“THE BRITISH GRAND PRIX” 1955 FORMULA 1 AUTO RACE AINTREE, UNITED KINGDOM STIRLING MOSS XD78215

[@Gannett2011]

Commentary by Raymond Baxter, a household name on British TV and radio from the 1940s to the 80s.

[@Spookieham]

Was just going to say that I would swear blind it's Raymond Baxter narrating despite no credit.

[@Spookieham]

Decorated WW2 Spitfire pilot and a Rally Driver. An absolute British Icon

[@flybobbie1449]

Did a book signing our airfield, i didn't know, i was just yards away. 6 months later he passed. Liked him in Tomorrows world and Farnborough air shows tv.

[@pf6797]

Did he and Murray Walker know one another or ever work together?

[@martinwilliams1784]

Knew when to shut up and let us hear the racing ❤😊

[@Revheadrev]

Short sleeves, bugger all protection, none of these guys expected to retire on a pension. Sawing away at the wheel the whole lap. Incredible bravery.

[@jazzydave8453]

The only racing more dangerous than this was indycar, which had more fatalities and serious injuries

[@js290]

@@jazzydave8453 1952 Indy 500... Cummins diesel and Ferrari... kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5PQnJ-uZbx7gZI

[@donaldfedosiuk1638]

Robert Daley, an American journo who covered GP racing for the NYT sixty-odd years ago, aptly called it "the cruel sport." The cars were indeed death traps, gasoline bombs on wheels and the circuits were uniformly lethal. Virtually every other driver mentioned in this video died in a racing car. Sometimes I lament the loss of the romance and glamour of the earlier times of Formula One -- but then I remember the cost.

[@js290]

@@donaldfedosiuk1638 open wheel and cockpit formula is antiquated

[@Revheadrev]

@@donaldfedosiuk1638 agreed. Incredible men though.

[@derekantill3721]

I was there to see this race, I think Fangio took it fairly easy to give Moss the chance to win. I was also at Aintree in April 1954 to see the very first race meeting at Aintree when the cars raced in the opposite direction.

[@GrrMeister]

*Got Fed up with Moss Tailgating !*

[@tylermcardle1190]

there’s no way

[@derekantill3721]

@@tylermcardle1190 It gave Mercedes much more publicity Moss winning the British G P than they would have got, if one of the other Mercedes team drivers had won.

[@moiseulpasmoi]

I have to ask. How old are you?????

[@derekantill3721]

@@moiseulpasmoi 84

[@craigmorgan8493]

Ahhhhh yes! Back in the day when all one needed for an afternoons racing was a cork helmet, pencil moustache, polo shirt and stiff upper lip! 👍

[@Thatthomasfan122_backup]

Originally goggles

[@caribstu]

As dangerous and often fatal as the era was, one can't help but mourn the loss of such a raw and innocent age.

[@marguskiis7711]

In 1950s the fatal F1 race accidents were rare.

[@ProperBitOfFrock]

So pure and wild. What a time to be living in✨

[@sirbillygoat4885]

I’m with u there. Nothing more to say. I love the old days.

[@wobblybobengland]

Having a Gitane walking back to the pits, hallo, old bean, would you like to borrow my goggles?

[@skyhigh6089]

So nice of Fangio to let his teammate (and friend) celebrate a win in front of his people.

[@Ahito1984]

Yeah, his title was safe as long as he finished on podium People claimed Fangio allowed Moss maiden win in front of UK people but Fangio denied and admitted Sr Stirling was the strongest that day. This earned respect for his bravery and sportsmanship. Moss wouldn't forget that by admitting Fangio to be better than him Posterity made their sportsmanship immortal

[@robertorobertes7630]

​@@Ahito1984claro, pero había orden de equipo que Fangio no cumplió. Era una época de caballeros.

[@ba55bar]

wow, not even two minutes in and this is immense. Great upload

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for being a sub, we appreciate you.

