1973: GRAHAM HILL Creating His Own F1 CAR | Tuesday Documentary | Classic Motorsport | BBC Archive 

Sitting in the bar: “Here I am in the boardroom” 😂

Here we are over 50 years later still watching this as it's incredibly interesting without drama and straight to the point. Graham was iconic, sadly he died just 3 years after this was filmed.

1:54 The 70s were wild. Imagine Max Verstappen climbing into a race suit over his dress pants, shirt and tie 😂

No overbearing music, no unnecessary voice-overs and no flipping drone shots! What joy.

The F1 british team in the 70s: bunch of friends building a car in some workshop, adding a Cossie DFV and managing the F1 races with ca 10 people total. "Thats a BIG business indeed!"

The big tie under the overalls !!! 😍

At Stirling Moss’s memorial, Sir Jackie Stewart said we’d never celebrated the life of any sportsman in that way. Had Graham Hill lived, we probably would have. Look at the other clips of him on RU-vid- charming, funny and of course fast. I remember him doing road safety when I was a kid and I also remember his plane crash and how sad it made us.

What an absolute legend. And a shout out to Old Woking !!

I always loved the way Graham Hill talked. He had that laid back Oxford English accent.

Graham Hill looks just like Dick Dastardly from the Wacky Races! 🏎

This video is so awesome. I wish I could've experienced F1 back then as a fan. The 1970s was an awesome era and like the wild west of F1 when it came to car designs. No computers, all mechanical, with a gear shift lever. Teams could do whatever. The drivers were also legendary. I remember seeing the Tyrrell P34 6 wheeled F1 race car from 1975-76. Then I saw Brabham had the "fan" car design and was super fast because of the insane down force it created in 1978. Having the chance to see both those cars in person really put into perspective how crazy F1 teams were back then and would do anything to win.

What a Legend! I remember being 14 years old and very much into Grand Prix and loved the look of his car. It was tragic the way he died, I’m sure with his experience and skill he could have made an impact with this team, it’s fascinating to see how small a set up it was, meetings at the pub, putting his overalls over trousers shirt and tie it was simply a project of love! Great days of F1!

This is Gold, thanks BBC for sharing this. Amazing to see "new" footage of Graham and his Embassy Hill team

Wish I could have Graham Hill’s voice on my sat nav.

The first time I encountered Graham Hill was at the Questor Grand Prix at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1971. I was taken aback when he walked into the loo. In 1975 I went to Lotus before the race at Silverstone and Peter Warr told me to watch for an announcement. When Embassy announced a press event on the Friday I showed up and attended Graham Hill’s retirement . . .

Was 12 years young in 1973 and my interest in Formula One Racing just ignited. Hill, Stewart, Cevert, a young Lauda....all my heroes of my childhood. Thank you for this report which really is from another totally different time 👍👍🍀

Putting the race suit on over the shirt, tie and trousers made me smile.

In the past we could watch programs like this, now we have 'Love Island' and other quality shows like that. 😞

A real motorsport hero. I would loved to have meet him

"I figure £80-90,000." That'll get you a steering wheel today. Man I miss "the good old days".

3:25 you can see a classic JVC Videosphere in the back of the office.

Damon Hill has some of his Dad's mannerisms

What a good looking car that was!

The pillar-drill is a man's mixer! 💪🇬🇧

I was born in 1970 and was always attracted to things with wheels, I knew of Graham Hill at a young age...but probably after he had passed, he was an icon, the first race car driver I ever heard of, the next would be Mario Andretti. So suave in that pecil thin moustache.

Graham Hill was so great. That car is a customised Shadow DN1. See it in black UOP livery elsewhere.

I remember watching a doco from my childhood about a driver building his own car. And this is it. It could pre-empt the moment when he had his seat fitting. Thanks for this

How simple things were back then Imagine trying to start a f1 team today with a couple of mechanics and a workshop

Great to see Dick Dastardly again. Big shout to him & Muttlley if he's still around.

When can we hope to see part two ?

That was brilliant. Really enjoyed that. Building race cars in sheds, how it should be done.

National treasure..All class.

“Those rather rude bits sticking out” 😂😂😂

A very different world back then.........I had the privilege of knowing Walter Hayes 20 years after this film was shot when he came to Aston Martin as President of the company, so much motoring history wrapped up in one man.

That Shadow DN1 was always such a beautiful car.

His book, Life At The Limit has a great passage on his first visit to Spa, going back to the pits and "having a think".

You'd have thought he'd put his helmet on for seat fitting. Love the string vest - fireproof, was it?

Incredible, is it possible to watch the full episode?

Watching Graham is always riveting - the wonderful articulacy and wit in the way he talked, the way he moved, his appearance, everything. There's still nobody in sport - anywhere - who's come close to Graham's amazing combination of tremendous achievement, hilarious humour and immense physical courage. All these years later - not even close. Thank you so much for this, though I'd have so loved to see the whole show! The state of his legs is quite something to see - he never really recovered from his 1969 accident at Watkins Glen when both his knees snapped 'backwards', along with other injuries, yet he seems to ignore this and moves very well. He was asked around this time, which is of course only two and a half years or so before his tragic, ridiculous and (to me anyway) still hard to believe death, whether his legs still hurt. He replied 'Only when I stand up'.

