Clerk’s Notes December 2025

Welcoming 2026: A year of heritage and speed

As the calendar will turn shortly to 2026, we will be stepping into a year brimming with promise, progress, and celebration. It will be a time to embrace fresh opportunities while honouring the milestones that have shaped our Coachmaker world.

Among the many anniversaries this year, for us the most important one celebrates fellowship, community, heritage, craft, investment in young people and above all, friendship – the Coachmakers’ Company’s 350th anniversary commencing in September 2026. For three and a half centuries, our historic guild has championed excellence in coachbuilding, aerospace engineering and automotive innovation, evolving from horse-drawn carriages to the cutting-edge vehicles of today. It will be a momentous time to celebrate the enduring legacy we have strived for in nearly four centuries and reminds us that progress is built on a foundation of skill, artistry, and vision.

But 2026 will not just be about heritage – it’s also about speed, style, and cinematic brilliance. 2026 also celebrates the 60th anniversary of the iconic film Grand Prix, first released in 1966. A masterpiece of motorsport cinema, Grand Prix captured the thrill of Formula One racing with breathtaking realism and pioneering camera work. Its sweeping shots of legendary circuits and heart-pounding drama brought audiences closer to the action than ever before, setting a benchmark for racing films that still inspires directors today. Indeed, I have it on good authority that making a trip to the cinema to see this film actually inspired some of your colleagues and friends to join our esteemed company.

As we welcome the new year then, these anniversaries invite us to reflect on the harmony between tradition and innovation. From the meticulous craftsmanship of the Coachmakers to the adrenaline-fuelled artistry of Grand Prix, both stories celebrate human ingenuity and passion. So, let’s raise a toast to 2026 – a year where history meets horsepower, and where the road ahead promises excitement, elegance, and enduring inspiration.

However, as we do this I thought it would be good to keep the reader on their toes with a tale of the darker side of Grand Prix, one of intrigue and rivalry that will send your pulses racing (pun intended!).

Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie – the story and controversy behind a forgotten dream

Steve McQueen, often hailed as the “king of cool,” was more than just a Hollywood icon. Beyond his legendary roles in Bullitt, The Great Escape, and Le Mans, McQueen harboured a deep passion for motorsport – a love that would inspire one of the most intriguing “what if” stories in film history. This story revolves around Day of the Champion, a Formula 1 movie McQueen dreamed of making in the mid-1960s, and the documentary Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie that resurrects this forgotten chapter. The tale is as much about ambition and rivalry as it is about fate and missed opportunities.

The birth of a passion project

By the early 1960s, McQueen was riding high on Hollywood success. His rugged charm and daredevil persona made him the perfect candidate for action-packed roles, but his heart was increasingly drawn to racing. After starring in The Great Escape (1963), McQueen’s friendship with director John Sturges deepened, and together they conceived an audacious plan: a feature film about Formula 1 racing. The project, titled Day of the Champion, would be based on Robert Daley’s book The Cruel Sport, a gritty exposé of the dangers lurking behind the glamorous façade of F1 racing in the 1960s.

McQueen envisioned a film that captured the authenticity of the sport – its speed, peril, and human drama. He wanted real racing footage, real drivers, and real circuits. To achieve this, Warner Bros backed the project, and McQueen enlisted top talent, including Stirling Moss as an advisor and Jackie Stewart as a consultant. Early filming began at the Nürburgring during the 1965 German Grand Prix, producing stunning 35mm footage that remained unseen for decades.

The rivalry that changed everything

What McQueen didn’t anticipate was that another Hollywood heavyweight had the same idea. Director John Frankenheimer, working with MGM, was developing Grand Prix, a rival Formula 1 film based on the same source material. The race to be first on the big screen became a high-stakes Hollywood showdown. Both studios dispatched crews to European circuits, and both projects aimed to capture the essence of F1 during its deadliest era.

Initially, McQueen’s project seemed ahead. With Sturges at the helm and McQueen’s star power, Day of the Champion promised authenticity and adrenaline. But fate intervened. McQueen was contractually bound to star in Robert Wise’s epic The Sand Pebbles, a production that ballooned from nine weeks to seven months. While McQueen was stuck in Taiwan filming a war drama, Frankenheimer accelerated his schedule. By 1966, Grand Prix was in full swing, starring McQueen’s friend James Garner – a casting choice that reportedly soured their relationship for nearly two years.

Why did McQueen lose the race?

Several factors doomed Day of the Champion. First, timing: Frankenheimer’s aggressive push ensured Grand Prix hit theatres in 1966, sweeping awards and acclaim. Second, studio politics: Warner Bros grew wary of escalating costs and delays, especially as McQueen’s availability remained uncertain. Third, creative clashes: McQueen’s insistence on authenticity – using real cars, real drivers, and minimal Hollywood gloss – clashed with the studio’s desire for a commercially viable spectacle.

Ultimately, Warner Bros shelved the project. McQueen, deeply frustrated, redirected his passion into Le Mans (1971), a film that embodied his uncompromising vision but also became notorious for production chaos and financial woes. Ironically, Le Mans would cement McQueen’s status as a racing icon, even as Day of the Champion faded into obscurity.

The lost footage and its rediscovery

For decades, Day of the Champion was little more than a footnote in McQueen’s career – a tantalising “what might have been.” Then came a twist worthy of a Hollywood script. Archivist Richard Wiseman stumbled upon reels of pristine 35mm footage while combing through an American stock library. Among the reels were breathtaking shots of the 1965 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, including car-to-car sequences featuring Stirling Moss. These rushes, unseen for more than 50 years, formed the backbone of Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie, a documentary directed by Alex Rodger and narrated by David Letterman.

Premiering on Sky Documentaries in 2021, the film offers a vivid glimpse into McQueen’s unrealised dream. It combines archival footage, interviews with racing legends, and behind-the-scenes anecdotes to reconstruct the saga of ambition, rivalry, and heartbreak. For motorsport fans, the rediscovered footage is a revelation – equal in quality to Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix and arguably more authentic in spirit. It is a fabulous watch and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in not only Formula 1 but Hollywood power plays and egos!

The controversy and cultural impact

The controversy surrounding Day of the Champion lies not in scandal but in the clash of egos, studios, and artistic visions. McQueen’s fallout with James Garner epitomised the personal toll of the rivalry. Garner, who landed the lead in Grand Prix, later admitted that McQueen’s silence lasted 18 months – a testament to how deeply McQueen felt the loss. Industry insiders have speculated that Warner Bros mishandled the project by failing to prioritise McQueen’s schedule, while others argue that McQueen’s perfectionism made the film commercially risky.

Beyond Hollywood politics, the story resonates because it reflects McQueen’s relentless pursuit of authenticity. His desire to portray racing as it truly was – dangerous, visceral, and unsanitised – anticipated the modern era of sports documentaries. In many ways, Day of the Champion was ahead of its time, foreshadowing the gritty realism that audiences now crave in films and series such as Senna or Drive to Survive.

Legacy of a lost dream

Today, Steve McQueen: The Lost Movie stands as both a tribute and a lament. It celebrates McQueen’s passion while reminding us of the fragility of creative ambition in the face of circumstance. Had Day of the Champion reached the finish line, it might have redefined racing cinema years before Le Mans. Instead, it remains a fascinating “what if” – a story of a superstar who lost the greatest race of his career, not on the track, but in the boardrooms of Hollywood.

For fans of McQueen and motorsport alike, the documentary is essential viewing. It not only revives a forgotten chapter but also invites reflection on the nature of artistic rivalry, the cost of perfectionism, and the enduring allure of unfinished dreams.

In reflecting on these stories – of heritage preserved, of speed immortalised, and of dreams pursued even when unfinished – we are reminded that every generation contributes its own chapter to the grand narrative of craft, community, and courage. The Coachmakers’ 350th anniversary and the cinematic legacy of Grand Prix both stand as testaments to human ingenuity and passion, urging us to carry forward tradition while embracing innovation. As we step boldly into 2026, may we do so with pride in our past, confidence in our future, and joy in the fellowship that binds us together. And so, with one voice and one spirit, I wish you all a resounding and heartfelt merry Christmas and a happy new year from the Hallatts.

Coachmakers’ Winter Livery Dinner – Thursday 22nd January 2026, Watermen’s Hall

The Coachmakers’ Livery Dinner held in January is normally the event at which the annual Award to Industry is presented; this year the event will be entitled the Winter Livery Dinner and the Award to Industry will be presented instead at the Banquet in June 2026, for which more detail will follow shortly.

The Winter Livery Dinner 2025 will be an intimate affair held in Watermen’s Hall, which we have not visited since 2020. It is a delightfully elegant 18th century Georgian hall and the home of the Doggett Coat and Badge awarded to the winners of an annual rowing race on the River Thames dating back to 1715. For more information click here.

The meal will be presented by our good friends at The Cook and The Butler Event Company and we are extremely fortunate to have as our guest of honour, Charlie Ross. Charlie is a renowned antiques expert and auctioneer, best known as one of the regular presenters on BBC’s Bargain Hunt. Away from television, he has built an international reputation in the world of classic cars, conducting prestigious auctions at Pebble Beach and Scottsdale for Gooding & Company. His record-breaking sales include a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa Prototype for over $16 million, a Ferrari 250 GTO for more than $38 million, and a 1935 Duesenberg that set a US auction record at $22 million. It will be a fascinating evening for sure.

Timings:
18:45 Reception
19:30 Dinner
22:45 Carriages

Dress: Black tie with badges and decorations where appropriate.

Please note that Watermen’s Hall is a smaller hall (max 77 people) than we normally frequent and space is limited, especially as we are Swearing and Clothing many Coachmakers – some who have received their Freedom of the City of London on the same day – so please book here as soon as possible because once all the seats have been taken, they’ve been taken.

Good news at the end of the year

Coachmakers recently visited Lotus Cars and the money raised from our donations to be part of the tour raised £800. Please see the certificate of thanks we received below.