If 1967 was the year of the classic Formula 1 car — and at the risk of dating myself, I'm saying it was — the archetypal model was the Lotus 49. The slender, Cosworth-powered racer is all speed, technological perfection, fragility, and danger. Driven by Jim Clark, himself the archetype of the young, enigmatic, ultimately tragic racing hero, the Lotus 49 did not even have seat belts. Clark would die on April 7 the following year in a crash likely survivable with today's safety standards. 1968 F1 cars did sport technical innovations for speed's sake, however — fins and wings for downforce that began to turn F1 into an increasingly aeronautic sport. Monocoques and tires thickened, too, until the blob-like, six-wheeled '76 Tyrell looked like a deformity after a nuclear power accident when compared to the lithe purity of Clark's 49. Traditional national colors began to disappear as the commercial era dawned. Lotus' British racing green gave way to the red and cream of Gold Leaf cigarettes and eventually John Player Special black. In the eighties, Benetton's rainbow became a particularly apt livery for a team representing no nationality, only a corporate consortium. Ah, well. This lovingly produced video from ITV includes a rousing test drive around Silverstone by Martin Brundle. Considering that you're watching this on your…

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