Five years ago(!) I started a series using various Polaroids that Alan Davis saved from Frank Bellamy’s studio after his death - which is fifty years ago this year!
I was looking at some images on my computer and felt it was time to pick this up and do this during Bellamy's anniversary year. In the article referenced above I stated: Alan has other images that are worth discussing. Well, let's get started and give them names and show them here so if any Internet Detectives fancy having a go at offering opinions, we might identify these.
CASTROL GTX ADVERT (#13)
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| Unknown #13: Castrol GTX |
On the 27 January 1971 an entry was made in Frank Bellamy’s cash ledger that he was due £65 for a piece of work for Dorland Advertising Limited (121-141, Westbourne Terrace London, W1). Unfortunately it was payment for a rejected piece of work - Castrol GTX and what Dorland called a "cartoon drawing"
In Bellamy's version the emboldened and italicised words below differ from the published version.
FRANK BELLAMY VERSION
When you run a team of competition cars, oil pressure is one of the last things your drivers should have to worry about. They've enough on their minds at the best of times.
What they want to see on the oil pressure gauge is a satisfactory level in all temperatures and driving conditions.
The oil that impresses me most [in the competition field] is Castrol GTX. The Castrol boys have been really ingenious in their use of additives - producing an oil that can 'slip' easily and quickly at low temperatures - and retain bulk when things get hot.
The additive that helps GTX slip is called a long-chain polymer. It has another important effect, because it's a bit like a piece of spaghetti, it winds [flows]around revolving parts and packs tight in the bearing. Wear goes down - pressure up.
In our business [In the world of motor sport], we have to rely on the people with the most expertise in their field. That's why we choose Castrol for lubrication. As for GTX, we think it's the best oil they've made.
If it keeps our cars happy think what it can do for yours. [We rely on Castrol, why don't you?]
Stuart Turner is Director - Motor Sport - Ford of Europe.
PUBLISHED VERSION
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| Motor Sport April 1971 p.343 |
We wrote to Stuart Turner in 2023 and he kindly replied but unfortunately remembered nothing of this campaign at all! It was a long shot but it's most likely after getting permission that the advertising agency wrote the captions. Stuart was British Champion Co-driver for 3 years before he changed to a team management position, first with BMC later with Ford where he was Director of Motorsport. In both positions he and the team had several wins internationally. He later became a motivational speaker using his experience to talk about teambuilding and motivation. He died in 2025
Castrol GTX was launched in 1968 and the GTX name came from GT (Grand Touring) - was a prestigious designation for high-speed, long-distance road cars and X (The Performance Suffix) was frequently used in the 1960s as a marketing suffix to denote "extra" or "extreme" performance.
I found two other adverts from 1971 done in the same style, but don't know the artist. Did the agency use an internal artist? Why reject Bellamy's version? Another mystery which may never be solved.
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| Ralph Broad and Paddy Hopkirk - Castrol GTX 1971 |
JOHN BULL 1973 (#14)
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| Unknown #14: John Bull leads 1973 |
For this image taken from a found Polaroid in Bellamy’s studio, I see John Bull leading baby New Year into 1973. The big event in Britain at that time was that Britain officially joined the European Economic Community (EEC), commonly referred to as the Common Market, on January 1, 1973. Is this what Bellamy was representing? And for whom? I've searched the Daily Mirror (with whom he had a relationship) and the Daily Express but found no such drawing. If anyone else finds it, I'd love to know about it.
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| Artist unknown |
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| Saturday Evening Post 31 December 1910, art by Joseph Christian Leyendecker |
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