[@heckmacbuff]

Pulling over on a corner to pick up a pair of goggles from your mate.

[@dougerrohmer]

Or pull into the pit to chat about your rear suspension, nothing gets done, and off you go again...

[@timberrr1126]

No roll bars, no seat belts, helmet thin and it half-way covers the head. No neck bracing. No fire suits.

[@ba55bar]

no shit

[@christopherharmon2433]

Appalling driver death rate. (In that era, it wasn't uncommon for teams to have more then half of their drivers die during a season.) At least once a team had all of its drivers die in a season (Lancia IIRC). It wasn't until after the 1973 season, that F1 went a whole year without a death.

[@timberrr1126]

@@christopherharmon2433 See movie “Rush 2013” Death rate in 1977 was about 20%

[@JackF99]

Yeah the roll bar seems like the most crazy omission. Open wheel cars flip so easily.

[@briankerr4512]

When men were men and women were women and sheep grazed safely in the field.

[@Frankestein01nl]

Very good. Thanks for the clarity and quality of this footage. Loved it!

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Thanks for your comment! Please subscribe and consider becoming a channel member.

[@Fastvoice]

@@PeriscopeFilm How about posting it without timecode insert?

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes. In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous KZbin users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do. Love our channel and want to support what we do? You can help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.

[@Fastvoice]

@@PeriscopeFilm Valid point. However: I've already seen a lot of 3rd party videos that use such stock footages with visible timecode - so they apparently used it without license and/or consent. Doesn't seem to be a big obstacle for them.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

​@@Fastvoice We, and our friends at various other archives around the world, are busy preserving rare and endangered films and don't like to waste time policing our content. But -- we all have to do it. You aren't seeing the examples where a takedown notice has been enforced because those videos are no longer visible. ; )

[@absinthedude]

Glorious. I've seen excerpts of this but never the entire film.

[@Fastvoice]

A sky full of industrial smoke, reduced visibility. Counted as "a fine sunny day over Liverpool docks" in the 50s. 🙃

[@michaelmartinez1345]

A classic!!! I LOVE these vintage films of these cars & drivers in their best form... The view of the fans & enthusiasts are also very nice .. Several of those cars and equipment that still exist, are probably in museums, or in the care of very wealthy collectors....

[@S7P71]

C'est un vrai privilège de voir ces images,ces pilotes étaient talentueux et téméraires,pas un seul en 2023 ne feraient UN grand prix dans les mêmes conditions,alors que l'inverse sans problèmes,voir mieux....😉

[@alanpritchard5709]

"Castelotti is in for plugs" and "High speed precision motoring" are not what you hear in today's commentaries! I thoroughly enjoyed watching this upload; today's racing is all about money, it's all about egos, it's all about 'personalities'. This video is all about men who have a passion for their cars and engines. Yes, there were no safety features back then, but bring back those days once more! Getting out of a broken down car and lighting up a cigarette is frowned upon today, but was considered 'the norm' in the 50's. A truly fabulous video taking us back to the days when sportsmanship, bravery and grim determination all went hand-in-hand. Brilliant!

[@artistglyn]

I was fortunate enough to own a Healey 100/4 back in the 70s as my daily driver. What a handful that was !

[@spikespa5208]

Would love to have one of those parade AHs . Strictly as a toy. Back when you *drove* the car. At 8:15, looks like that Maserati got punted sometime early on. 11:20, watching that guy strolling on the track, with a cigarette, reminds me of what Lando Norris got fined at the 2024 Miami F1 race for "jaywalking" on the track.

