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Post by René on Jun 11, 2021 20:36:09 GMT
I came across this really nice documentary series on YouTube about Stirling Moss. Part 1&2 are about his career, in part 3 he is interviewed by a select group of well known journalists and in part 4 Stirling drives a Cooper at Silverstone. Worthwhile watching if you haven’t seen it before.
Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss?
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Post by charleselan on Jun 12, 2021 16:51:41 GMT
Great set of films René, of this great driver who is so sadly missed. Funnily enough i have actually had the saying "Who do you think you are, Stirling Moss" by one of Birmingham's finest police patrol drivers. Returning late one evening from my short membership of a Slot Car Club to my Hall of Residence at College, I noticed some lights glued to my rear bumper for several miles in city streets, it was aggressive and provocative. Suddenly blue lights were switched on and I pulled over, followed by a loud bang on my side window with this goon making the earlier statement. My reply must have knocked the wind out of his sales when I asked him what the blazes he was doing in trying to push me off the road in such an aggressive manner, and that maybe he would like to give me his details so that I could progress a complaint. He walked away saying that I should take it carefully in future. But thanks to him I can claim to have been someone who has had that comment said to me  . |
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Post by René on Jun 16, 2021 12:07:26 GMT
But thanks to him I can claim to have been someone who has had that comment said to me . And no one can take that away from you! |
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Post by charleselan on Jun 16, 2021 13:18:33 GMT
But thanks to him I can claim to have been someone who has had that comment said to me . And no one can take that away from you! Maybe not the greatest accolade! Also probably one of thousands who have had the same quoted to them by an officer of the law. |
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Post by Carl on Jun 17, 2021 0:19:12 GMT
And no one can take that away from you! Maybe not the greatest accolade! Also probably one of thousands who have had the same quoted to them by an officer of the law. No doubt thousands have heard that, but you may be the only one whose skillful driving also had the officer convinced you were Stirling Moss. 
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 17, 2021 11:04:05 GMT
Talking about being nabbed by the men in blue I can relate to a time when I was living in the then Rhodesia and was spending my time on military call ups interspersed with bouts of civilian life and varsity. One early Saturday morning, around 03:00, after attending a party at a friends Mess (commune) I dropped another friend back in town to pick up his car. Due to petrol rationing we used to share transport if we were going to the same venue. After dropping him off I pointed my little Renault 4 in the direction of home, gunned the motor and sped off going through a late orange traffic light on the way. It was quite safe as the visibility was clear on both sides and there wasn't any traffic around at that time. Some five kilometers later I noticed flashing blue lights in my mirror. Remembering my highway code about getting out of the way of emergency vehicles, I duly indicated and pulled off to the left. Imagine my consternation when the blue lights turned into two police vehicles, one of which parked in front of me and one behind. I got out of the car to find I was being approached by five policemen, two of whom I knew from school about four years earlier. "You went through a red light" said the senior copper. "It was a very late orange" said I. We agreed on that and they asked me where I lived. I said I was turning off to my folks' house at the next turning about 400m away and then a further 300m to home. "Drive carefully" they said and turned to get back in their vehicles. Feeling full of bonhomie and gratified that I had got off I said "Why don't you pop around to my friend's mess for a whisky". It was just around another corner. "Haven't you got any beer" they replied. "No" said I "We drank it all, why do you think I am driving like this!" They said nothing and drove off. A couple of weeks later I bumped into one of my school friends who was at the scene and he told me that the senior guy was so peed off with me when they were chasing me that he was going to put me in jail for the weekend. I don't think they liked the fact that it took them so long to catch a Renault 4 in their patrol cars. It was only because I was friends with the two chaps that I got let off. I think that was correct and also because I wasn't really driving dangerously, though fast, and they knew what stresses and strains we were under doing military call ups every six weeks for six weeks at a time. Looking back with 65 year old eyes it was irresponsible but times were different and I was only 22. They could have asked me if I thought I was John Love!!
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Post by René on Jun 17, 2021 11:27:01 GMT
Great story Rob! It was a late orange for sure... 
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Post by robmarsh on Jun 17, 2021 14:59:20 GMT
Yep nostalgic pic, thanks Rene. Mine was a burgundy colour, the same colour as one of the local taxi company's R4s though they had a cream stripe running down the waistline from front to rear including the door handles. My friends used to call them pop-up toasters.
I remember we had to replace all the rims because our dogs used to lift their legs on them when I came home and after a three years they had started to rust through. Not sure what my mom was feeding them on but it was pretty corrosive.
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Post by charleselan on Jun 17, 2021 16:02:25 GMT
The Renault 4 is a believe Gordon Murrays favourite car. An amazing little vehicle that is now becoming highly collectable. Quite rare even on French roads these days, you actually see more Citroën 2CV on the road than the Renault 4.
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