Love at second sight for Derek Bell and his very first sports car

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed earlier this year, Derek Bell was reunited with the very first sports car he ever raced. And you’ll be surprised to hear that it wasn’t a Porsche…

First dance

Had Jacques Swaters of Ecurie Francorchamps not invited Derek Bell to drive his Ferrari 512S at Spa in 1970, who knows whether the young Brit would have forged the enduring and ultra-successful career in sports-car racing he subsequently enjoyed? Fortunately, the folks at Blackbird Automotive were on hand to capture the moment the pair was reunited at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, as documented in these two beautiful and evocative videos. Ensure the volume is turned well up for part two – the sound of that V12 is truly spine-tingling. As one commenter succinctly concludes, Derek’s ‘smile at the end says it all’.