YES 1968..that's Graham Hill..Grand Prix South Africa

Yep ..somebody has just switched on...

....we are a tad bit busy right now ..so just hang on..

adjusts time settings

Yep..             

                                   Got it... 

1st January 1968

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...meanwhile later in 1968 ..one slumbering talked-out bundle, on an armchair, in Ozzy and Gill's flat, near Princes Park, Liverpool 8.  Yep early early morning ..23rd November 1968 ..sleeping soundly ..is awakened ..to the fearsome sound of a descending Jet Aircraft .. thoughts of ..what the!! ..do we panic NOW!!  ..no  ..too tired for all that ..alarm and such ..still half-slumbering thoughts of ..what?  ..disaster!!  ..still too tired to panic ..still too muchly ZZZ's ..half-asleep ..resignation to one's fate   ..waits    ..Jet passes overhead .. BLIMEY .. THAT WAS CLOSE .. relief .. back to sleep ..thoughts of the terrible mess of a squashed Jet ..and the rest ..just up the road ..on Princes Park lawn.  Umm .. that's for later .. now back to Zleep ..  NOT ..  it's .. no to panic .. NO PANIC AT ALL .. NO DISASTER .. only had it all wrong ..its fun awake time ..and it's .. back on yer 'ead you ..ears listen up .. its only OZZY's new sound treat Dansette.. everybody-wake-up toy .. it seems .. its .. only time for one of Gill's special Tea brews .. and toast breakfast (not Jet toastRus) ..and that McCartney drumming through "Back in the U.S.S.R." .. YEP .. that was it ..panic swings to pleasure as it dawns that ..  its only the first as yet unheard NEW TO US extra new rowdy roundy white one .. MUSIC THAT IS ..as some of the 'Jet landing' intro mixture from the foursome's fearsome surprising scrummy sounds spin forth from the cream and green Dansette  ..   THE WHITE ALBUM  released 22nd November 1968

meanwhile  ..Graham and team Lotus had done already the business in South Africa.... brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmmmm....

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WHAT ..a  LOTUS 49   ...Hey if this is 1st January 1968 ...and that's Graham Hill .. this must be South Africa    

Exact scale 1:18 die cast model of the   Lotus 49   1968.      Graham Hill: World Formula One Champion  1968.

LOTUS 49.. GRAHAM HILL

Lotus 49  1:18 Metal die cast model of

CLASSIC GRAND PRIX    Lotus 49 1968 

More than at any time before or since, Grand Prix racing was revolutionized in the 1960's.  There was little resemblance between the front engined Ferrari 246 F1 Dino that won the 1960 Monza Grand Prix and the winged and sponsered Formula 1 cars used in 1969.  Colin Chapman's Lotus was frequently at the source of these revolutions.  A major catalyst for the rapid development was the switch to a displacement limit of 1.5 litres for the 1961. With less power available, there was much more emphasis on the chassis and suspension design.  Chapman took a major step forward in 1962 with the Lotus 25, which used  monocoque chassis instead of the conventional spaceframe used in the past.  It was lighter and more rigid.

After just five years the regulations were changed once more with the displacement hiked to three litres.  This left many of the independent teams like Lotus and Cooper without an engine.  Both BRM and Coventry Climax figured they could cut a few corners by turning their 1.5 litre V8s into 3-litre sixteen cylinder engines.  Only the BRM 'H16' became a reality and it found its way in the back of the Lotus 43 built for the 1966 season.  The unusual engine was heavy, but rigid enough to take the bulk of the suspension loads, so it was bolted directly to the monocoque chassis.  Jim Clark managed to score one victory, but at every other occasion the highly unreliable engine expired.

Not surprisingly Chapman was on the look out for a new engine for 1967, but he struggled to find one.  He then contacted his old friends Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, the founders of the Cosworth engine tuning company.  They were most definitely interested, but they did not have the resources to produce an engine to Formula 1 specifications.  Having just won the Indy 500 with Ford, Chapman used his influence to convince one of the company's executives to fund the operation; a lengthy relationship between Ford and Cosworth was born.  Using a Ford four cylinder as a base, the Cosworth team first developed a 16-valve 1600 cc FVA engine for Formula 2.  It would form the basis for the three litre V8 readied for the 1967 season.

