The Power and the Glory
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Play S1 E1The Power and the Glory was a 13-part television documentary series shown between 4 October and 27 December 1991 on BBC2. The series covers 100 years of motor racing history.
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The Power and the Glory
13 episodes
1. The Fastest Men on EarthThe first Grand Prix was won 85 years ago at 73 mph. This year's Indianapolis winner averaged 176 mph.CCOct 4, 1991
2. The Road RacersMillie Miglia, Targa Florio, Carrera Pan Americana - the names of the great road races have disappeared from the racing calendar, but they still evoke the history of motor racing at its most full-blooded. But as the power and speed of cars rose, so did the death toll of drivers and spectators. The sport was banned in the 1950s. Today's alternatives include racing in the Mexican desertsCCOct 11, 1991
3. The Right StuffWhat makes a champion racing driver? Some of the sport's great names, including Nigel Mansell and Stirling Moss offer an insight into what took them to victory. And at a school for racing drivers, students find out if they have that combination of skill, courage, toughness, and the will to win.CCOct 18, 1991
4. The PioneersThis is the story of the remarkable men whose daring and skill pushed the top speed of racing cars from around 20 mph to over lOO mph in the pioneering age of the sport.CCOct 25, 1991
5. The AristocratsThe 20s and early 30s saw the expansion of grand-prix racing and the introduction of technical advances like supercharging and the first single-seaters. The designers produced some of the classic cars of all time - Bentley, Bugatti, Alfa RomeoCCNov 1, 1991
6. Years of ThunderFrom zero to 300 mph in six seconds, nose-to-tail racing at 200 mph, ear-splitting exhausts, gigantic crowds - this is motor racing the American way. Both drag racing and stock-car racing started illegally on the streets of America and have become part of the country's popular culture. Today they are multi-million-dollar businesses. The stars of these sports explain how it happenedCCNov 8, 1991
7. Racing for the ReichHitler knew that victory on the grand prix circuits would demonstrate the Third Reich's technical superiority and bring his new Germany great prestige. So with government subsidies, both Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union set out to build a winning car, and the swastika became a familiar feature on the racetracks of the 30s.CCNov 15, 1991
8. Forests Deep, Mountains HighRallying began as a genteel amateur sport for those with a sense of adventure - today it is highly competitive, with special cars, large back-up teams and professional drivers.CCNov 22, 1991
9. Those Red CarsThe story of the brilliant red cars of Italy - so elegant to look at, so easy to drive - which dominated grand-prix racing after the Second World War, featuring, in particular, the great classic of its time, the Maserati 250F.CCNov 29, 1991
10. The RevolutionariesIn 1958, a little Cooper Climax, driven by Stirling Moss , won the Argentinian Grand Prix. It was the first time in the modern era that a mid-engined car had won a grand prix. The front-engined racing car was soon consigned to history. This is the story of the men behind this very British revolution, which started in a family garage business in Surrey.CCDec 6, 1991
11. Making a MarqueFerrari, Porsche and Jaguar all made their reputations by winning on the racetrack. In the 1930s, MG were among the first to build a road car which could be raced. Jaguar's string of successes in the 1950s at Le Mans helped sell their sports cars all over the world. Using specially-shot footage, Making a Marque looks at some of the world's most beautiful sports cars which proved themselves first on the racetrack.CCDec 13, 1991
12. The Richest PrizeTo win the Indianapolis 500 is an American dream. The drivers share over $7 million for just one race. This year's winner, Rick Mears , has won the richest prize in motor sport four times. He describes what it is like to drive round the famous track at speeds approaching 240 mph. "You work all year to try and win this one," he says. The programme features some of the great races and spectacular crashes. With classic archive material, it evokes the most dangerous and exciting age of US motor racing, the Board Speedways of the 1920s. In these high-banked ovals, built of wooden planks, drivers of some of the earliest single-seaters, the Millers, risked all in pursuit of riches and the American National Championship.CCDec 20, 1991
13. State of the ArtHow Formula 1 was transformed into a multi-million pound global business. Featuring interviews with racing drivers Nigel Mansell , James Hunt and Gerhard Berger, and team bosses Ron Dennis, Frank Williams and Ken Tyrrell.CCDec 27, 1991
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The Power and the Glory
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The Power and the Glory was a 13-part television documentary series shown between 4 October and 27 December 1991 on BBC2. The series covers 100 years of motor racing history.
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