no aero in mind, how else do you think they were trying to get the cars to become faster? ... Of course by today's standards their mechanical grip is poor, but mechanical grip was all they were knowledgeable about.. Your 'little' 200hp example disproves nothing to what I've said..

[@bulversteher]

@@ballaking1000 I probably should have read your comment a bit more word by word. Yes of course they tried to get as much mechanical grip out of them as possible. Compared to what was came to be, it just wasn't a whole lot. And the engine was probably much more of a concern compared to the chassis, especially with the Italians.

[@pippipster6767]

Simeon o Yes, as long as parked up next to my 918 & 812 & P1 & F1 ... I don’t want much !!

[@shanehnorman]

What a wonderful film. The sight of Fangio in the 159 was highly emotional for me; he was my great childhood hero. I was intrigued that the 159's engine note has a lot in common with the song of the BRM V16. The same capacity, I suppose, plus the similar twin-stage supercharging, could account for that.

[@BruceBoschek]

What a fantastic film and fantastic cars. The exhaust note of the Alfetta makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up! Thank so much for sharing this!

[@nahuelciro20]

Thanks to share! Juan Manuel Fangio orgullo Argentino ídolo.

[@craigpennington1251]

What a great production. Thanks for sharing a piece of history that was made that day. Stuff like this beats NASCAR any day.

[@theosas5267]

what to say.Many tnx for share this video,and a time machine to go back and see this by my eyes :)

[@BirdArvid]

Wow, that almost brought tears to my eyes; what a car! What a SOUND!! And what men they were; not the namby-pamby car-drives-itself crap we have now..

[@orlandoariel6245]

Fangio 🇦🇷 51 carreras en Formula uno 24 victorias 35 podios 5 titulos del mundo Casi 50% de efectividad

[@gustavogonzalezkoroscik4465]

5 campeonatos del mundo con 4 marcas diferentes, jamás será igualado. Hoy día cualquier campeón del mundo de f1 tiene que tener el mejor coche, y la mitad de pilotos de la parrilla podría ser campeón también con ese coche.... Como Schumacher, Hámilton, Button, Rosberg, Vettel, que ganen con cuatro equipos diferentes el título........ Ja ja

[@guillermogonzalezdiaz9349]

Excellent video! Regards from the land of "The Maestro" J. M. Fangio.

[@lonestar3]

Love the way no one offers him any help getting out of the number 4 in the paddock. 74 and in dress clothes, he just climbs out. So at home in cock pit.

[@jeanmarcguiriato6915]

Quel pilote incroyable.

[@kdcobra64]

I saw this...Fangio...incredible

[@mrhearse777]

Oh the skill of Fangio ! Wucking Funderful

[@c.e.ardanaz1234]

Fantástico!!!, bellissimo evento, me han dado una inmensa alegría ver este vídeo y al Gran J.M. Fangio y a Jackie Stewart, les felicito!!!!, genial haber tenido esas tomas con una súper 8, yo aún conservo una Chinon 300!!, de solo 5´de film a cartucho, si ubiesen existido los drones en esa época hubiesen sido más geniales aún las tomas de estos eventos tan hermosos!!!, les felicito nuevamente!!!!

[@EddyTeetree]

Thanks for that. I owned a 1974 GTV 2000 around that time. What a great car. Wood steering wheel. Leather. And that engine, Bellissimo I miss it. And to see Signor Fangio in the 159 ( the only vintage car I lust over) was still a treat!

[@505197]

It always brings a thrill to me to hear these old beasts rumble and surge against the supercharger. Modern cars don't have much over these old racers. It took a lot of skill to drive the old ones, lots of power and not a lot of traction, which I just love.

[@blowgrady]

505197 h

[@AltanirvesTeokwitlaoselotl]

This is marvelous. Purely brilliant. Utter beauty. Real cars.

[@life_of_riley88]

I'm so lucky to have grown up an hour or so from Laguna Seca. If you've never been to the historical races there, it's a pretty special event, even today.

[@peoplehavetherights]

I remember Laguna Seca from this era, before corporate sponsors with tobacco ads, shorter track without the chicane, both the Historic Automobile Races, as well as motorcycle racing events with Roberts, Lawson, Mamola, Schwantz, inter alia. Great times they were 35 years ago.

[@almafuertegmailcom]

Indeed! It was so sad to see MotoGP leave Laguna.

