McQueen: The meeting. The lost Whitmore files by Peter Windsor
0To the backdrop of the glowingly-reviewed new documentary about Steve McQueen's F1-film-that-never-was (Sky Documentaries, Now TV, Jan 01, 2021, 21:00 GMT) here is the first of several never-seen-before chats with the late Sir John Whitmore, one of Steve's closest friends. Sir John was a brilliant racing driver in the 1960s - particularly in Alan Mann and factory Fords (Lotus Cortinas, Cobras, GT40s) but he also shared a works Lotus Elite with Jim Clark at Le Mans; won the 1961 British Touring Car Championship in a works Mini Cooper and drove Fastback Lotus Elans for Stirling Moss. A first-rate skier, close friend and mentor to both Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart (who shared Sir John's infamous apartment in London, renamed "The Scots Embassy") - a man of modesty and charm - Sir John befriended Steve in 1961, when he taught him how to drive around a closed circuit and lent him his Mini for an end-of-season race at Brands Hatch. In this video, Sir John speaks about his first meeting with the man and the star who became the global icon that was Steve McQueen.
With thanks to:
AP Archive
https://aparchive.com
Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org
The Times
https://thetimes.co.uk
Globe
https:eu.globebrand.com
Watch "Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie" on Sky Documentaries and Now TV. Jan 01, 2021, 21:00 GMT