Bell Bullitt Helmet

[Django]

some interesting Bell stuff and possibly how the helmet got it's misspelled name

"The first full face motor racing helmet was developed by Dan Gurney in the 1960s. Gurney first wore the helmet at Indianapolis in 1968, and then became the first driver ever to use a full face helmet in Grand Prix racing, at the 1968 German Grand Prix.

Dan experimented with various helmet versions in his early racing days.... as early as 1958 when he built a leather mask to cover his face.

The mask was designed after he was “repeatedly hit by small stones bouncing off the surface of the track” that came at you like “bullets”. He tested the mask at some open wheel races in 1962 but wasn’t comfortable until it was later refined.

During the years that followed, he worked with Bell Helmets in California where he helped to develop the first full face helmet. He had seen motorcycle racers wear similar ones at Ascot Raceway in California. Dan wore the first full face helmet at Indianapolis in 1968 and then also introduced it to Formula I racing at the British and German Grand Prix in 1968. He was at first a bit ridiculed but within months other drivers adopted the full face helmet and now we cannot imagine how they ever raced without them."

The original Bell Star (the one Gurney wore) had a very small eyeport... When I started in the MC business in 1970, Bell Star helmets were like this, and many riders complained about a lack of peripheral vision. I would think this would be like riding in a cave after wearing a modern FF helmet. But... they have brought it back called the "Classic".

https://www.bellracing.com/helmets/vinta...ar-classic

...and priced it double or more.