[@BoilerBloodline]

It’s hard to get enough of Jackie Stewart. Obviously a former great on the track but to me his voice is synonymous with the Indy 500. He was fabulous at consistently educating the listeners during a race as to what is happening and why it is happening.

[@US-px7wc]

Fangio was F1 !!! Legend

[@joandar1]

I am not a big fan of Alfa Romeo, Having said that and offending many people I will say I came here to see THE MAN and I am now a happy man. Take this comment as you choose, Fangio is why I came here as HE was BRILLIANT as his record shows. John, Australia.

[@AltanirvesTeokwitlaoselotl]

Have you ever driven an Alfa Romeo ?

[@leonardoolmos7580]

Me encontré con este hermoso documental. Gracias Fangio por ser nuestro, escuchar el Alfa 159 rugir y Fangio manejando fue lo más. Ver otros autos clásicos y bestiales por esas pistas en 1985 es espectacular. La música de la época, su vestimenta y la cálidad de imagen es propio, saludos desde Argentina.

[@brianwilson942]

Pure nostalgia, What marvelous get together. Brought tears flowing. Recall years past. Many thanks Hans well filmed on a super 8mm at that. Brian Wilson (South Africa) 78 years old.

[@yallowrosa]

11:30 the corkscrew (il cavatappi) 12:03 ... listen at the whistle of trhe compressor engine

[@howardmckenna]

That must have been a great day out. Lovely footage.

[@paulelliot1065]

Thank you Hans for sharing this great history. I was there and remember a lot of those scenes. I was working with the SCCA Scrutineers supporting the Historic races.

[@jarrelljennings5180]

Thank you so much for this great video. Yes Fangio and Hill together are perfect, but bottom line, I miss my Spyder Veloce!!! Should have kept it.

[@solo2r]

That Engine sounds awesome!!

[@danugioia5609]

Simplemente,gracias.

[@GertSterner]

Too bad we probably won't be seeing Shumacher at 74 years of age, showing off a 2004 Ferrari F1...

[@barath4545]

I hear ya. Not that it is any consolation, but we still have Barrichello and he should be around at 74.

[@TheExStig]

Won't see him ever again anyway thanks to his family.

[@jarrelljennings5180]

we all owe him the gratitude of watching him drive.....true greatness

[@X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X8X]

"thanks to his family". WTF?

[@crusherbmx]

Or Senna....maybe Prost though, Lauda is almost there. AND, Fangio was already old when he started F1!

[@luciano5381]

Tengo 41 años y no ví correr a Fangio. Mi abuelo era el que me contaba que ganó 5 títulos en varias marcas. Ahora veo esto y me recuerda a mi abuelo. La verdad que ver esas máquinas y tan lindas, me da mucho orgullo como argentino que se lo recuerde tanto en el mundo como un grande y una persona tan agradable.

[@doug911carrera]

Nostalgic! Thanks for posting!

[@edicksonjosediloneparra7952]

#Fangio ** forever Maestro !!! . : We love You Magnific

[@brunotulliani7483]

Spectacular footage, Mr.Hill spoke in Italian and very well at that! Great audio too and 19 down voters have no taste, they need to be schooled. Enjoyed every second of this footage! I have driven two Alfa`s so far 1986 GTV6 and a 1986 Spider. Just loved the GTV6.

[@davidcompton7559]

Love the soundtrack ... awesome engine revs ... thanks!

[@AussieMark909]

Fantastic. Another destination if ever time travel becomes available.

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

I watch a lot of good videos on YT and enjoy them very much while watching. But this made my soul stay warm for a looong time. Thank you soo much for the upload!

[@frankymal8640]

What a lovely little film, just perfect.

[@lcflcf1]

Amazing sound!

[@danielependola1580]

Fangio faceva parte dei veri piloti che sapevano domare un auto da corsa e vincere le gare perche' diventavano un tutt'uno con la vettura in funzione del circuito, quando l'uomo e la macchina facevano la differenza, e non c'erano tutte queste diavolerie elettroniche di oggi. Ma solo tanta passione da parte dei piloti, meccanici, e tecnici.

[@studiocalder818]

Well done, Hans. Nice passionate video, with cameos from Phil and Manuel and lots of fantastic Alfas, like your Giulietta Sprint!

[@maximilianobozoghlian5947]

Thank you Per! Amazing footage!

[@elevy01]

Thank you for sharing this special footage

[@ChristopherPerezPhotographer]

Like many others who have posted comments here, I too was there. Recently I told my elderly father about how I can still remember the engine sound as Fangio blasted around the circuit.

