Back before KERS, DRS, paddle shifters and onboard computers, Formula One racing cars were basically just huge engines that happened to have wheels and transmissions attached for the sake of convenience. Could two drivers from the modern era even handle them?
Current Mercedes F1 drivers Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg got a taste of what Grand Prix racing was like in the mid-20th century recently when they did a parade lap in two storied Silver Arrow racing cars. Hamilton is in a W154 from the late 1930s, and Rosberg is in a W196 from the 1950s, the same kind of car that recently fetched a record $30 million at auction.
Now, for safety reasons and to preserve these cars' mechanical integrity, they never go flat out. But they do get a sample of what things were like for drivers decades ago. Hamilton says his car has a finicky gearbox (What, you can't drive stick? Just kidding, that doesn't look easy), but both seem impressed by the cars' power, if not their safety features.
Click the YouTube link to see a transcript of their conversation. It's a fun read. And here's the lap from another angle: