Iconic is a word that gets bandied about all too easily these days, but if you want to find a truly iconic British racing combo, look no further than the front cover of Autosport on 17 July 1975.
The special issue ahead of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, it featured rising star James Hunt at the wheel of his Hesketh and Autosport backed up that choice to front the magazine in their preview.
“Although Niki Lauda in his beautiful flame red Ferrari 312T has won four Grand Prix this season, the result is by no means a foregone conclusion. His biggest challenge comes from a British team based just three miles from the course in Towcester. We are talking, of course, about the Hesketh Racing entry for James Hunt…if we can be biased for a minute, we sincerely hopes he does win.”
In the end, Hunt finished fourth amid race ending carnage when a hailstorm from the 53rd lap saw three of the top four – Jody Scheckter, Hunt and Mark Donohue – crash at the same corner, leaving Emerson Fittipaldi victorious.
Autosport produced a fantastic preview issue that was fully worthy of the drama of the race, and you can read it all here.
