23/04/2025
FEATURE BY MAX NOBLE
...what it used to be.
Ah! And there is a thing. Esteemed Editor Balfe recently wrote about the sad demise of Clem Burke the long-time Blondie drummer. Mr Balfe then suggested a series of mighty fine tracks from the band's golden years to ease the pain of people lost. I promptly turned to Apple Music and dived back into the late 1970's with a smile on my face as I cruised the far-too-straight roads of Perth. American Gigolo, and Blondie's Call Me remain a 1980 cultural highlight.
So it is that I've had a happy-sad driving experience these last few days listening to Heart of Glass, Union City Blues, Atomic, Tide is High, Dreaming, Call Me, and a stack of other great songs the band hammered out in rapid succession. Parallel Lines, their third studio album, came out in September 1978. That's 47 years ago dear reader. Ouch.
F1 season 1978? Mario Andretti was drivers' champion piloting his JPS-Lotus to the win. Ronnie Peterson was second. A position tragically awarded posthumously as he died from injuries sustained at Monza that year. Carlos Reutemann was third in the Ferrari, while defending champion Niki Lauda had left Maranello the previous season and managed fourth in his Brabham.
Mario won six of sixteen races that season. Carlos managed four wins, While Ronnie in the other Lotus-Ford managed two wins prior to his tragic demise. Gillies Villeneuve took the final victory of the year for Ferrari at the Canadian GP. What a season!
Ford, despite lengthy time away from F1, remains the third most successful engine manufacturer behind Mercedes and Ferrari. Ford have powered ten Constructors' Championship wins, thirteen Drivers' Championships and a total of 174 GP victories.
Between 1967 and 1983 the Ford DFV V8 won 155 GPs, the first being Jim Clark at the 1967 Dutch GP, and the last being Keke Rosberg at the 1983 Monaco GP.
Ferrari meanwhile were in the middle of their revered flat-12 history. The first generation Ferrari 312T was an evolution of the 1974 312B3. Mauro Forghieri designed it for a 1975 debut and it raced on in various evolutions until 1980. 1978 saw the switch from Goodyear to Michelin tyres, and a power output from the naturally aspirated flat-12 in the region of 515hp (around 384Kw). Screaming to a 12,500 rpm redline. Now that was an engine which made a noise!
This was a golden age for Ferrari in terms of romance and drivers. Niki Lauda, Clay Regazzoni, Carlos Reutemann, Jody Scheckter, Gilles Villeneuve. Each to prove a masterful pilot of their classic motor racing cars.
Brabham! This was in the days when Bernie owned the team and Gordon Murray was manipulating the set-square, paper and pencils. The BT46 was a well resolved car. Like the Ferrari it was powered by a flat-12, but this one claimed to be supplied by Alfa Romeo. Niki Lauda and John Watson managed to pedal the car to one win, and third in the constructors'. Not too bad.
The BT46-B was the infamous 'fan car'. No, not a Liberty Media push to sell more merch. It had a huge fan underneath the car to wonderfully enhance downforce. Niki cheerfully won in it first time out. The FIA considered it legal... Yet Brabham pulled it of their own accord. Some years later Gordon claimed this was because Bernie was trying to build his standing with the other manufacturers so he could gain control of F1. He felt pummelling them into the ground with his fan-car was not going to win him too many friends. The rest, as we all know, is now history.
V8, V12, V6, Turbo, No turbo. Supercharged, Flat-12, Fans, Aero, Wings, Wide rubber, Tyre wars, Increasing safety. Jackie Stewart still the only human who can get away with tartan trousers in public. Rolex watches. Tag Heuer Watches. Sir Lewis' fashion choices.
What makes a beautiful day? Rain at Silverstone? Rain at Monaco? Hometown hero winning home race? Scotsman in a kilt running down the back straight? Daniel doing a Shoey?
The Hunt vs. Lauda season? Both of them now removed from this plain of existence. Howling Ferrari flat-12 F1 engine which was at least slightly related to the flat-12 in the road going Berlinetta Boxer?
Gilles flying into those horrid catch fences at the Belgian GP? Jacques being so ironclad he raced and won the championship despite the manner of his father's death?
Colin Chapman and Jim Clark being a single entity? Graham Hill being a legend?
Max Mosley and Bernie being a double act for the ages? The golden age of tobacco money, and girls on the grid (I'm looking at you Camel...).
Sixteen races made one season. Driving was dangerous, which made heroes. There was no money in it. The teams and drivers did it for love of the sport, speed and raw competition. So legends were built. Myths created. Memories burned into minds across the world. Which Liberty Media has now monetised. Our joint nostalgia has been sold out. So. Nostalgia is not, and never will be again, what it was. And that's ok. No one can take those memories from each of us. History has been written, and for the most part, correctly recorded and recalled.
Remember mix tapes? When we'd spend hours getting our current favourite tracks on to a C90 cassette for road trips? I've still got a stash of around fifteen cassettes for one of those moments when I find myself in a 1970's Dino and the options are (a) engine noise, or (b) cassette player. You know what? I think I'm going to go engine noise, and then stream my favourites in high-definition digital glory when I get home.
Synchromesh. Light clutch pedal. High revving engine. Our F1 heroes were better then. The road cars more fun. And... simply face it, the music was superior.
I'll take a Ferrari tee-shirt. A Berlinetta Boxer to go. And an eight-track of Blondie's best. Oh, and a bloody good French Red and a pair of Persol sunglasses. Thanks. Nostalgia road trip here I come! Gee... why am I seeing a pair of old man's hands on the steering wheel...?
Max Noble
Learn more about Max and check out his previous features, here