“The Boy From Brazil” – McLaren Ford M23 – Emerson Fittipaldi Signed Diorama, Brazil 1974

I always look forward to the Goodwood Festival of Speed every year. There’s a lot to love about it.. the cars, the setting and (even sometimes) the lovely weather. But the thing I love most about it is being able to get close to the drivers who attend the annual event.

As a small boy I was lucky enough to be taken to the British Grand Prix a number of times by my parents, and I would stand at the side of the circuit straining for a glimpse of the unreachable world of the pits and paddock, and the heroes who dwelt within. The greatest thing about Goodwood is that it allows me to be my eleven-year-old self again, but this time I can walk amongst my heroes and see them as they go about the business of driving these classic old machines.

One such encounter allowed me to meet the 1972 & 1974 F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. I’d read that “Emmo” would be in attendance, so took a pre-existing diorama base with me and was delighted that he was able to sign it as I waited outside the McLaren garage. I was then able to get hold of a Tameo kit of the 1974 McLaren, which I then built over the coming months. The hardest part was the helmet design, but I was able to get some wonderful custom decals from Grand Prix Decals.

Here are a couple of videos which I took at the time…

It was a real thrill to meet such a legend of motorsport, and even more so for him to sign a diorama base for me. The design was slightly compromised by the track position having been pre-defined, but I was pleased with the end result. I hope that you enjoy this diorama, I’ve included some “work in progress” pictures below…