I know drunk driving is terrible, no question whatsoever, and no one should be so irresponsible. I think we all can agree on that. But I do have to say that watching a bunch of 1977-era British people get really liquored up and try to drive on a closed test track in a well-supervised environment in some fantastic old cars is definitely entertaining.
These sorts of tests have been done before, but I’m not sure I’ve seen a video with as much cavalier delight as this one. There’s a couple of MG drivers here (one in an MGB GT, one in a Midget) that are having fun showing off, drifting their little cars in the tight confines of those cones. And then there’s the sheer volume of the booze consumed here: the main featured drunk driver here put away four pints of beer and seven whiskies. Holy crap, that dude can drink.
Here, just watch the video:
What I’m sure you noticed first is that for a closed course type of test, this course seems to hardly be closed, as there’s a freaking dog that manages to get in there and chase the cars, especially the MGB GT, around:
Bang up job, mates! You only let one dog in there! And I can’t really tell if the driver is even aware of the dog, even when sober, as there are far too many close calls there. Or the driver really trusts that dog?
Part of the appeal of this strange little video are, of course, the cars. It’s mostly classic British iron, with one notable exception. There’s a really nice Mini, as you can see above, and it feels very at home amongst this tight and confining cone-maze that they set up here.
Also, you have to really respect these camerapeople, carrying like a dozen typewriters’ weight in video equipment on their shoulders, crouching down in front of some drunk dude in an MG, whipping the car around like crazy. How did they not get hit? Maybe they did?
The Midget driver does a good job whipping through the course, and even manages to find space to do a drift, which is fun to see. Pre-booze, of course.
They do include some footage of ’70s-era Britons getting loaded, just so you know they’re not lying, and everyone seems very brown and layered and covered in long, ’70s hair, happily putting away plenty of booze.
Here’s the lone non-UK-made car: a Beetle, what looks to be a ’68 or ’69, with those Euro-spec taillights that had amber indicators but no reverse lamps.
I think maybe the drunkest driver is the one behind the wheel of this Mark 3 Ford Cortina estate; he manages to get a cone jammed up in the wheelarch there and doesn’t seem to notice. I’m not sure if this driver is at the same four-pints-and-seven-whiskies level of the MGB GT driver, but I bet it’s at least that, which makes me impressed this dude is even able to shift into gear and remain upright in the seat.
I was excited to see this rear-engined Rootes fella in the mix; this one looks like a Sunbeam Imp Californian, one of the coupé/fastback versions of the Hillman Imp.
I’m not really sure just how scientific this test really was, but I suspect everyone had a pretty good time, and to be honest, it being 1977 and all, I wouldn’t be shocked to find after this test they just gave everyone a cup of black coffee and sent them off to drive home.
The post Watch Some Really Drunk Brits Try To Drive In Some Great Old British Iron appeared first on The Autopian.
