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Auto Unions and Coopers.
The Auto Union engines were in front of the rear axle so they were mid-engined, the wayward handling was as much to do with the monstrous power and the stupid swing-axles as much as horrid weight distribution.
None of which detracts from your point, which I completely agree with. Apart from the coincidence of the engine position, there is almost nothing in common between the two. A monster V12/16 versus the little Climax engines. The first 'modern' chassis layout (borne of using bike engines and chain primary drive on the F3 cars) versus a chassis compromised by aero and packaging such a huge engine.
Oh, and I forgot to say thanks for providing such an entertaining thread. Any post with 250Fs gets my vote.
Racing History at the Start Line: Richard Mille, the Grand Prix de Pau, and the RM001
Before Monaco, before LeMans, and before the idea of street Grand Prix racing moved further east to Singapore, Pau was the place. Most racing drivers have been here, nearly all the racing legends have raced here, and yet the place remains a relative unkno...
Historique Racing at Pau
g [The ERA overtaking the Cooper-Bristol] The other racing revolved around single seat racing from the Grand Prix racing eras that had been before: from the Bugatti’s of the 1920’s, through the Maserati’s and the Alfa’s of the 1950’s, through to the Lotus...
Good stuff, Andrew!
Thanks for the great coverage! Must've been a blast to see all those great cars in action. Btw, love that classic Cooper-Alta. Very very cool.
Even with the weather not playing along, it was a great event.
I remember the LeMans Classic from 6 years ago. What was once a quiet event has turned into an over-subscribed scramble for places on the start line. I have no doubt that this event will also be as successful. Love to see the old machines racing around th...
Thanks a lot for this superb report Andrew.
The pics of the cars are great. I also like the idea of the gap between these old cars and the very innovative approach of the Richard Mille watches. Fx
Thanks Foversta - when Richard started with the RM001,
he was concerned with the art of engineering, the techniques to produce a watch that was new in form. The last ten years, from the luxury of hindsight, really have shown how far he has pushed these ideas. Thanks for reading Andrew H
The Racing Machine on your Wrist: the RM001
g [Photo courtesy of Theodore Diehl] The other part of history being celebrated this year is a decade since the RM001 debuted; it is where the racing machine on the wrist started. It seems difficult to believe that the RM001 was only released 10 years ago...
Thanks Andrew...I learn so much about
the thought process and design details behind RM everytime I read one of your posts. I need to reconsider my preconceptions of the brand and examine them closer. I love the racing history too! Best, Mike
Thanks Mike - glad to be helping you on your path to your
first Richard Mille! Andrew H
A tip of the proverbial cap, Andrew. This post resonates . . .
. . . because racing was my formative passion as well. There is no competitive endeavor that approaches the blend of skill, character, and technique that road racing requires. I've said this many times before, so I hope you'll forgive the repetition: the ...
Thanks Art. I agree! Richard will, without doubt, be
remembered for his innovation and ability to push limits with materials and design. As we look back on his watches in the next decade, I am certain that in the same way we see vintage race cars as art and artistic form, Richard's watches will fill the sam...
Looks like FUN!
And very much Richard Mille i must say! Thanks for the coverage Andrew! Stephen
Thanks for the report Andrew
Looks like a lot of fun. And the RM001 will be a historically important watch for many reasons, in my opinion. - SJX
I think the RM001 will be an important watch historically
and perhaps now, 10 years on, some of us in the watch world are realizing this. I think the full impact of the RM001 has yet to be accounted for, but will in the coming years. Thanks Andrew H
Oooh!
This looks dangerous! It's slick out there and the driver is all exposed! Yikes! Well, Richard is one of the leading motorsports enthusiasts amongst the horological community so I'm sure he could've driven the track even under those conditions (But, Richa...
The track was dicey - and there were some accidents.
But I think no one (fortunately) was hurt. Just hurt pride and the headache of getting the car repaired. Andrew H
Thanks for the report..
.. and the lecture. Very interesting read indeed. I am hoping to see lots more RMs around here one day. Have to frequent the boutique Thanks! Ken
Richard Mille: When the words ridiculous and
sublime are uttered in the same breath! The RM001 took many of us by surprise and quite a few years before the RM series made sense as "an evolution after the revolution". Much like the Coopers moving the engineering paradigm, Richerd Mille moved the watc...
Very true - and good point. The difference was in
the mounting of the engine and the size/balance of the car. The engine with the Auto Union was firmly at the rear of the car and made the car very difficult to handle. The Cooper was mid-engined and 'balanced' with a low centre of gravity. The difficulty ...
Auto Unions and Coopers.
The Auto Union engines were in front of the rear axle so they were mid-engined, the wayward handling was as much to do with the monstrous power and the stupid swing-axles as much as horrid weight distribution. None of which detracts from your point, which...