Tag Archives: Formula One

Britain’s World Beater – BRM P578 #P578/1 Old Faithful

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In 1961 BRM were running late with their 1.5 litre 91.5 cui engine program to meet the new Formula One engine regualtions and so came up with an interim design the P48/57 which was powered by a proprietary Coventry Climax engine like most of the British ‘Garagiste’ teams. For 1962 their new V8 was ready and though it was no more powerful than the Coventry Climax the BRM V8 did rev to 11,000 rpm as against only 7,500 for the Climax. The space frame from the 1961 car formed the basis of the ’62 challenger which was known as the P578.

D Hill, BRM P578, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

Richie Ginther joined incumbent Graham Hill on the BRM driving strength from ’61 World Champions Ferrari. The main challengers for the 1962 World Drivers and Constructors Championships emerged as BRM and Lotus who had introduced a revolutionary new Climax powered car the Lotus 25 which featured a sheet aluminium monocoque chassis in place of the space frame constructed from tubes as was common practice up to that time.

D Hill, BRM P578, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

First blood in the 1962 season fell to Graham Hill in the Netherlands where Jim Clark finished last of the runners in 9th place 10 laps down in the new Lotus 25. Bruce McLaren won the Monaco Grand Prix in his Cooper Climax, the last win for the marque for three years until 1966. Jim Clark won for the first time in 1962 at the Belgian Grand Prix where he was followed home Graham Hill. The French Grand Prix saw a fourth different winner in the form of Dan Gurney who was driving a Porsche 804.

D Hill, BRM P578, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

Jim Clark became the first repeat winner of the ’62 season when he won the British Grand Prix from John Surtees driving a Lola Climax Mk 4. Graham Hill then won the German Grand Prix again from Surtees in the Lola. In Italy Graham became the first three time winner in ’62 when he led team mate Ritchie Ginther across the line. At the ’62 US Grand Prix Clark led Hill home by nearly 10 seconds.

Going into the last race of the season the superior reliability of the less radical BRM meant that Jim Clarks only opportunity to win the ’62 Championship was to win the South African Grand Prix held in East London. Clark won pole with Hill alongside him and dominated the race until he developed an oil leak with 25 laps to go. Five laps later Clark retired leaving Graham to claim his fourth victory of the season and his first World Drivers Championship. BRM also won their only World Constructors Championship seventeen years after Raymond Mays had founded the team to build a “British World Beater“.

Today’s featured car BRM 578 chassis #P578/1 known as ‘Old Faithful’ was driven for much of the 1962 season by Graham Hill. The car which belongs Collier Collection in Florida is seen here at last years BRM Day being driven by Graham’s son 1996 World Drivers Champion Damon Hill.

Thanks for joining me on this “Britain’s World Beater” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Magnesium DFV – Cosworth

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Looking like a cross between a 1923 Grand Prix Voisin Labatoire and a 1954 Lancia D50 the Cosworth Formula Car designed by Robin Herd.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth, the geniuses behind the Ford Cosworth DFV Formula One engine that dominated Formula One from 1968 to 1982, decided to engage former McLaren designer Robin Herd build a car which would maximise the advantages of their powerful DFV V8 in 1968.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

Herd took a more radical approach to the application of all wheel drive to Formula One than either Colin Chapman’s Lotus 63 or Jo Marquart’s McLaren M9A, although no where near as radical as the V12 powered MATRA MS 11 all wheel drive with hydraulic drive to all four wheels.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

In order to keep the driver’s seat low and accommodate the drive shaft running from the motor and gearbox in the rear to the wheels at the front the driver was slightly offset from a central seating position.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

The Cosworth was tested by Mike Costin, the ‘Cos’ in ‘Cosworth’, Brian Redman, Trevor Taylor and Jackie Stewart.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

Trevor Taylor was penciled in to debut the Cosworth at the 1969 British Grand Prix, however as the testing had shown the car worked best with little or no drive to the front wheels the entry was withdrawn.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

While the Cosworth shared the same 3 lite / 183 cui DFV motor design there was one essential difference between the Cosworth works unit and those supplied to Lotus and McLaren, the block was cast in magnesium to save weight over the aluminium cast DFVs supplied to Cosworth’s customers.

Cosworth, Donington, Park Museum

The Cosworth never did race, as BRM’s Tony Rudd had predicted after BRM’s experience with the all wheel drive BRM P67 all wheel drive would never work in Formula One, and after being demonstrated at the British Grand Prix at Brands Hatch in 1970 it found it’s way to the Donington Park Museum where it is seen in these photographs.

Thanks for joining me on this “Magnesium DFV” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres”, I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Dinger’s All Wheel Drive – McLaren Ford M9A

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After the limited success of the Ferguson P99 in circuit racing from 1961 to 1963 Peter Westbury drove the P99 in 1964 and won the British Hillclimb Championship.

