Here’s two-time Formula 1 champion and Indy 500 winner Graham Hill, circa 1964, explaining the exquisite art and science of race car setup.

We were thrilled to find this awesome old film snippet (courtesy of Duke Video) on several counts. First, it features one of our favorite racing heroes, Graham Hill. The very picture of an English gentleman and a master craftsman behind the wheel, Hill claimed the Formula 1 driver’s title twice, in 1962 and 1968, and won the Indianapolis 500 in 1966. Infinitely versatile, Hill is the only driver in history to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport: which has been defined two ways; Indy, Le Mans, and the Monaco Grand Prix; or Indy, Le Mans, and the F1 world championship. Either way, Hill is the sole owner of the crown.

In this 1964 clip, Hill is explaining a pivotal development in the evolution of racing cars at around that time: the science of race car setup. All through the early decades of Grand Prix racing, the machines were raced pretty much the same form in which they were constructed. Except for occasional gearing and jetting changes, cars weren’t really adjusted for specific tracks or conditions.

As the technology advanced, especially in tires, dampers, and suspension dynamics, race teams learned how to precisely calibrate the cars for each racing venue, for driver preferences, even for specific corners. And when aerodynamics arrived, tuning became even more critical. (Today, adjustability is an essential attribute in a contemporary Indy or F1 car.) Here we find Hill at the BRM workshop in Bourne, Lancashire, going through the spring and damper settings on his his F1 mount—and in a shirt and tie, no less. Video below.