The Heroic Days

2/18/2024

Shell made quite a few of these historical movies and this is very much to type. Heavily but interestingly archive laden, it tells the story of the evolutionary racing car. Starting in 1902, we are introduced to standard touring car racing from Paris to Vienna (The Gordon Bennett Cup). There are also specifically designed sports car - all built to the standard that they do not exceed 1 ton! Bigger engines and chassis allow for speeds up to 90mph. France lead the way with Rene de Knyff seen here. In Ireland in 1903, the cars look and sound quite fragile as cheered on by enthusiastic crowds on a closed course, this time, due to city to city races being temporarily banned. Camille Jenatzy took the plaudits in a very clunky looking Mercedes. 1904 see more manufacturers taking part - so we need