Through a fatefully fortuitous set of circumstances, Slotracer.Online has come into possession of a vast treasure trove of original and unpublished contact strips from the film “Grand Prix”, John Frankenheimer’s classic, and stylish 1966 Formula One film. This collection of almost 10,000 shots came from Jim Russell, a former racing driver who worked on the film. How he came by them is anybody’s guess, but they have now been saved from certain destruction by our very own Norfolk correspondent, Mr Brian Rogers.
It was such a fabulous collection that we obviously couldn’t just keep it to ourselves. These may have been simple contact strips, but with a little tender loving care, this unique array of work had to be made public. So with a fanfare and a drum roll, we proudly present a selection of our favourite shots from behind the scenes of this iconic film.
Obviously this isn’t directly related to slot cars, but it is certainly part of motorsport and film history, and it was just too good an opportunity to miss. With a cast list including James Garner, Francoise Hardy, Graham Hill, Juan Manuel Fangio, Jim Clark, and many, many more the film was an epic period piece, but what a period.
Arguably the finest era of Formula One, captured in stunning detail with some of the best racing sequences ever.
If you’ve never seen the film before, please make sure you do. And if you have, we hope you enjoy this little look at some of the publicity shots and behind the scenes photos. Highly recommended.