McLaren Ford M9A, Donington Park Museum

Meanwhile Andy Granatelli working with Ferguson had entered Bobby Unser in the Studebaker STP Special for the 1964 Indy 500 where he qualified 22nd but retired after an accident on the opening lap. BRM also became interested in all wheel drive in 1964 building the BRM P67 to test the system in anticipation of the forthcoming 3 litre / 183 cui motors that were to be mandated for Formula One in 1966. The P67 was driven in practice for the 1964 British Grand Prix by Grand Prix debutant Richard Attwood where the car was the slowest to take part. BRM concluded remarkably quickly that all wheel drive held no benefits for them and with drew the car from the race.

McLaren Ford M9A, Donington Park Museum

In 1968 Peter Westbury resurrected the P67 to win the British Hill Climb Championship again. By this time the Granatelli entered ’67 Paxton Special and ’68 Lotus 56 had both come with in 25 miles of winning the Indy 500 in successive years with gas turbine cars both featuring all wheel drive.

McLaren Ford M9A, Donington Park Museum

By 1969 four teams were ready to try all wheel drive again despite BRM’s Tony Rudd telling anyone who would listen that the system would not work in Formula One. One of those teams was led by Bruce McLaren who helped Swiss designer Jo Marquart with the Ford Cosworth powered M9A.

McLaren Ford M9A, Donington Park Museum

The car was tested and entered into the 1969 British Grand Prix for Derek ‘Dinger’ Bell to drive. Derek qualified 15th, of seventeen, and retired having completed just 5 laps when the rear suspension failed.

McLaren Ford M9A, Donington Park Museum

For McLaren this was enough to confirm what BRM had realised, that all wheel drive was not for Formula One, by 1969 improvements in aerodynamics and tyres which by now were much wider than when the Ferguson P99 first appeared had reduced the necessity for drive to the front wheels.

Thanks for joining me on this “Dinger’s All Wheel Drive” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Primer Car – MATRA Ford MS9

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For 1968 Ken Tyrrell joined McLaren and Lotus by electing to buy a supply of Ford Cosworth DFV engines and did a deal with MATRA, who’s chassis he had run in Formula 2, to supply Formula One chassis for Jackie Stewart. While finishing the new MS10 challenger MATRA built the MS9 as an interim development car featuring a shortened MS7 Formula 2 monocoque which was adapted to take the DFV as a stressed member.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

The interim car was fitted with suspension adapted from it’s sports car programme to acommodate the larger Formula One wheels. The car was painted in a zinc or other chromate pigmented primer usually found in the aerospace business, MATRA’s prime business, to protect aluminium alloy.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

Jackie liked the car in testing and elected to race the primer test car in the 1968 South African Grand Prix in favour of the new MS10. Apparently a late attempt was made to paint the car French blue but the paint chosen did not adhere to the primer.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

Finance for the new MATRA International Team was provided by a new natianalised French oil brand Elf, which took over a large number of French Caltex retail outlets in 1968 that were subject to a carefully orchestrated overnight nationwide rebranding program.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

Having qualified an impressive third with only the Lotus 49’s of Jim Clark and Graham Hill ahead of him, Jackie Stewart stepped into the MS9 to start the race knowing he did not have enough fuel on board to complete the race without a pit stop.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

However on lap 43 the car had to retire with a broken valve spring and dropped valve.

MATRA MS9, Donington Museum

This car was then replaced by the MS10 for the remainder of the season. Note the curved grey bar is part of a subframe that links the rear suspension and gearbox directly to the chassis which kept the rear suspension and gearbox in place when the engine was removed.

Thanks for joining me on this primer car edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

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Pressure and Success – BRM Type 25 #258

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By 1954 Alfred Owen of the Rubery Owen Group had taken over the running of BRM from the British Motor Racing Research Trust which had been set up nine years earlier to build a British World Beater. The 1.5 litre / 91.5 cui supercharged V16 cars were updated to a short wheel base spec since there were few races for them to compete in that required large capacity fuel tanks necessitated by Championship Grand Prix race distances.

The World Championship started running to 2.5 litre regulations in 1954 and the first two races of the season were won by Juan Manuel Fangio who was entering what turned to be his prime driving a six cylinder Maserati 250F. Fangio then moved as agreed pre season to the Mercedes Benz team who were embarking on their third blitzkrieg on the top echelon of the sport in 60 years. Fangio won the ’54 and ’55 World drivers championships with the German team who successfully applied desmodromic valve and fuel injection technology to their straight eight W196 cars.

Fangio joined Ferrari, who were running V8 powered D50’s gifted from Lancia, in 1956 to win a third straight title and then rejoined Maserati in 1957 to win a forth straight and record fifth title with the Maserati 250F. Fangio retired midway through ’58 and his championship records stood for nearly 50 years until a German called Micheal Schumacher came along and broke them early in the 21st century.

