Anniversary

[DelBoy]

Just realised that 2005 will be the 40th anniversary of my first visit to La Sarthe.  Things were a bit different then!!!



Note the lack of Armco, proper esses and profusion of flat caps!


Anyone else around then?


Del

[Matt Harper]

Bloody hell! Rispek, DelBoy!

[Fax]

Wow! Lovely shot of the Chaparral in the esses, when was that? about 1967 perhaps.  Would you look at that, back then it looked like a real race track and you could actually see the cars...
John

[BigH]

Yes, a great shot DB.
Note the cardboard periscope on the right. I reckon he has it upside down, it should be round the other way searching for legs with stocking seams.
Like mine, or rather, a friends.
H

-It'd be interesting to compare to a contemporary shot from the same spot, if anyone's got one handy.

[DelBoy]

Wow! Lovely shot of the Chaparral in the esses, when was that? about 1967 perhaps.  Would you look at that, back then it looked like a real race track and you could actually see the cars...
John

It was in 1965 - I have a few others from the same trip, but the only recognisable cars are the crashed GT40s because they were not moving!!  I didn't have a particularly good camera in those days.  I'll post a couple more later.

DB

[Ruptured Duck Motorsport]

[DelBoy]

Another piccy from 1965.  Anyone recognize the car?  Don't ask me for an answer - it was 39.5 years ago and as I said above, I didn't have a sophisticated camera, and quite possibly my technique (with the camera) left a lot to be desired.

The few piccies I have are all from around the esses as in those days, the esses were included in the 'Virage' tickets - much cheaper than the general ticket.  There used to be a gate on the left of the road leading down the main tunnel - in fact that was there until sometime in the 80s.

[DelBoy]

....And another

[DelBoy]

And a final one.  This car park, I think, is where the motorway now is.

Our car is the 1956 Hillman Minx arrowed.

[Steve Pyro]

Very tidy parking there  
Also, lots on Citroen DS's.

[Canada Phil]

Hi Delboy,
               Nice pics, I have a number like the second one so can confirm the car is a "Blur" they were very competative back then and much faster than the camera technology/operators of the time. The other looks like a Porsche 910.
Canada Phil

[Fax]

Hi Guys,
That blur looks alot like a Ford GT-40!  That would've been really something to see and hear.  I think more than a few of us have some "blurs"(Kodak Instamatic's and all) laying around.  We could have some fun with these...
John

[Nordic]

And a final one.  This car park, I think, is where the motorway now is.

Our car is the 1956 Hillman Minx arrowed.

Delboy,

I can remember at  my first trip to Le Mans in 1980 being amazed at the number of Brits there.

Was it the same back in 65?, I guess the drive there was also alot more of an adventure then as well, was there any organised camping etc.

My dad rode a motorbike to the south of france and then onto Monte Carlo in the mid 50's for the GP, and stopped off at Le Mans onroute and says it was the best thing he has ever done, shame he never had a camera.

[Andy Zarse]

Our car is the 1956 Hillman Minx arrowed.

... which has the same pushrod engine as the dreaded Commer, tho it's more likely to be the 1600 version rather than the more powerful 1725 42hp version I posess. Anyway, nice to see some things don't change.

Agree with the others about the GT40 and 910 BTW.

[DelBoy]

Very tidy parking there  
Also, lots on Citroen DS's.

Parking??? - most of the cars you see are queueing to get out, so there's not much change there.  We weren't in a hurry as we headed south to the Med for a week - the old Minx got us back, albeit without rear brakes and starter motor.  Not a prob in those days - didn't do much reversing and cars then had a starting handle.

DB