Race car driver Mike Hawthorne lets us onboard the D-type Jaguar at the 1956 Le Mans. He gives a preview of the race track with a running commentary… on public roads! To make the recording, a camera with recording gear is fixed to the car and Mike has a microphone strapped to his chest.
The mind-blowing video shows the Jaguar racing through the Le Mans track exactly how it looked in 1956 – including lots of public traffic and bicycles getting in the way. The comments from Mike Hawthorne with the amazing sound of the jaguar in the background, give a great insight into racing in the 1950s. Just imagine going 185 mph without the safety systems that we have today in overalls, a helmet and some leather gloves! The old-school race car drivers were indeed made of something special!