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Champions Hawthorn and Collins Download

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Product code: 5915EDReleased: 26 September 201160 minutes

Product description

"Compelling viewing......this truly is a must for the collection of any enthusiast" Autosport

Explore the story of two British racing legends through unique archive race footage and rare interviews with the greats of motorsport.

To his many admirers, Peter Collins was the 'Golden Boy' of 1950s British motor racing. His good looks, friendly charm and supreme ability earned him an army of fans whose admiration only increased when Collins gifted the World Championship to Juan Manuel Fangio in 1956 - the year he joined Ferrari. Tragically, he lost his life at the Nurburgring just two weeks after winning 1958 British Grand Prix.

That year also saw his great friend and Ferrari teammate Mike Hawthorn become Britain's first motor racing World Champion. In Grand Prix cars Hawthorn was exciting to watch, especially when duelling with Fangio, but his ability in sport and saloon cars also helped establish him as one of the all-time greats. Sadly the end of his career was tainted by personal disasters. In 1959, shortly after retiring, Hawthorn died in a road accident.

Now the careers of two diverse, popular charaters are explored. Unique footage from their early races and rare interviews with luminaries such as racing legends Stirling Moss, Tony Brooks, Phil Hill and Roy Salvadori, plus Aston Martin team manager John Wyer and Jaguar's Lofty England create the perfect tribute to two outstanding drivers from a Golden Age of motor racing.

"Originally issued in 1994, but now enhanced for its release on DVD, this offers exactly what the title suggests - an account of the careers of 1958 World Champion Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, the man who could well have held his mantle had he not played the dutiful Ferrari team-mate to Juan Manuel Fangio two years previously."
"The early days are dealt with a tad too briefly, but this is perhaps to be expected as footage from national level hillclimbing was rare back then, let alone now. However, there is still the odd clip of Collins - who then worked part-time at a swimming pool - driving his self-built Purple Peril at Prescott."
"More attention is paid to the pair's ascension to the international scene via single seaters and sportscars, with the archive footage making for some compelling viewing, especially if you happen to be a fan of four-wheel drifting."
"A selection of wonderful anecdotes are brought to life throughout the DVD. They include a tale from John Wyer's wife Tottie of how Collins, desperate for a drive with the Aston Martin sportscar team, used to hide under tables in restaurants, trying to attract attention in the hope of securing an interview with the legendary team boss."
"Further testimonies from the likes of Stirling Moss, Roy Salvadori and 1961 World Champion Phil Hill - footage of which has been mostly retrieved from rarely-seen interviews - further enhance the DVD. Overall, it gives a welcome snapshot into what life as a racing driver was like during the first generation of the Formula 1 World Championship"
"From the mesmerising shots of Hawthorn's Ferrari 246 being stylishly flung around Eau rouge, to the tyre-squealing antics of Aston Martin and Jaguar sportscars being driven to numerous wins at Silverstone, you have to hand it to the makers of this DVD. The exceptional production values go hand-in-hand with ultra-informative narration from Neville Hay - a man who knows his subject better than most, and can still be relied upon to breath both a life and an authority into almost anything."
"This truly is a must for the collection of any enthusiast who wants to learn more about, or simply celebrate, two of F1's first three British golden boys" Autosport

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