Car Design Fetish

Every time I see the front of Cobo Hall (what I like to call the Q*bert facade), the first thing that comes to my mind is the image above:  Nelson Piquet slamming down through the gears as he approaches Washington Boulevard.  After several sharp turns and a quick trip through the tunnel, he unleashes the full fury of his Honda V6 along the Detroit River.  Everything is running smoothly.  Then, out of nowhere, WHAM! A slower car trips up Piquet, sending him into a barrier.  The voice of F1, Murray Walker, quips, “Oh, well.  It can happen to the best, can’t it!  We’ll turn a blind eye to that one, Nelson!”

The scene I’ve just described is from Lap of the Gods, a 1992 production from Terrific Stuff Videos. It’s an exciting look back at Formula One’s turbo era, through the bug-splattered lens of Alain Boisnard.  Alain’s company, AFAVA, filmed over 100 in-car laps with their 16mm movie cameras.  The bulk of this footage was captured with the assistance of Elf-sponsored teams like Tyrrell and Renault.  Lap of the Gods presents the very best of these laps, overlaying them with Murray Walker’s energetic narration.

Many of the tracks featured on this 2-disc set haven’t hosted a Grand Prix in over twenty years.  In the case of the old Detroit circuit, the rationale is obvious.  But after three exciting laps in Adelaide with Patrick Tambay, you’ll find yourself wondering why Melbourne replaced it on the calendar.  The drivers themselves run the gambit.  Some are household names, like Andretti and Stewart.  Others we barely remember, like Warwick and Streiff.  Some of them prefer to take it easy on their new tires. A few let it all hang out, like Patrick Depailler, who power slides around Long Beach and just barely survives two wet laps in Montreal.  René Arnoux’s frenetic style will leave you high-strung; Alain Prost’s smoothness will lullaby you to sleep.  Sandro Nannini provides an unexpected laugh, flipping off Satoru Nakajima for forcing him onto the grass.  Jacques Laffite serenades you with the sweet sound of his Ligier-Matra.

But the most memorable star in Lap of the Gods is the Tyrrell P34 six-wheeler.  Disc 1 ends with Depailler growling through the streets of Monaco, the four front wheels captured by a high-mounted camera.  Jackie Stewart tries out the landmark design in a private session.  Afterwards, he speaks objectively about the viability of the concept — and politely insists that he is retired.  For the die-hard F1 fan, this collection is a treasure trove.  For the designer, it’s the perfect video to watch while sketching sports cars.  And for the lifelong Detroiter, it’s a chance to remember a time when the Motor City hosted the best drivers in the world (at an average speed of about 80 miles per hour).  To order the 2-disc Lap of the Gods collection on DVD, visit Terrific Stuff Videos at www.terrificstuff.co.uk (Special thanks to Jock Simpson, Alain Boisnard and AFAVA for permission to display an example of their amazing work)