[@bobroberts2371]

120 The Mercedes transporter. The original was scrapped however Mercedes later made a replica. Jay Leno also has a replica made independently by someone in ( I think ) Switzerland and completed by Jay's shop. There were similar transporters built by others. Wartburg has a " Rally Trans " ( an original exists as well as a replica built before the original was uncovered ) The Cheetah transporter by Dean Moon was a crazy mix of Chevy Elcamino, Mercedes and other bits and pieces . I've come to find that a few people used the front half of a 1960's front drive Olds Toronado / Caddy Eldo as the base of a race car flat bed.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@bobroberts2371 - The advantage of the Mercedes Transporter was its short wheel base, allowing it to be much more easily maneuvered in the confined paddock areas. CMC Models makes a wonderful 1:18 diecast of this cool looking and quite fast - over 100 mph transporter!

[@gijgij4541]

Brilliant. Absobloodylutely brilliant. Loved it. Thank you.

[@jackjohnsen8506]

five and one half years later I saw Sterling win the 1960 Unites States GP, at Riverside California.. Moss was so far ahead at the end, he was waving at the crowd at turn six! 27 years after that day, I got to Drive a Formula ford race car at the same track, and thought about that day years ago....

[@michaelmartinez1345]

@jackjohnson8506 - Would that re-visit to RIR in 1987, have been driving a car - with the Bob Bondurant school of Racing ? I remember going to Riverside to see racing there... It was an incredible track... It was sad when They removed it , and put houses on that land..... But the films and memories of it are still alive & well... That is the track where Ken Miles was killed, testing the Ford GT-40... So much history was made in places like those...

[@jackjohnsen8506]

@@michaelmartinez1345 No Mike I drove a formula Ford open wheel car, while at Skip Barber drivers school, in 1987, on the short track as they had already c;ose the north end of the track, at turn 8 ans 9...I was also there on the first race in 1957, when it was onldy dirst and the track...

[@turboslag]

Delighted to see some very rare footage of the Merc race transporter. What a superb film, I've never seen the Aintree circuit in in use in period before.

[@serioustrouble63]

Those guys had balls of steel!

[@MrGsteele]

That's spelled Steele . . .

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Fantastic video. I don't think I ever saw film this early of Moss and/or Fangio. So glad it's been preserved and is available. Thanks for posting.

[@PeriscopeFilm]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thanks to donations from supporters we just acquired the 1957 race film as well.

[@victormanuelplaza1227]

Bendito sea You Tube que nos permite conocer estás filmaciones de épocas pasadas.

[@charlesmarks1241]

I have an original photograph of the Mercedes team taken the evening of this race that was signed by all the drivers/team/engineers/manager. Bought by my Grandfather at an auction around that time and never displayed. Fascinating stuff.

[@Cartoonman154]

I live a few miles away, and it's depressing to see how Aintree looks now.

[@Dooguk]

What are you on about? Aintree was a rundown shithole until the Jockey Club purchased it in 1983.

[@dougerrohmer]

Not to mention that the air is much cleaner now.

[@jeffpiatt3879]

Life was so good! These folks lived and knew freedom.

[@plutonia00]

How lucky that I work at this very place and get to drive around this track almost every day, special....

[@TonyWud]

Somewhere in the crowd was a 13 year old George Harrison beginning a lifelong love of motor racing.

[@RaulMeatFactory1975]

I love everything about this, so intriguing. 🤠

[@anthonyxuereb792]

Awesome cars those Mercs, big and brutal and driven by gutsy men.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@anthonyxuereb792 - I just purchased the largest (1:8 scale) diecast Mercedes W196 #12 kit of Stirling Moss' car in this video. It is pre painted metal body, frame and suspension and has incredible detail in the 2.5 liter straight 8 engine - every pipe, tube, hose and wire you could imagine. It's about 20 inches long and weighs 10 pounds. It is a truly stunning model made by IXO Collections.

[@davidsheriff8989]

I used to go to Aintree & Oulton Park to watch BRSC racing in the 50s

[@umityldz3240]

Thank you very much for providing this video to us. Brillant!

[@NicoleSatchell-k8b]

wow, not even two minutes in and this is immense. Great upload. Glorious. I've seen excerpts of this but never the entire film..

[@DaveEarly1]

There's really not enough room here to tell the whole story, but search "Did Fangio let Moss win the British Grand Prix" . Being Team mates and friends, Fangio had already won two World Championships and Moss had not won a GP. The answer is: Moss says he isn't sure, Fangio said he didn't. It is still debated today. A famous quote by Sir Stirling Moss; "The best classroom of all times was about two car lengths behind Juan Manuel Fangio".

[@Woffy.]

Moss had great respect for Fangio and often spoke well of him and Fangio had the same for Moss. Both would race for their Flag not Egos. Moss had a sister and she was an incredible Rally and test driver. Did Fangio let him win ?, no it was Moss wether by skill or being a genuinely good bloke.

[@toomanyuserids]

When you think about it, it was probably more fun sitting up in minimal protective gear and sawing at the wheel rather than the implantation modern composite open wheelers provide...well until you roll over, catch fire, or nail a concrete abutment at 120mph...

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Beautiful racecars, great sounds.. Fantastic film! Thanks for sharing 👍 Greets from the Netherlands, T.

[@billsmith5166]

What a difference from historic Indy 500 films. Five of the eight or so total minutes in each one is the Purdue University marching band parading down home straight. Puts a fella right on the edge of his seat.

[@carlgevers2557]

Lol

[@Loulovesspeed]

I have the Agora Models 1:8 scale diecast kit of this exact car! It is an expensive kit for sure, but the quality, amazing detail and stunning appearance make it all worthwhile. Can't wait to get cracking on it! 😎🏆🏁

[@kennethdrewary1094]

No wonder many cars broke down, this is the era of Terry Thomas causing trouble before the race started, lol.

[@kennethdrewary1094]

@@Eric_Cartman______ letting the tyres down one minute, charming the drivers wives, the next, lol.

[@patrickkealy4387]

Ah Yes the glory days of auto racing. A driver and his car with none of the BS thats part of every Formula 1 racing. He drove the car without twenty Techs talking into his ear and making adjustments. You could probably program these modern day Formula 1 cars to drive themselves and let the best programmers be the winner.

[@ColineRusselle]

The smell oof racing castor oil is still my favourite perfume from watching that era of racing but at Silverstone.

[@weslittlereptilefamily3418]

This is an amazing film

[@davecornett4056]

And what are you going to wear for the race.....oh just my Sunday best and of course a cork helmet just to be safe...! Nice to see my old local in the background "The Blue Anchor" great video

[@radamus210]

As an F1 fan in the current Era since the 80's, what a crazy time capsule. These chaps look like they just came off the course from a round of golf and now fancy themselves a motor race ~ Those must have been some hard bias ply tires because they were sliding around any thing resembling a corner. Changing plugs during a race is quite interesting. That's long before my time.

[@jackjohnsen8506]

In 1984 I saw Fangio drive e W196, at the US Grand prix, in a old timer race, before the real race. He still wore the Polo helmet, in brown, and the MB engine soundsed like a chevy straight six....lol

[@pigpenpete]

changing spark plugs, fixing oil leaks, swapping goggles on trackside... those were the days

[@fenderac3049]

I remember watching the 1959 British Grand Prix on TV from Aintree, my friend invited me around to view it, but this film in colour was far superior quality to a grainy picture on b/w television, I think Moss was driving BRM in '59, the previous year he was driving for Vanwall, but Vanwall called it a day at the end of 1958. What a great track. Why did it go to Silverstone?

[@dougerrohmer]

Because Liverpool can't have the Beatles AND the British Grand Prix. That's just greedy!

[@titiparisien5915]

Great film. Thanks to Shell and BP.

[@edeledeledel5490]

That's a proper Grand Prix race. 3 hours and 7 minutes, being battered by the elements. 25 entrants, 9 finishers... and the most romantic names Ferrari, Maserati, Vanwall, Cooper, Gordini - oh alright, Mercedes...