Dubbed the DFV (Double Four Valve), the new engine was completely cast from aluminum in the Cosworth factory.  As it name suggests, it used dual overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder.  Using a Lucas supplied fuel injection system, the compact engine was good for a very competitive 400 bhp at 9000 rpm.  Like the BRM H16, the new Cosworth DFV was exceptionally rigid and Chapman used this to the fullest when he designed the Lotus 49 F1 car.  The racer used an aluminum monocoque chassis that stretched no further than the bulkhead behind the driver.  The V8 was bolted directly onto this chassis and took all of the rear suspension load, which was a much lighter and cleaner solution than using a rear subframe.

The car itself was an evolution of the 43 with the monocoque chassis housing three fuel cells.  The front suspension was carried by a steel subframe and consisted of a lower wishbone and a top lever arm that was bolted onto an internally mounted coil spring over shock absorber unit.  At the rear there was a lower inverted wishbone, a top link and two radius arms on each corner.  The internally vented disc brakes were provided by Girling.  Specifically for the fat Firestone tires, Lotus developed somewhat unusual lightweight dish wheels.  The package was completed by a ZF five speed gearbox, which also helped to carry the suspension load.

The Cosworth engined Lotus 49 made its first appearance at Zandvoort in June 1968.  The Lotus 49 was lighter and more powerful than its competition.  The Cosworth engine became available for other teams.

Graham Hill  ‘The King of Monaco’

In the 1960’s the Monaco Grand Prix was the race drivers yearned to win.

Graham Hill won it no less than five times.

Graham Hill drove in a record 176 motor racing Grand Prix events.  He won over 20.

1962: Won Dutch Grand Prix his first major race. Became Formula One World Champion.

1963: Won the Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo.

1964: Won the Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo.

1965: Won the Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo.

1966: Won Indianapolis 500.

1967: Rejoined the Lotus Team.

1968: Became Formula One World Champion. Won the Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo.

1969: Won the Monaco Grand Prix at Monte Carlo.

1972: Won Le Mans (24 Hour) Race in France.

Graham Hill's iron-willed determination, fierce pride and great courage enabled him to overcome the odds against more naturally gifted drivers.  None of them was more popular with the public than the moustachioed extrovert with the quick wit, who loved the limelight, was a natural entertainer and became one of the first Formula One media stars.
Norman Graham Hill was born in north London on February 15, 1929.  He claimed he inherited his determination from his mother and his sense of humour from his father, a stock broker.  Both qualities were required to endure the deprivations and dangers of life in wartime London, where Hill grew up during the Blitz.
In 1953, on a whim, he tried a few laps around Brands Hatch in a F3 car and was bitten by the racing bug.   For most folk such an ambition would remain in the dreams department.  For Graham Hill, although he hardly knew how to drive even a road car and could scarcely afford to fund a racing habit.  He bought a rattletrap 1934 Morris, taught himself how to drive and got a license to drive on public roads.  He quit his job and talked his way into a job as a mechanic at a racing school, where he soon became an instructor.  He competed in a couple of races and met Colin Chapman, then in the early stages of developing his Lotus cars.  After persuading Chapman to give him a part-time job (at one £1 per day) Hill soon became a full time Lotus employee, and was rewarded with the occasional race.

In 1958 Chapman decided Team Lotus was ready for the big time and Graham Hill became a Formula One driver.  In 1962 he won in Holland, Germany, Italy and South Africa to collect a World Championship he fully deserved.  In 1967 he re-joined Team Lotus where Jim Clark was at the peak of his powers.  Early in 1968 he won in Spain, Monaco, and Mexico, to secure his second driving title.

In 1969 he won Monaco for a record fifth time.

Pictures show :-

1968 Lotus 49  1:18 Metal die cast model of

Graham Hill: World Formula One Champion  1968.

.. waking to the roar from a 737 ..landing - in my mind - on the roof

The White Album cover

Sum Wedding Cake stuff

At the wheel of the Lotus 49B - back at the principality for the 2006 Monaco Historic Grand Prix.

1960 Ferrari 246 F1 Dino

..and  how 

              do  you

                        like  your

                               sfasterssfastersssfastersssfastersssfastersssfastersssssSSSpeeed of Light

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