00:0024 of the world's top drivers meet at Silverstone for the Grand Prix of Europe.
00:10British ace Reg Parnell of Derby is number four in the strong Italian Alfa Romeo team.
00:15With only six British cars included, attention is focused on Bob Gerrard and his well-known ERA.
00:21Our white hope in motor racing, the BRM, is only there on show.
00:25The King and Queen are among those who look it over.
00:28It's the first Grand Prix to be watched by reigning sovereign,
00:31and the Royal Party are there to wish the drivers luck, including Prince Bera of Siam.
00:36Earl Mountbatten is president of the Royal Automobile Club, which organised the meeting.
00:41Favourites for the trophy are the Alfa Romeo foursome,
00:44with Louis Chiron and his Maseratis as nearest challengers.
00:4870 laps lie ahead, 200 miles to come, as they thunder away to a perfect start.
00:55Favourites for the Grand Prix
01:05Jumping into an early lead is Juan Fangio, number one, the former bus driver from the Argentine,
01:10and today the most successful racing motorist on the continent.
01:13Leading the Alfa Romeo team, the Argentinian is driving strictly to orders,
01:17with the other Alfa Romeos, two, three and four, following him round.
01:21Chasing the Italian quartet, down the straight from Copps Corner comes the Belgian driver,
01:25Johnny Clays, number 18 in a turbo, and Bob Gerrard, number 12, in his ERA.
01:29Fast working mechanics put the Italian aces soon back on the track.
01:43Closely watched by the Royal Party, they're back in there battling it out, but never seriously challenged.
01:49The halfway mark is coming up, and the order stays unchanged.
01:59Reg Parnell in Alfa Romeo number four is still in fourth place, and Fangio in number one is still out front.
02:05Twenty more laps to go.
02:07Down goes the checkered flag for first man home.
02:09The first one is still out front.
02:11Twenty more laps to go.
02:13Down goes the checkered flag for first man home, and it's Alfa Romeo's number two, Giuseppe Farina,
02:25a broken oil pipe having forced Fangio to retire.
02:31Fangio only is second, Parnell third, a one, two, three triumph for the cars from Italy.
02:46An ovation greets the hero of them all, Doc Farina, 90 miles an hour winner of the European Grand Prix.
02:53Thank you very much.
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