Classic Amateur Racing Footage Is What YouTube Was Made For

The “Weekend Playlist” series has been going for some time now, and there’s one big bridge we’ve yet to cross: footage shot by amateurs. Somehow, the magic of the internet has spurred on countless racing enthusiasts eager to share their old home movies with the world. It may not all be well-produced or very watchable, but these clips are an entertaining link to the past.

If you’re restoring an older car, trying to track down history, or gain some inspiration for a period-correct build, what’s better than real footage of the way things used to be?

We begin, naturally, with Group B cars being flogged through the 1000 Lakes Rally in period, a contest known for its notoriously fast gravel stages and epic jumps. I should mention: this single clip is longer than an episode of most TV shows, but miraculously has no plot holes.

When we were busy filming the Revs Institute’s Targa Florio-winning Porsche 718 RS 60 back at the Targa Florio earlier this year, we stumbled on YouTube user enzomanz’ channel, which features an impressive array of classic—you guessed it—Targa Florio footage.

This one’s labeled like a home movies would have been: “1960s Longford Australian Grand Prix”. There’s not much here, but finding clips of similar quality is no more than a search away.

Some car clubs have enough history and luck to draw upon years of service to its membership. Founded in 1934, the Vintage Sports Car Club definitely fits the bill, with this mid-’60s clip a great reminder that many of the cars we love have been motoring for a long time.

I’m sure it was much more exciting to hear the roar of the Indianapolis 500 cars as they faced the track in 1941, but we’ll have to make due with silent footage paired with a mute-able soundtrack.

OK, maybe this footage isn’t strictly “amateur”, but it’s not like this was filmed by a CBS crew assigned to cover the Warwick Farm Touring Cars Division 1 race in Australia. Volvos, Mustangs, Minis…it’s definitely a trip back in time. Be happy there are multiple camera angles—it’s a great race.

Have you found any interesting racing clips filmed by amateurs?

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