Derek Reginald Bell MBE turns 77-years-young today. The fact that the hugely talented five-times Le Mans winner only ran in a handful of F1 races remains an oddity in motorsport.
Yet Bell enjoyed a promising baptism of fire in Grand Prix racing, lining up on the grid of his maiden F1 race with Ferrari at the 1968 Italian Grand Prix!
But the Brit was too often entrusted with second-rate equipment - like the 1972 Tecno seen here - unworthy of his talent to make it work in Formula 1.
Fortunately, a massively successful career in sports car racing would more than make up for his F1 shortfall.
