When I was a teenager, Stirling came to a vintage racing festival at Shannonville Motorsport Park in Ontario. He borrowed someone's Cooper T51 F1 car and within a few laps of the tiny track, he had had knocked several seconds off of the owner's best time. That he still had that level of speed in his mid fifties even after he accident is a testament to how fast he was in his heyday.
@@creamwobbly Yeah it was Barry Spleene who was the poster child well through the '70s and '80s, but of course Surtees stopped racing two wheels in 1960. World champion on two and four wheels is no mean feat though, at all.
That is why drivers didn’t wear seat belts it was thought that it was better to get thrown from the car in a crash than to be strapped into the burning wreck !
That final statement couldn’t have been said more perfectly. Sterling Moss has always been an idol for me in racing. And when he unfortunately passed in early 2020, It was hard to accept. I’ve always wanted to meet him.
Senna's crash was more memorable to modern generations at least, purely because it happened in 1994, not 1962. Coverage was a lot better, and the legacy was fresher and to me anyway, more internationally felt. And even though the safety reg's were 30+ years more advanced than that Lotus 18, there was still no guarantee of surviving a crash, because of how hard these machines were going. Still, as far as talent goes, regardless of era, there's but a handful of names you could bundle together that were in that league. The main difference between Moss and Senna, is that Senna was ruthless.
Reminded me of Jeremy's drive of Fangio's Maserati 250F. It was cool to watch him in that at Dunsfold. But Chris, in Moss's Lotus, at Goodwood? That's another level of cool.
Top Gear is getting it's mojo back. This almost feels like one of the serious segments on old Top Gear. The writing, music, and even the camera shots remind me of 2010-2015 Top Gear. That's badass
Regardless of your opinion on the modern Top Gear: give Chris his credit, he IS one of the best automotive journalists there is and has been. A talented driver/racer, but more importantly his passion is genuine and apparent. The mixture of those two will always come across as genuine whether it be a simple RU-vid series or a multi million dollar production. Chris Harris is a legend, as is this car.
Whenever I hear about the Monaco GP of that era, I'm always reminded of the bio pieces I've read about the late Jim Clark, where Monaco was his favorite with it being a tight driver's circuit, but he never finished on the top of the podium for that race. Then on the other hand, he was a multi-time winner at Spa for the Belgium Grand Prix, but that was a circuit he disliked for it being one of the fastest on the F1 calendar.
No, that is not a tear in my eye. It is dust, yeah...dust. Always admired Moss. A hugely talented driver, but beyond that a true gentleman. Well done Mr. Harris. Well done, indeed.
Thank you Chris.When I saw you in the 18, I thought you were Stirling. That is the highest complement I can give you. I also noticed how asymmetric the car was with the left rear closer to the bodywork and even the roll hoop not central. Who knows,that could have been the winning formula. He was a legend,now you are a legend. Stay happy.
150hp from 1.6l of displacement! That’s just bat shit crazy for back then. Even a modern Honda engine can barely eek out any more than that. It sounds magnificent too!
Well done, Mr. Harris.Having spent my teenage years reading and watching what there was on TV about European auto racing back then, like many others of my generation, we idolized Stirling Moss. I was in high school when he crashed at Goodwood but I remember that it made the sports news over here. Another bit of information regarding Mr. Moss ; I read years ago that he wanted to be the first British driver to win the World Championship in a British car. Sadly, that dream was never realized either.
Nice one Chris. Moss was a hero to hundreds of millions of us. Forget all this "greatest driver to never with the World Championship" balogna. By the late 50s Moss had become one of the greatest drivers of all time, standing as an equal with Nuvolari & Fangio. Clark and Senna have since joined this pantheon.
Could not think of a better driver / presenter / motoring journalist to drive the No 20 Lotus and tell us all about Sir Stirling Moss and his epic victory at Monaco in 1961. Brilliant.
I had the pleasure of meeting Sterling Moss, sitting on a pit wall and talked to him by myself for several minutes about cars. WHAT? How did that happen? I don't know, but I'm just so glad it did. Really enjoy what you do Chris Harris!
Well done Chris for respecting a true great, Sir Stirling Moss!! A legend then and a legend now. As for the chance to drive his car, lucky you! How much fun would that be (was that?). A true raw car.
Chris is the only one able to step into te shoes of Clarkson Hammond and May. I've always loved the way he talked about cars even long before his TG time. This short film was simply amazing. Thank you Mr Harris
We all know that Stirling was the true winner in 1958. He went to the FIA and told them to un-disqualify his title rival, who had broken the rules and been disqualified before the end of the race. Those points he gave to Hawthorn were much more than the difference between their point totals at the end of the season. Moss was so much of a gentleman, he handed his well deserved title to his rival.
In 1962 I was 8 years old on a farm in OHIO. My Father and I racing Scalextric cars on our huge home built track in the basement. I was Stirling Moss in a lotus, then Trevor Taylor in a Lola and Jim Clark in a Cooper. Some of the happiest moments of my childhood. My Father has passed now but I'll never forget those moments in time. Thanks Chis for the brilliant tribute.
No man can rival the “childhood fantasy cars” this man has driven on camera. Most fortunate ‘car guy’ on the planet... and well deserved as he does convey much of what he feels so brilliantly to the viewer.
Yes, he's definitely the man I want to see in those legendary cars. I'm sure Chris could have done half an hour on the car itself in fact! I would have loved to see more of the mechanicals.
AWESOME TRIBUTE ,STIRLING MOSS was a class onto his own!! AND love that CHRIS shows us what that car can still do DRIVE FAST and still perform . l love how you can still see all its mechanical bits in action !! GREAT JOB CHRIS
I think it was after the 1960 Monaco Grand Prix, when the car would have had the 2.5 litre Climax engine and Ferrari were running the 2.5 litre front engined V6 Dinos when Phil Hill described driving behind Moss as "Like chasing a greyhound around your living room .... whilst riding a cart-horse!". A nimble car the 18 and a game-changer.
What a movie! What a great honoring of a racing legend. Thank you Chris for this and a very special thank you to the camera / lights / past processing crew who make these kind of cinematographic masterpieces. WOW!
If only we got "moments like these" while doing our jobs, we would be working overtime for free... I must admit tho, Chris truly deserves these kind of moments! Makes us smile with a tear in our eyes while describing his experience...
Sir Stirling Moss is clearly the most iconic legend of all time, this car shows that was needed a driver of superb talent to win that Grand Prix. I never heard Enzo Ferrari swallow is pride to no one that is astonishing event. As always BOSS that passion just brings the best content ever. What a tribute 👏
Moss's crash and subsequent testing - the results of which were what caused him to retire - are discussed in a book called "The Day I Died" by Mark Kahn. It's an old book but it's a very good read.
Very fast coffins on wheels back then. Prop shaft between your balls, fuel tanks surrounding you and bugger all in the way of safety. But when you've lived through WW2, you've seen how short life can be. Big respect to them!
Thanks Chris, what makes it even more remarkable, apart from being the previous years car, it was not a works car. It was run by privateer Rob Walker. Amazing man, glad to say I met him once.
Would love Harry Metcalfe and Johnny Smith to join Chris on here, they don't need try and replicate the original 3. The show needs it's credibility back, Chris is brilliant but the show needs more than him.
