Shifting up through the gears on a deserted English back road or climbing through the French countryside, rather than in the hot scrum of Indianapolis or Monza, the illusion can more easily take hold that you might one day be able to take a vintage Maserati 250F from 1957 for a drive. But the shots here, unlike those in an actual race, heighten the baronial pleasures of being an amateur. This provides a rough sense of how fast these things can go. The writer and director Tony Maylam relies on the usual Steadicam views from behind the driver's head. With Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS Surround Sound, you can adjust your speakers to pick up the bass rumble of an Aston Martin AMR1 and or the alto whine of the V-12 engines that are the voice-print of a Ferrari. As any racing fan knows, the ear-splitting noise of the track holds as much appeal as the flash of engineered metal past the grandstand. Cadenet wheeling yet another million-dollar automobile around the bend starts to pall.īut one special feature of these DVD's, elevating them above the many books and magazines on exotic cars, is the sound quality. The Maserati and Alfa Romeo, added to capitalize on the success of the others, lack this key historical element and are rather dull by comparison. Cadenet, only six were built, and one was rumored to have sold for $2.5 million.įilm clips from various races over the decades, especially the Mille Miglia in Italy and Le Mans, enliven the Ferrari and Porsche histories. Inspired by the remarkable Porsche 956, which captured 40 international victories and became one of the most successful racecars ever, the 956CR is capable of 600 horsepower and 230 miles an hour and can leap from zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds. The show has plenty of rarities, like the Porsche 962CR. Many of the cars were strictly built for racing and were never seen in commercial showrooms. With each example he takes out for a spin, he advances the story of the marque from the 20's to the present. After strapping himself into a vintage land rocket - an Aston Martin DBR1 from 1956, say, or a Ferrari 330/P3 from 1966 (''perhaps the most beautiful racecar ever built'') - he takes it for a fast, twisting drive, often on leafy private tracks in the British countryside.Īfterward, he opens the hood, discusses outstanding features of the engine or chassis and recites the car's triumphs and disappointments on the racecourses of Europe and America. He dons the appropriate head gear - leather cap and goggles, or reinforced fiberglass helmet - to match the car he is about to drive.
#Road rockets rumble race driver
Alain de Cadenet, the sports car driver and Formula One owner, serves as the upbeat host. The chaste formula for each show is the same.
#Road rockets rumble race series
But perhaps because the series originated in Britain, it is voyeurism on a transcendent plane, with a racing purist's emphasis on technical innovation and track performance. Offering histories of six famous marques (Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Maserati), the producers have collected dozens of precious racecars that would inspire techno-lust in any Sunday driver. The gorgeous machines parading before the cameras in the series of six DVD's called ''Victory by Design'' are well beyond the means of almost everyone in the intended audience. Gazing at exquisiteness from afar will do nicely for most of us, especially when the objects of our desires are so far out of reach that we wouldn't know what to do with them even if we got them.
To compensate for the headache of ownership, you need not only a large garage (or small museum) and a mechanic within a day's drive - but easy access to an underpatrolled road where on a few weekends a year you can amortize the anxiety.
EXOTIC racecars are probably better appreciated as images of fantasy than as insured vehicles.
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