[@whitesapphire5865]

When motor racing was the sport of a handful of jolly boys on a Sunday afternoon jape with their pals at the club - Plain white flannel trousers, short sleeved T-shirts and the same pair of brogues they'll be wearing in the clubhouse for the post race jollities. That was when the teams really put their lives on the line for your entertainment, and to earn a few shillings to put toward the next outing. This was when it was fun, and for the fun of it, before it became grossly over commercialised, and definitely before Bernie Eccleston came along and turned it into a one horse race.

[@stratman9449]

those merc beasts drove everything and everybody into the ground back then.......and the drivers sat there in a tshirt in the breeze...wow.....

[@ratatat9790]

The road that forms the boundary of the 9 hole golf course that's there now ( which is or was the largest in Europe) was the race circuit back then.

[@asd36f]

6:05 - Future 3-time World Champion Jack Brabham being pushed to the 25th and last spot on the grid. His Cooper-Bristol retired after 30 laps with a blown engine.

[@MrEdsTheRef]

Brave men one and all. Great Film😊

[@paulaus]

So vivid you can smell it. Hot Oil, Brake Linings, racing fuel.

[@mobiusklein9140]

Anyone who suggests that Fangio let Moss win is not only ignorant but insulting to the competitiveness of Fangio and the skill of Moss.

[@oldgundog4705]

In the late 50s I followed the career of Sterling Moss with an unshakable determination to eventually eclipse his fantastic record of wins... and the future would be mine. Clandestinely spending all my spare time at the library, secretly studying every aspect of motor racing was admittedly strange behavior for a 12 year old. My working class parents were of the opinion that any time spent at the library by a boy of any age (unless say, maybe he was hired for custodial work), could be reason for serious concern. If in their worried state, one day they learned that all my time studying was spent honing nonexistent driving skills?! ...that might have marked the date of my first 72 hour observation in hospital. Sadly, stress ended my racing career before lap 1.

[@Pauley_in_GP]

Good story. You must be a writer. ;)

[@oldgundog4705]

@@Pauley_in_GP 👍 Yes, I'm a bad writer and a worse liar.

[@Pauley_in_GP]

@@oldgundog4705 😄

[@rayaspo4893]

If only we still had this horsepower at aintree

[@I-Libertine]

Outstanding upload.

[@orzjr]

This race was not in the past, but in another planet.😉

[@hugoagogo9435]

This is just glorious

[@Porsche996driver]

“…albeit in a German car.” 😅 Good stuff. Uhlenhaut was legendary.

[@michaelslack4937]

Wow...at 1:23 what do we see in the background? Not just a nuclear reactor, but a dang close nuclear reactor right next door too! Ahh the good ole days...lol.

[@giovannasperni2095]

Great driver El Chueco

[@eddiejones.redvees]

I was one year old when this took place in my home city I can remember going to a drag race in 70s that could only run one car at a time on the old track because it was not wide enough to run two cars to getter I took some super 8 move film a the time but I don’t now wear it is now

[@zekelucente9702]

I’m guessing this film might be transposed as it shows a number of Austin Healys at the British GP that all appear to be left hand drive.

[@grahamw56]

Most British sports cars were for export back then.

[@musicstewart9744]

“As we view Liverpool, here are the homes of little John, Paul, George & Ringo. You don’t know who they are now, but in a few years you will. “

[@lornablewettandlee504]

I watched to see if I could see my late friend Derek Wootton "Woottie". He worked for the Vanwall team back then. I didn't see him.

[@lefuedebout]

..... he wasn't there again today!

[@doodemog]

Sounds like Raymond Baxter

[@1977ajax]

To modern eyes, the lack of traction on corners at even moderate speeds is alarming!

