What is the allure of "old tat"?

[911MRP]

Couldn't resist these old boxed Edward Lewis Westover nomex racing boots as worn by msny of leading drivers circa 73>
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Hunt wearing them inspecting his RHD first series RS before the repaint
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Joest 73 RSR...
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Stewart on two wheels...
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Fittipaldi in championship year...
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Sheckter..
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Peterson too
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Hunt being a freewheeling sort used to cut off the toe sections...
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[Xavier PJB]

Very cool !
Is there any continuity in production like or some repro ?
X

[911MRP]

No these are vintage originals ...old racer said he'd only used them to set up a race car and had taped up soles and heels with masking tape to protect them. Can't see me ever wearing them but seemed too nice an item to junk. Nicer than the modern vintage style stuff but obviously not got approvals. Got old school 70s race suit and nos Nomex socks that I won't wear either.

Redman at Sebring in March 72 looks to be sporting a pair of these boots while soaking up the sunshine
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[911MRP]

...
.while I'm sure Mr Redman has latest approved footwear and always uses them when racing interesting to see him still sporting a trusty old pair of Westovers in the paddock at Goodwood today as he wore nearly fifty years ago. He too seems to find allure in old tat

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Steve

[RSTarga]

They were pretty much the only game in town back then, very comfortable, suit for purpose. Who made the all leather booties like Pedro Rodriguez wore? I've never been able to find out, maybe custom?

[911MRP]

Hi David

Looks like Pedro Rodriguez also wore Westover by Edward Lewis but the leather driver version with just couple of lace-hole version rather than the nomex full lace-up race version favoured by most drivers shown in the many earlier posts above.

Pedro Rodriguez choice of footwear is fairly clear in this photo with the distinctive lighter shade ( possibly tan? ) leather heel cup
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Seem very similar to this example in particular that heel pivot usually being a contrast colour and distinctive shape designed for driving
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The trademark cup shape heel is referred to as a functional point for drivers by Jenks in this Motor Sport article.

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The above appeared October 1965, it says “ Those readers who scan the advertisements in MOTOR SPORT before they read the editorial matter, and who doesn’t, will have seen frequent advertisements for Westover Driving Shoes, but do not suppose many will realize that the man behind Westover is not only an established shoe manufacturer in Northampton, but also one of the regular racing crowd on British circuits. Edward Lewis has been in club, national and International racing for many years with saloon cars, and various models of Lotus (not the shoe manufacturers, but the Cheshunt cars.) and developed the current Driving Shoe, as well as Grand Prix driver’s racing boots, while racing himself. Apart from its reasonable price and soft leather the Westover has a crafty wrap-round heel that makes a good Pivot for the heel when driving and does not dig holes in the carpets, as my present normal shoes have done to the carpets on the E-type Jaguar in 20,000 miles. Due to various big business deals in the shoe industry Lewis is having to re-organise his shoe manufacturing and intends to concentrate on footwear for motoring people, so it is nice to know that there is a manufacturer of a non-mechanical article amongst us who can look after our needs. You don’t have to drive all the time, when wearing Westover’s, as I have found, you can sit about in them and even walk in them as well! – D.S.J”

Westovers were made in county of Northamptonshire U.K. long famous as quality footwear centre for decades
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These are Westovers but the distinctive heel shape and colour is not clear from this angle although ther might have been variations?
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I have two versions both the blue Nomex racing boot shown in my OP and a pair of leather driver style like Rodriguez — what you call booties — also Westover by Edward Lewis. My leather ones have a big label like the drivers boot. I’ll post picture of these leather ones when next to hand.

As you say they and were the only game in town for a while until the Italians but that started which was around 1965 according to this article. A bit of a false start with glue rather than stitched but soon modified:

https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/t...de-for-racing/

While period photos do show drivers did indeed wear regular shoes as stated in the Hagerty article I don’t think the narrative in this article is balanced in timeline. I believe Westover were around from the early sixties.

Certainly the Jenks article (reproduced above) stated the Westover adverts had been appearing in MotorSport some time before October 1965 do we’re commercially available that year.

From the article in the link the Italian race boots didn’t seem to have got going in any commercial quantity beyond the initial glued then modified three prototype for 1965. Sernd not really offered in any commercial scale until after Elford was offered a free pair for event of 1968? The Hegarty article says:
“though he’d have to wait another few years for his big breakthrough. That came thanks to some fleet-footed marketing in the Targa paddock, as recalled by veteran road racer Vic Elford: “In 1968, Ciccio came round to all the drivers saying he’d like to make a special pair of racing shoes for us” he says. “Everyone else was dismissive, but I took him up on his offer.

Probably fair to highlight out the chronology from the two narratives. Particularly in light of the dismissive spin on the Northampton made driving footwear 1965 in the Hagerty web link. I don’t doubt the Italian ones are wonderful but to dismiss the Northampton race boot offerings as “ clodhoppers” when still adorned the feet of so many driving greats for another decade into the seventies ( as evident in some the photos in prior posts) is not balanced reporting by Hagerty article. Lewis died a few years ago so can’t tell his story.

It is correct period photos show dome drivers did wear regular shoes back then but equally clearly specialised driving product Edward Lewis branded also existed and was being offered commercially in motoring magazines as far back as 1965 it seems! Not just a few samples.

In addition to Lewis another BRDC member Les Leston in U.K. also made racing lace up boots Protex brand in the 60s
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As well as leather lace up driving boot and slip on shoes in the sixties as featured in catalogues and adverts for accessories in Motor Sport.
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Also around from roughly mid 60s but while some similarities they are different style to Rodriguez leather ones in photo above. They had a more pronounced and angled heel on the leather ones when compared to that of Westovers and dint seem to have the contrast cup shaped heel.

Not FiA approved today obviously but if Brian Redman still occasionally wears his Westover vintage Nomex pottering around historic event paddock now then that’s good enough for me to kick around in too

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When I spotted him in them them at the goodwood FoS paddock and had a chat about them he said although he has an wears current FiA approved ones to comply in events he really prefers these vintage nomex Westovers — pair which maybe even date back to this photo in 70s
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Steve