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Wonderfully atmospheric paddock scene from the 1952 British GP at Silverstone. Alta #1 is chassis F2-6 owned and driven by Graham Whitehead who's brother Peter had won the previous year's Le Mans race with a C Type Jaguar and also run the BRM V16 in the 1951 British GP.
The car is being refuelled and the figure in the glasses on the right is the legendary Alf Francis who went on to become Stirling Moss's mechanic of choice at the peak of his career. In the backgroud is a wonderfull ESSO fuel lorry and on the right, the Whiterhead equiope's transporter with a virtually bald front tyre....
Whitehead finished 10th in the race from the middle of the grid, the race was won by Ascari in his works Ferrari.
The two cars closest to the camera are Alta #6 raced by Australian F A O (Tony) Gaze, the man who 'discovered' Goodwood circuit and Alta #8 Gordon Watson. Neither car did very well finishing a the back on heat 2 and Watson retired early in the final while Gaze didn't even make the start!
Lovely period details such as the attire of the people, the transporters and other trucks in the background (one of which is the Ecurie Ecosse transporter) , the tail end of a works Le Mans Aston Martin DB2 and in the far distance the tail of John James Maserati 4CLT/48 Grand prix car .
Lovely shot printed up from an original 35mm negative held in our archives.
Newly printed up in a commercial photo lab from the original slide held in our archives
Copyright wording does not appear on the actual photo
