Some interesting history about Steve McQueen’ s film Le Mans made in 1970. I did a post on this a long time ago but as there are now many new members the story would have been missed. Also in view of the current posts probably worth repeating. I’ve also added some more.
The background to all this is due to my friend Bud Rossler, who with his brother Ed, ran Stirling Moss’s racing team in the 1960s, the Stirling Moss Automobile Racing Team (SMART) – good name, sounds like it belongs to James Bond!
Steve McQueen’s Solar Productions borrowed many racing sports cars for the film and one car was a Lola T70 that belonged to an English driver, Robin Orme and Bud, as something of a T70 expert, was to look after the car during the lengthy filming session. During the making of the film Bud became friendly with Steve and his crew and when his obvious talent was spotted he was offered a salary four times greater than he was earning. He accepted and that move was to see him in film special effects for the next 14 years in many parts of the world. I could write a book!
Bud was asked to assist with radio controlling the full size cars for the accident sequences and as old and rather worn out Lola T70s were more expendable than original Ferraris and Porsche 917s, replica Ferrari and 917 bodies were mounted on the Lola chassis as confirmed by Graham (GTA917)..
The first scene was set up at White House corner and two French guys were placed side by side on a high scaffold so that they could have an elevated view of the circuit. One was to radio control the throttle and the other the steering,
quite a tricky operation. The 917 with dummy driver at the wheel was set on its way and then the throttle man gave far too much stick. The mock-up 917 went into a wild tail slide, hit the Armco barrier and tore off the radio aerial which was taped to the long tail and which also controlled the steering. The steering man was frantically trying to get the 917 on the straight and narrow but there was no response. The out of control 917 sped along the track smashing itself to bits against both sides of the Armco. More by good luck than good judgement the accident scene was so perfect that it was included in the film. Many people were under the impression that it was a genuine film of David Piper’s accident. By coincidence both accidents happened at the same place and were almost identical with Piper’s car slewing from side to side against the Armco barrier just the film star 917. People who thought that David’s accident was the one in the film can therefore be forgiven!
David’s car broke in half in mid-flight and the only thing that held both halves together with his foot stuck under the throttle. The wreck landed in a ditch with brake fluid dripping on to the open wound, which contributed to the eventual amputation. Two nuns were first on the scene and Bud who was filming on another part of the circuit was there within minutes.
In hospital in England when David was depressed and pondering his life without a right foot and motor racing, former Ferrari engineer and works driver, the late Mike Parkes walked into his room with legless WW11 flying ace Douglas Bader. Bader grinned at Piper, dropped his trousers and said, ‘Look at me, old boy, you have nothing to worry about!’ David said that that was a huge wake up call that motivated his path to recovery.
In February this year in Cape Town, David (born December 2, 1930), told me that at a recent classic race at Le Mans he got the 917 up to 210 mph down the Mulsanne straight. ‘You’ve obviously forgotten!’, I said.
Bader and Piper are without a shadow of a doubt members of the British Bulldog breed!
In the next scene a mock-up radio controlled Ferrari was set off on the start and finish straight between the pits and grandstand. As it accelerated, locked in second gear, with dummy at the wheel it suddenly veered left and smashed into the Armco.
Bud pondered the problem and realised that the steering column was locked solid and would only respond to radio control. He also figured out that a pair of human hands on a steering wheel would constantly make slight adjustments and movements to allow for changing conditions and surfaces. It clearly need some form of slack and then he remembered that he had once seen a computer clutch drive that could do the trick.
There is an airfield behind the grandstand at Le Mans and Solar Productions had its own plane, a Cessna or Piper, there on stand by. Bud asked Steve if his pilot could fly him to Paris and off they went. In Paris Bud found exactly what he wanted and rushed back to the circuit. He cut the steering column in half and inserted the clutch drive. For the next run he sat on the back of the next Ferrari mock-up ready to grab the steering wheel but all went well, the clutch drive was perfect.
In another scene a Ferrari was to crash into the forest over a hidden ramp at Indianopolis corner. The scene was to be in the wet but it was a sunny day. A water truck sprayed water in front of the car and all over the circuit but not underneath the car. When the radio controlled throttle was activated the old Chevvy V8 got wheelspin and when the rear wheels hit the wet section the Ferrari went sideways into the Armco. Another write off!
When they finally got this scene right the Ferrari flew so far that the camera man had to run like hell to get out of the way!
One happy memory Bud has was how at the end of the day’s work the film crew would often have a barbeque and how Steve would join them for a chat and jokes. He also remembers Steve’s young son riding around on his Husqvarna scambler.
Sad that Steve McQueen, an icon, a film star and racing driver, with so much more to give had to be taken by cancer. He rates as my all time great and I’m sorry that I never met him. He used to call on Stirling Moss when I worked for him and I believe that I missed him by one day in the office. I did however see him jump out of taxi in Bond St and sprint across the road in typical McQueen style. In the ‘Great Escape’ he did the bike jump scene over the fence himself. If I remember correctly the scene was shot on Sir John Whitmore’s estate in Essex and a whole group of racing drivers, including Bob Olthoff who told me the story, were there to watch. Great years, no wonder nostalgia is looming large!
If you rush off to your local friendly video shop for ‘Le Mans’ you’ll see the scenes mentioned above.
The wail of a Ferrari V12 and the angry grunt of a stock block V8 down the Mulsanne straight were symphonies of a different kind! Somehow at night it sounded even better! Will I ever forget.
Enjoy life while you can,
Andre 40.