Two mechanics! It takes three to change a single tyre today.

I enjoyed seeing these footsteps of Graham. Can WE have more, please ?

CHEERS MATE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS FOR AGES 😉

First time I’ve seen this… I’ve always heard that Graham was a gentleman… But man, what a class act he was

Its amazing how similar Graham sounds to Damon

Loved seeing the technicians wearing dress shirts and ties. Plus those sideburns.

The fire proof overalls man is sporting a great 70 s hair do .. bring it back 👌

Great documentary. He was my favorite F1 driver as a kid. I was fortunate to attend the 1968 & 1970 Mexican Grands Prix as a ten/twelve year old. Thanks to my dad’s job at Ford Motor Company, he obtained weekend pit passes. Different times back then; you could walk around in the back area of the garage stalls and see mechanics working on the cars and drivers walking around. I was able to get the race program signed by the drivers. It was a thrill to have Graham stop and talk to me briefly and sign my program. I still have the 1970 signed program with all drivers except John Surtees because he was in a foul mood over his new underperforming new car he built.

These are the bravest men ever to drive them f1 cars of there era

I had the privilege as a kid with my brother to see and touch Graham & Jochen's Gold Leaf Lotus cars at a workshop and then see them at the Teretonga circuit (NZ)

More of this please, we want the full version!

Balls of steel. Iam a simracer who loves this era in a sim. A don't think the newer generation realise how dangerous these cars were. Gt3 cars today pretty much drive themselves, they have to much electronics to realie on and it takes away the drivers skills

The very definition of a champion and a gentleman.

Wow. So much changed in those 50 years. Drivers had to be really crazy to drive those "fuel tanks on the wheels"

What a treat! So interesting to see the differences between F1 then and now.

Horse riders: please drive slowly when near us. Graham Hill: 180mph. 0:35

I wonder if any of the team members helping fit the seat were with in the plane with him on that fateful day two years later

Awesome video!! I wonder if there's anywhere you can find the full doco?

Any chance of releasing the whole programme?

Graham Hill baby.

Great video !! Thank You !

A pilot on speedways and a true lord out of them.

he was such a nice man

They misjudged a bit the quantity of foam used for molding the seat😅. I love the videos of these pioneers

This is so insightful and inspiring.

The early 70's F1 cars looked gaudy and overdone at the time. Now they look positively gorgeous compared to the current space ships.

They broke the mold after Graham Hill.... There will never be another

In a parallel universe, Lewis Hamilton this weekend just won his 9th British Grand Prix driving a GH49 for the ultra-successful Sir Graham Hill & Son Racing International racing team powered by the affiliate company within Graham's own empire of The Hill Group plc, Cosworth Engines, Powertrains & Rocket Systems Ltd.🙏

Race suit over his suit! What a bunch of mad lads

Fantastic stuff, completely new to me!

Graham had a handsome head of hair and a magnificent jawline. 🏁🇬🇧

Fascinating ,but also shows how far technology has moved in 51 years 😳🤓

Holy hell this is so good

What a man Graham Hill was, smooth, charming, talented, brave; he also managed to replicate all of those qualities in Damon Hill (chip off the old block)

I saw the rest of this when it first came out .... Graham describes the car and what was needed to build it.... Really wide tyres at that time, wider than today's....... But he found it really difficult to be a small outfit (privateer virtually) ..... When large sponsorship was taking over.

FANTASTIC!!! Never saw that!

Graham Hill had the best hair for a racing driver.

That is the coolest thing i have ever seen!

the wild 70s , what period

There has to be more of this..........

Graham hill ❤❤👍

Is there a full version?

He's so bloody cool.

Putting the race suit on straight over a highly flammable shirt and tie 👔 😂

Great video! Absolute legend. It is interesting seeing them experimenting (then) new technology. I'm not sure if the compressed air thing in the helmet is really safe though.

Please share the rest of this documentary!! I was enthralled, and 100% plot committed. I’m going to need some resolution, if you beauties at the bbc could accommodate a yank.

Love the boardroom meeting

I do wonder where in Old Woking his racing cars were made! its nearly my home town of Woking!

At BBC archives please give us the full Gentlemen lift up your skirts F1 ground effect documentary?

Amazing character, I would travel back in time and have a chat with him! The lady is so pretty from 12:25!

A gentle mans sport 😆☕️🫖

Love the fire testing, could you imagine that today 😂😂😂

Having won Le Mans with Matra in 1972, as the co driver of French darling Henri Pescarolo, Hill would have been better trying for a sports car drive I think. Many questions over that fatal air crash in the fog , he had the option to divert to a fog free airport but declined, rumours of the plane being overloaded with a DFV. Great man, very rich motorsport history, tragic end. No one will ever equal his triple crown achievement of wins, F1, Indianapolis and Le Mans .RIP.

"I have 2 excellent mechanics"..... Nowadays an F1 team has 200, lol. The goodnold days....

where can we see the rest?? It was getting very interesting!

Graham Hill looks a knight from a different century.

Only triple crown winner ever, one of our greatestst Brits.

Love the low tech way to test fire proof suit ! 1970's

Absolutely fascinating. ✌

Sitting in a Bath of high octane fuel 😮

I would love to see a modern car fitting