Priceless car dropped in Monte-Carlo
1970s F1 car damaged at last weeks Historic Monaco Grand Prix
We've all felt like a bull in a China shop at some point, for me it was in the crystal department of a nice store. And I'm sure we've all dropped something expensive at some point...something that didn't belong to us.
But dropping a priceless 1970s Formula 1 racing car from a height of six metres in front of a local crowd and millions of spectators on the other side of the TV cameras...oops!
The Historic Grand Prix takes place annually a week or two before the infamous Monaco Grand Prix. This year the event took place from 13th to 15th May 2016 and saw some spectacular vehicles, including a 1973 version of the McLaren M23. The car was driven by 1967 champion Denny Hulme, Peter Revson and 1979 champion Jody Scheckter. Emerson Fittipaldi (1974) and James Hunt (1976) won their world championships in it.
Because so few cars were ever built, and were driven by some of the sport’s biggest names, they don’t come with a price tag. This car was one of those...priceless.
It happened to break down at the chicane at the Monaco harbour and had to be removed from the track by the marshals. Hoisted on a crane to move it out of harm’s way, the tether appeared to give way and the priceless car dropped six metres to the ground, with equally as priceless appendages falling off.
The video below shows the full extent of the 'accident' at around 30 seconds in. The commentary is in French but the images speak for themselves.
A bad day for the marshals and, no doubt, for the owner of this exquisite piece of F1 history!