[@pavelv8468]

The Mercs sure sound good.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@pavelv8468 - Most of that great sound is mechanical rather than pure exhaust. That is due to the rather unique desmodromic valve system which operated with 2 cams and no valve springs, which limit rpm. One cam opens the valves and the other closes them. That 2.5 liter straight eight can rev to better than 9,000 rpm! This is a great original film, I just wish they had recorded the Mercs at higher rpm. A truly magnificent sound!

[@pavelv8468]

@@Loulovesspeed Mechanical sound is the best sound.

[@Loulovesspeed]

@@pavelv8468 - I absolutely agree! The W196 straight 8 at high rpm is both a beautiful and unique sound. If you had all the GP cars in existence during 1954-55, I could pick out the W196 blindfolded as all cars went by - guaranteed! I do wish there were more good recordings of this wonderful engine running in anger, as they say!

[@marcus123841]

Omg all those brand new Austin Healy] what there worth today is mind blowing

[@murray7584]

Love this

[@isctony]

These people all lived through the second world war, and are now all passed away. Live life to your fullest.

[@martinlea415]

I was there age 10 in the Grandstand Did you see the little car with rear engine Jack Brabham!

[@angelsone-five7912]

Great days to be around in, regrettably I was only born in this year.

[@phoenixmotorsport647]

I still drive there :)

[@Quagmire925]

Warm summer day at Aintree F1 yet no mention of global warming. How times have changed. 😏

[@Spookieham]

When safety gear was a light helmet, goggles and a cigarette on the go

[@FourRulesRacing]

Don't forget the nomex polo shirt. 😁

[@nigeldepledge3790]

Weird to think that this was not much more than a month after the most terrible accident at Le Mans. I do appreciate the skill and bravery of the drivers back then; but I think I prefer the significantly-reduced risk of death in modern racing.

[@StephanBuchin]

What F1 cars would look like and how they would perform 70 years later was beyond their imagination.

[@Senna-xi1gr]

Fantastic cheers 🇬🇧🏆👍😀

[@robertorobertes7630]

La orden de equipo era dejar pasar a Fangio para que gane la carrera. El Chueco era un caballero y no lo paso. Moos siempre recordo ese compañerismo.

[@henriyoung3895]

I miss my Jimmy Clark driving gloves.

[@zekelucente9702]

I like the Burberry upholstery.

[@Denistone]

amazing

[@keithgoodrick-meech3921]

My father was very close to Ken Tyrell, we lived very close to Kens workshop in a Ockham. As a boy, my father had a Rambler classic station wagon and needed some main bearings for an engine rebuild. We went to a place in Chiswick, owned by the same company that run the Vanwall racing team and i was allowed to sit in Sir Sterling Moss's Vanwall race car. You're never understand the feeling i had on that day. Racing when men were men, and women knew their place......lol 😂.

[@StephanBuchin]

11:20 is surreal.

[@Astroman10]

Make sure your hit your marks! The sixteenth piece of grass before the tight left handed!

[@Franky46Boy]

Could they overtake without DRS? 😃

[@andrewholt9332]

2 min 15 sec Incredibly rare footage of Mike Hawthorns mother, walking beside Mike, Winifred Mary Hawthorn, apart from Mikes funeral, and another KZbin video titled - see below Historic Cars In New Museum (1959 ) these are possibly the only two film footages of Winifred Mary Hawthorn ever to be captured on film ?

[@ianmaclean122]

Very kool and very dangerous.

[@seandezart8294]

I ran a track-day event there in 1993....

[@GBass-d3m]

Is that Raymond Baxter doing the commentary 👍

[@PhilipGroves-ne1cz]

the earl of march interview goodwood 2023

[@toomanyuserids]

You can always pick out Neubauer in a crowd...

[@Dooguk]

Fun fact: Cars went in the opposite direction to horses at Aintree.

[@zambotv8150]

Wow health and safety wasn't really a thing back then

[@buckfaststradler4629]

They'd been through a World War so motor racing seemed very safe.

[@djpalindrome]

It was very dangerous, but the fatality rate couldn’t have been greater than F1 in the 1970s