I don't need speakers to hear this...

[Truckman]

The sound is burned into my memory...I watched, and heard, this very car in 1968 at the Gran Prix of Monaco...That race was not run on a dedicated racetrack, but rather on the streets of Monte Carlo...We arrived a couple of days early in my 1956 VW sedan so we could watch the practice laps...These were not run at speed, the drivers had to contend with normal street traffic just to familiarize themselves with the circuit...So I got to watch Jean-Pierre Beltoise impatiently pick his way through Citroen 2CV's, Lotus Europas and Bentley saloons while memorizing turns, pavement angles and landmarks for the upcoming race...Then I got to watch again as he and the other drivers whizzed by us, only slowing down for the curves then rowing through the gears again to get back up to speed...Our viewpoint was somewhere near the casino, but the only time we got close to the cars was during practice...

But the real memory is in the sound of that Matra V-12...It was never a successful engine on the track, but the music it made was unforgettable...Three liters of displacement, four overhead cams, it was naturally aspirated with mechanical fuel injection...The cylinder pairing and the exhaust timing are what contributed to the sound, and also aided in scavenging the exhaust from the next pulse...Note how the six exhaust pipes are paired from two cylinders that fired 360 crankshaft degrees from each other...I hope my memory of that is correct because it's how the sound was explained to me...

Beltoise retired early with engine problems...Only five cars finished with Graham Hill taking the checkered flag...It was my one and only Gran Prix and this video brings the memory of that sound back to me......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

I'm not sure that I ever saw that car but that was the period that I didn't miss a single US Grand Prix. They were run at Watkins Glenn NY.

Ferrari has a very distinctive sound as well--and also 12 cylinders. That sound, however, is higher pitched than what I heard on the video. At the end of the day---if any of those cars at full throttle don't stand the hair up on the back of your neck---call the undertaker

[Truckman]

Ferrari has a very distinctive sound as well--and also 12 cylinders. That sound, however, is higher pitched than what I heard on the video.

You are correct, and I've heard 12-hole Ferrari's also, but the Matra had an exhaust note in person that I'll remember long after my favorite diesels have faded from memory, even though it was French...That car ran at Watkins Glen later that same year with Beltoise behind the wheel again...Like Monaco, it was a DNF......Ben

[Truckman]

I'll add that I went looking yesterday for the photos I took with my Kodak in that era...I think I found most of them, all 35mm slides...I don't have a viewer for them, and my new scanner is unable to digitize them...I don't want to spend $500.00 on a dedicated slide scanner, so I'll drop them off at Walgreen's photo center and see what they can do...I still have my duffel bag in the garage, packed as it was when I drove out the main gate of Holloman AFB in 1969...As time permits, I'll look in it for any other pics...I hope to find some pics of the race......Ben

[wacojoe]

Never saw or heard that era’s gran prix cars, but followed them in the press. As I recall, these engines wound out at near 12,000 rpm! That’s screaming.

[Truckman]

As I recall, these engines wound out at near 12,000 rpm!

From the link in my OP the Matra made its peak HP (390) at 10,000 rpm...From there and up, power tapered off......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

You are correct, and I've heard 12-hole Ferrari's also, but the Matra had an exhaust note in person that I'll remember long after my favorite diesels have faded from memory, even though it was French...That car ran at Watkins Glen later that same year with Beltoise behind the wheel again...Like Monaco, it was a DNF......Ben

I remember Beltoise but not Matra.

Just thinking about the sounds of those screeching engines, has caused goose bumps on my arms

[Truckman]

I remember Beltoise but not Matra.

That's surprising to hear from a died-in-the-wool Ford guy like you, Dave...Matra had their greatest F1 success with the MS80, a joint venture with Ford...Jackie Stewart took the 1969 World Championship in one...As always through history though, the French couldn't make a decision on who they wanted to partner with in the long tun, and they never again hit those heights......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

I may well have heard of them---but any memory is faded now

On another note, you mentioned Graham Hill--he happened to be one of my favorites and I saw him win both at the Glenn and the Indy 500. He was one cool driver. At Indy he was so seemingly relaxed I expected him to rest an arm on the side panel as he wheeled around.

Trivia question for you---the white markings on his helmet represent what?

[Mike]

...........Trivia question for you---the white markings on his helmet represent what?

Pigeon droppings?

[Truckman]

Trivia question for you---the white markings on his helmet represent what?

They represented oars...He was a member of the London Rowing Club......Ben

[UTAH]

I think it was a great loss to the sport when Graham Hill died in that 1975 plane crash.

Hunter

[Dave Grubb]

They represented oars...He was a member of the London Rowing Club......Ben

[Truckman]

I hope to find some pics of the race......Ben

Walgreen's no longer processes film or digitizes slides, however Humble Camera Center does it all in-house...The former owner there also had a commercial reloading business, and used to buy the spent brass and lead bullets from Shooter's Station...He has since retired, and the camera shop is now owned by one of his long-time employees who is carrying on the tradition of quality service...

The pic below, assuming my information is correct, is of Jack Brabham, who qualified second in his Brabham-Repco...Suspension problems forced his retirement at Lap 7...I can't remember where I was when I took this pic, but I think it was somewhere near the casino...I've started an article with this and other pics from that trip on my photo blog...I don't have all the photos posted yet, but I'm doing so as I process them...I counted 98 all totaled......Ben

[Mike]

There is a place on Louetta West of Kuykendahl called PhotoSource that does just about anything photo or video.