Treasure trove of unseen 1950s racing movies hits the starting line

Facing mounting medical bills last year, Suzy Dietrich sold off her collection of memorabilia from her days as a racer during the 1950s and '60s. One of the bigger buyers was Cliff Reuter, operator of Etceterini.com, who took several of Dietrich's home movies of '50s-era races at Sebring and elsewhere and put them online. Who needs a DeLorean when you can travel back in time from your desktop?

What the videos lack in sound -- which given the machinery passing a few feet from the camera must have been glorious -- they make up for in a parade of rare metal at speed. Wheeling around in open-cockpit cars wearing t-shirts and flappy helmets, Dietrich's shots show just how little separated driver and danger. Here's one example from Sebring in 1958; check out many others at Etceterini's video page: