Well, let me tell ya somethin’ about them John Player Special things. I don’t know much about fancy cars or races, but I heard some stories, you know? Like them old fellas chattin’ at the corner store.
Folks say there was this Team Lotus, real famous back in the day. They won a bunch of races, I guess. Fast cars, makin’ a lotta noise. And this John Player fella, he made cigarettes, see? And he wanted folks to buy ’em. So he put his name, that John Player Special, on them cars. Black and gold, they were, shiny like a new penny.
Now, back then, things were changin’. Used to be just cars racin’, but then them big companies started puttin’ their names everywhere. Like that Marbloro, they made cigarettes too. And Yardley, they made stuff for ladies, powders and such. Everyone wanted their name on a winnin’ car, guess it made folks buy their stuff.
This fella, Johnny somethin’, he wrote a book about it all. Black and Gold: The Story of the John Player Specials, they called it. He knew a lot, see? Worked for some outfit that helped promote them races. Said them John Player Special cars, they were somethin’ special, alright. With that JPS thing, all twisted up and fancy lookin’.
- First off, them cars were black, black as night.
- And then they had that gold, shinin’ bright.
- Made ’em stand out, you know? Couldn’t miss ’em.
And them cigarettes, John Player Special cigarettes, they were popular too. Everyone smokin’ ’em back then. Guess seein’ their name on them fast cars helped sell a bunch. Smart fellas, them cigarette makers.
This John Player fella, he started his company way back when, 1877 in some place called Nottingham. Made tobacco and cigarettes. And them ads, they were somethin’ else. Pictures that stuck in your head, packages you could spot a mile away.
Then, in the 70s, them Lotus cars, they started lookin’ like cigarette packs! All black and gold with that JPS logo. Won a bunch of races too, them championships in ’72 and ’73. So, they made some special cars to celebrate, called ’em John Player Special (JPS) cars. Big Valve cars, they were. Sounded powerful, I bet.
It was a big deal, you know? This company, makin’ cigarettes, puttin’ their name on these fast cars. John Player Special and Lotus, together. Like peas and carrots, I guess. Everyone knew them cars. Everyone knew them cigarettes. That’s how it worked back then.
Heard tell there was this fella, worked for them John Player folks. Helped get their name out there. Smart fella, he was. Knew how to make folks notice them cars, them cigarettes. And that Johnny fella, the one who wrote the book, he knew all about it. Said it was a special time, them glory years. Cars racin’, money flowin’, and cigarettes sellin’.
It’s all different now, I reckon. Don’t see them John Player Special cars racin’ no more. And folks don’t smoke as much neither. But them old timers, they still remember. Them black and gold cars, zoomin’ around the track. And that name, John Player Special, stickin’ in your head like a catchy tune.
So that’s what I know about them John Player Special things. Not much, maybe. But it’s somethin’, right? A little bit of history, a little bit of racin’, a little bit of cigarettes. All mixed up together, like a bowl of stew.
Anyways, that’s what I heard tell. Folks talkin’, you know? And some of it sticks in your head, like it or not. Them John Player Special cars, they were somethin’ else, from what I gather. Black and gold, fast and loud. And them cigarettes, well, they were part of the story too.
And that’s the god’s honest truth, as far as I know it.
