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GRAHAM HILL

13K views 127 replies 18 participants last post by  Trisha 
#1 ·
In my youth i was fortunate to meet and get autographs of many drivers and it was at Brands Hatch in August 1962 i had the pleasure of securing Graham's autograph, bit of a story to this one .
Mum was a great racing fan Fangio , Sterling Seaman, and quite a few others, well Mum decided to take my brother and me to Brands Hatch checking my diary from then it was a race day and there were saloons racing for the Molyslip Trophy, so we set of from home flasks, sarnies, fruit the lot got a train to Swanley and then a bus to Brands Hatch .
On arriving did what everyone did in those days went to look at the cars and the many drivers , now Mum spotted Graham and made a bee line for him standing by John Coombs Jag and asked him for his autograph for the boys.now i can remember him smiling and started chatting to Mum and eventyally he beckoned us over and signed our programmes.
And that was the start of Mum thinking Graham was the bee's knee's , mind you he was attractive to the ladies.
He was in a similar mould to Innes there have been many stories about them in Monaco after racing enjoying theirselves
and in latter year he appeared many times on Sports Review and was very funny .
My personal opinion of Graham Hill is he was one of the best of that era again may not have been quite as quick as Clark but he was very smooth and the king of Monaco, and what a pairing Clark and Hill were at Lotus, so this is just a fraction of what i could say about Hill as a driver great, as a person from what i saw a gentleman, so Graham just a little montage .

Helmet Photograph White Sports gear Eyewear


Outerwear Coat Gesture Smile Suit



Tire Wheel Car Automotive tire Vehicle


Tire Helmet Wheel Motor vehicle Tread



Photograph Vehicle Car Motor vehicle White



Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Automotive tire



Smile Facial expression White Organ Black



Tire Wheel Helmet Vehicle Automotive tire


And a couple of his COOMBS Jag interesting the before and after shot.

Vehicle Car Land vehicle Vehicle registration plate Automotive parking light



Tire Wheel Vehicle Car Automotive tire


Like so many from that era we will never see their like again , Graham Hill was one of the greatest.
 
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#40 · (Edited)
After seeing some of his original interviews at the time on TV (such as the one from his usa hospital bed during one of the Sports Personality of The Year broadcasts), I'm pretty sure if he was able to answer the question today:

"Graham, just what was it that you were looking at when this photo was taken?",

He would give one of those mischievous grins and with a glint in his eye reply,

"Well dear chap, we were asked to wear sponsor badges and I was just checking it was straight of course"
followed by a wink and a cheeky grin.

Ahhh Graham Hill. Such a character, personality in the true sense of the word, sportsman in the true sense of the word and great driver. So sad he was lost so early.
 
#57 ·
Very fine portrait studies of a great man, Mark. More wonderful pictures. Like so many others Graham is still hugely missed. He was such a great character that I still think of him as someone who is still around. For me he's never gone away, which is probably why I continue to paint 1:32 crash hats in the livery of the South London rowing club.
 
#61 ·
I had the pleasure of being able to wander round a few paddocks in that era , what great times they were , the drivers were there with the mechanics and it was normal to see Jimmy Clark saunter by , or Graham and Innes having a joke or two with the public , none of it was unusual then it was just like that .
I always though Jimmy was more on the reserved side but no he could smile and chat, perhaps more technicaln than Hill and Ireland as they were more comical with their quips and sometimes language.
And the first time i saw Bruce and Jack they were walking along together laughing at something wish i knew what , and not only F1 drivers you could get up close to Roy Salvadori, works Ferrari sports car drivers , and the club saloon boys like Doc Merfield, John Young, Nick Britten and so many more , yes i do miss those times when we were young and so free then compared to today , it,s a differant world now , is it better as regards motor sport , depends on your age i suppose, but i still beleive we had the best of it and one thing that never leaves you is the smell of Castrol R in the air.
 
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