I was reluctant to recommend this DVD video series to our visitors. Who but the most dedicated vintage racing fan would want to sit through seven hours of action, mostly shot from the driver's seat? But then I remembered a period, decades ago, when sports car sound effects LPs were popular among aficionados and I was hired as writer/announcer for two such race events. The first, a Canadian grand prix recording, was underfinanced and poorly marketed. The second, a play-by-play of the 1961 Canadian Grand Prix, wouldn't have made it to the Grammy awards but at least it had a novel album cover (rear view of girl waving checkered flag, wearing tight pants and no top). F1 Champion Graham Hill added his voice to my commentary and the great Pedro Rodriguez won the race.

To celebrate the release of "GT Racer: The Series," the producers are giving away the Double DVD (6x1 hour episodes) together with Shaken & Stirred (the rarely seen 1 hr pilot that gave birth to the series) for only £19.99 (normally £34.98). I'll leave it to you to translate pounds to US and Canadian dollars but with the pound currently depressed it looks like a bargain. That's seven hours of classic motorsports, friends. The producers say "imagine the style and feel of Frankenheimer's 1971 Grand Prix with wa-a-ay more beautiful cars. Astons, Cobras, Ferraris, Jaguars at the Nürburgring, Silverstone, Spa, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock and Porto's street circuit." What they're actually saying is that these classic cars can be viewed in action, complete with the sound effects that were once revered in Hi-Fi format.