[@drc911]

That car is beautiful. Wow!

[@CarltonHS]

Hi Per. Thank you for posting this film. It brings back a lot of memories. At the very bottom of one frame, I saw my GTV cross in front of the camera during the Alfa parade laps. We weren't going very fast at that point, so it may have been when my 9-year-old son was in my lap steering. He was 9. It's probably a good thing the cameras did not catch my entire journey around the track. When it was time for the parade laps, the marshals let a huge bunch of cars onto the track toward the end of the straight, before turn one. Then they stopped stopped me and everyone behind me until all the first cars were well out of sight. When they finally let the rest of us out, I was the first car and there no one on the track ahead of me. I nailed the throttle and took off, going way faster than I was supposed to. I didn’t catch the slow-moving pack until just over the top of the corkscrew, which is, of course, blind. Good thing my brakes were working well. I don’t know what my speed was, but I was red-lining shifts on the 1750 engine that I'd installed the year before.

[@reeko2352]

this was so cool being able to see this footage. its like going back in time, thank you very much for uploading

[@markvandenberg7572]

Love those Alfa's

[@craigyirush3492]

Wonderful footage; thanks for posting.

[@mikegan73]

Very nice film, love those Alfa Romeo racecars and Juan Manuel Fangio.

[@alpi82]

Absolutely awesome footages ! Very special thank for shareing with us !

[@BarryCatt]

Wow! Even a (relatively) modern video looks so much better on super 8.

[@nestorlopez6983]

Que campeón, que piloto andar a 300 km/h en ese autos sin seguridad , en circuitos que hoy seria imposible correr. Cuando volverenos a tener un piloto así ?

[@TanoRC22]

He drived it in the movie Fangio by Hugh Hudson in 1971...

[@adamdavis9600]

Absolutely fantastic Thank you!

[@James-hb6ee]

Wow, what a weekend. Thank you Mr. Sipma for your wonderful footage and to Ultimostile for presenting this on YT. Mr. Sipma, at least you still have the footage of you driving the Corkscrew before your camera tipped over. What a privilege!

[@Gioagla]

Loved the "dinamometric key they used when changed the sparkplugs...😂✌️👊

[@lucasandresgarciaposadas472]

Museo de fangio Balcarce Argentina está la alfeta y grandes coches de carreras para no perderselo

[@antothemanto77]

4:33 an Alfa Romeo Giulia TZ2!! What a wonderful car

[@ImpManiac]

What an amazing film! Thank you! IM

[@FabianValentiexcelentevideoGra]

Juan Manuel Fangio ÚNICO. El mejor de todos los tiempos!!!

[@woolc]

Haha, thats me the tall redheaded dude at 0.44 talking to some Alfa guy! Later, it was hot and I was sitting on the pavement in the paddock leaning up against a cinderblock building when Phil Hill came over and sat next to me to drink his Sprite!!! I hardly knew what to talk to him about. One of the great moments of my life! Didn't even get an autograph or picture! Duh! Sometimes life sneaks up on you!

[@AtZero138]

Cars lovers understand this relationship, between Driver and Car, like a Muse to an artist, but in this rare insisnt it works in perfect harmony of inspiration giving back and forth to each other.. they want to be driven, as we become One..

[@brieneaton8578]

Ultimostile. WOW ! Thank you so much for this YT post. Brings a lot of memories for me. And yes I have subbed your YT site.

[@tomasmartins4378]

AMAZING...thankyou for sharing.

[@howardlake6178]

A brilliant video. I loved that 💚🤍❤

[@jonnybeck6723]

You make me miss my 1300cc Giulietta sprint coupe

[@waggitnshaggit6592]

Thanks so much get a bit emotional seeing those two greats pure respect sounds and looks Alfa league of their own!

[@apostolostvable]

As an Alfisti myself (own a Giulia) this is a heart warming video. Fangio the legend

[@aureliosmessage1003]

My Dad lead me to the 'Ring' for the classic races (AvD GP) what seems ages ago now. An acquaintance of his raced first a Bentley Blower and then a very rare Alfa which was bought for a fortune, but in fact still owned by some Scuderia. The whole thing and atmosphere, which I can only describe by austere character sporting a deep soulful smile, has been of everlasting appeal to me. To follow the history of Drivers and roaring Divas offers great insight. Fine and Great, many thanks for making this available. P.S. that 30's Alfa had an old olive oil can as expansion tank ... how Italian is that, I then thought!