Thank you for posting this. Growing up In Canada, being an Aston Martin fan was not easy in those days. I bought every magazine I could find on the Nimrods. I remember trying to find any Le Mans coverage I could during the race and then finding all the magazine coverage the weeks following. I never even dreamed that there was a tv special about them. What a joy to,see so many of my heroes, including Víctor Gauntlett, Lord Downe, Robin Hamilton and Richard Williams. All heroic figures to an Aston lover. And those lovely Nimrods. It certainly was a different time in racing.
Glad you enjoyed 👍🏁 I've also got another documentary from the 1982 Le Mans featuring Derek Bell and the Rothmans Porsche. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y6iS81KvVbs.html
Such a rare and valuable film, many thanks for posting it. This was made in the days the BBC weren't afraid to be (a little) patriotic. I went to the Group C practice sessions at Silverstone in 1982, sneaked into the pit lane at 7:30 ish in the morning and there, about half way between the pedestrian bridge and the pit entry was one of these Nimrods, in a completely deserted pit lane! I got some lovely photos. A true English beauty, seen in recent years at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Thank you, Victor Gauntlett.
Thank you Monty for sharing this - I’d been hoping someone would find this BBC Wales documentary for YEARS!!! This was the first year I went, going actually to photograph the Nikon Mazda, but it was during the warm - up these beautiful beasts swept past - and that fabulous engine sound.... I was captivated, only missed one year since. Aston Martin have since gone through many changes, but the spirit of the Nimrod still exists today @astonmaringracing - love it!
I vaguely remember seeing this on the BBC when it first came out with my dad. Found it again a few years ago on Vimeo, luckily I downloaded it and the Bell documentary and converted to DVD before they vanished from there!! Seemed the right time to share them on my channel. By the way, if you search "Tuesday Documentary" on BBC iplayer (or SKY on demand), there's another Le Mans doc from 1981 👍🏁
Love this film, remember seeing it on TV in 1983, Mike Salmon was great in his almost laid backcomments. Along with Simon Phillips and others may they Rest in peace. Went to the Silverstone event. The French commentator had a fantastic speaking voice, I wish I could remember who he was.
I have ITV documentary about Derek Bell's 1982 Le Mans on my channel too. Also Group C from 20007/2008 historic race series including the Aston Martin AMR1 🏁👍
You absolute beauty. Been looking for this ever since it was first shown. I wasn't at Le Mans that year, but I did go to Silverstone for the 6 hours a few weeks before where the Nimrod and 956 debuted. You've made my week, and thanks for the Derek Bell documentary as well.
Thanks! I saw this as a kid back in 1982. Just became a vague memory until I found this and the Derek doc on Vimeo years ago. Luckily I was able to download it, before it disappeared. If you like Group C, check out motorsport.tv/program/duke-classics-sportscar/191 , they have a massive archive of Duke video Group C coverage available to stream. Free months trial right now! They have period Group B/A rallying coverage too.
@@MontyMotorsport I saw it as a kid too, always stuck in my head ( along with a night lap of LM from 1982 with Jackie Ickx shown during an interview I think ) - could never remember the name, so I could never find the thing anywhere! even asked Tiff about it but I don't think he could remember either. Was there another one made in 1983? ugh that's a long time ago now.
Wow, so excited I've found this film, thanks for posting it !. I vividly remember watching it on tv in '83, and being a significant reason for starting to follow the marvellous Group C racing with trips to many British races plus Le Mans in 86, 87 and 88.
Back in the late 80s i was a telephone engineer and went to the house that had the transporter ,the guy had the Nimrod inside, somewhere near Royston Herts
Does anyone recall seeing a similar UK TV documentary abt the 1984 Le Mans race, I'm sure I remember it and being so shocked seeing/hearing about the Nimrod's massive crash on the Mulsanne, which sadly killed a French marshall ?.
If you search "Tuesday Documentary" on BBC iplayer (or SKY on demand), there's another Le Mans doc from 1981. Not sure about 1984 doc, although I also have a 1982 ITV doc featuring Derek Bell on my channel. 👍🏁
I was 29. I saw both the Silverstone 6 hours and the Le Mans 24. While they were helthy the Nimrods sounded like NASCARS which had been to finishing school. The 956s in comparison sounded like vacuum cleaners. But were they fast! Thanks for the nostalgia.
So...in 1982 my friend borrowed a 1961 lotus 7 with a very sedentary Ford pushrod engine. In those days the seven was not the track day weapon it is now but anyhow we took it to Brands Hatch and went out on a practice day. All the cars went out and there were many different makes but none more different than our Lotus and the works silver Nimrod. It scared me witless as they thundered by doing two laps to our one...words cannot express how thunderous that car was as it shook us to the core as it went by. Luckily enough a few years later I one a couple of karting championships so maybe I wasn't so bad but that noise will always stay with me!!!!
Thank you very much for posting this. I remember watching this on the BBC at the age of 14 in 1982 when it was first broadcast and recording it on my dad's precious new Grundig Video 2000 video tape recorder. I must have taped over it very soon afterwards in the same year. I haven't been able to find it anywhere online over the years until now so this is the first time I've seen this since '82. Thanks again! I've also been trying to find a BBC documentary about the Monaco GP which was broadcast in '83 but was about the '82 GP. Anyone remember that?
I remember seeing it back then too and then I found it again on Vimeo years ago, luckily I downloaded it and the Derek Bell doc before they both disappeared from there! BBC iplayer has a another doc about Le Mans 1981, still available. Search "Tuesday Documentary" on BBC iplayer (or SKY on demand)
No:1 rule with ignition-leads/distributor-caps, is always make a note &/or label them as you remove them! However, it's been years since they've had to worry about them on racing-engines!
A true underdog tale. Even in those days, going to Le Mans with two cars in two independent teams was pretty much a guarantee of disappointment with how strong the works and works-supported teams were. To actually get to the finish achieving a top ten placing was almost unimaginable. To do it with a car in its' first year of development is utterly remarkable. This is a story that deserves to be told, without this there would probably be no AMR now...