BRM Type 25, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

Meanwhile Chez BRM things were progressing at a more leisurely pace a new Type 25 car was being designed with a simple 4 cylinder engine with large valves and an interesting three disc braking system with the rear disc being mounted on the back of the transaxle. Despite being much simpler than the V16 the car did not make it’s first public appearance until September 1955 by which time the Owen Racing Organisation had bought a Maserati 250F and entered it into a couple of World Championship events for Ken Wharton who finished a best 6th in the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix. Peter Collins drove the car in two World Championship events in 1955 but retired from both.

The Type 25’s, chassis type P25 and engine type P27, were supposed make their World Championship debut at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix but were with drawn after the valves were damaged. Three cars were entered for the 1956 British Grand Prix but none finished however Mike Hawthorn led a BRM 1-2 followed by Tony Brooks for a while before retiring with a suspension problem. Brooks crashed out with a sticking throttle, his car ended up a completely burnt out right off, while Ron Flockhart retired with valve trouble after completing just 2 laps.

BRM Type 25, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

The Type 25’s did not appear in the championship again until Monaco in 1957. Nothing substantial was achieved by way of championship results but the Type 25’s did start winning non championship races, Jean Behra scoring the first at Caen.

1958 saw Jean Behra and Harry Schell compete in most of the races with the Type 25. Behra finished a seasons best third in Holland one place behind team mate Schell.

BRM Type 25, BRM Day, Bourne, Lincs

Jo Bonnier replaced Jean Behra who had moved to Ferrari in 1959 and with team owner Alfred Owen having agreed to hand over two cars to the BRP team to run for the remainder of the season prior to the ’59 Dutch Grand Prix the pressure was really on BRM to deliver going into the race. Bonnier arrived at Zandvoort with the disappointment of having almost won the Targa Florio in a Porsche having led most of the way.

The Type 25’s were quick in practice much easier to handle on their 15″ wheels than on the original 16″ with the benefit of much less tyre wear. After a great race with the works rear engined Cooper Climax’s driven by Marsten Gregory, champion elect Jack Brabham and the Rob Walker entered car of Stirling Moss all of whom experienced gearbox issues the smoothly driven BRM Type 25 #258 of Jo Bonnier crossed the line first to win the BRM team’s first Grand Prix 14 years after the team’s announcement in 1945. BRP headed by Stirling Moss’s father offered to reverse the agreement with Alfred Owen and settled for just one car #2510 which they ran in distinctive light green with white wheels livery.

Despite the BRM finishing 3rd in the World Constructors Championship the writing was on the wall that front engined cars were obsolete as the Coopers of Moss and McLaren convincingly won the last three races of the season and Jack Brabham won the first of two consecutive world championships.

Chassis #258 was purchased by Spencer Flack from The Hon. Amschel Rothschild in 2001 for an alleged £1.5 million. The following year while racing the car at Philip Island Spencer sustained fatal head injuries when he was thrown out of it. The car which had split in two and caught fire was rebuilt at the insistence of his widow and now belongs to John Pearson who is seen at the wheel in these photo’s taken at last years BRM Day.

Thanks for joining me on this “Pressure and Success” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

09 07 13 Errata I originally posted Roy Salvadori won the 1957 Caen GP in fact, as Tim has kindly pointed, out Jean Behra drove BRM Type 25 #253 to victory beating Roy Salvadori.

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Stirling’s Favourite – Ferguson Climax P99

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“Harry” Ferguson was born on Novmeber 4th 1884 in Growell, County Down, Nothern Ireland. He started work with his brother in a bicycle and car repair business in 1902, while there Harry started racing motorcycles in 1904 and on the 31st December 1909, having designed and built a monoplane, he became the first person to fly in Ireland.

Ferguson Climax P99, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 1911 Harry went into business selling motor and agricultural vehicles. On seeing the short comings of some of the agricultural products he was selling he began devising his own, including a new hydraulic system and three point linkage for attaching ploughs.

Harry entered into a hand shake agreement with Henry Ford Snr for Ford to manufacture the Ferguson patents under license in 1939. In 1947 Henry Ford II, Seniors grandson, reneged on the deal and five years later settled with Harry out of court to the tune of $9 million, around half of which went to Harry’s legal representatives.

Ferguson Climax P99, Goodwood Festival of Speed

In 1950 Harry employed Aston Martin designer Claude Hill and along with two pre 1939/45 war friends Fred Dixon, who prewar had proposed building an all wheel drive Land Speed Record (LSR) car and former ERA racer Tony Rolt began working on an innovative all wheel drive road car featuring electric windows, disc brakes and access to the rear through a hatchback, all idea’s which were unknown in European passenger car production at the time.

Project 99 a research vehicle, that became the worlds first all wheel drive Formula One car, to promote the all wheel drive concept was given the green light in May 1960, just 6 months before Harry’s death at the age of 75.

Ferguson Climax P99, Goodwood Festival of Speed

The P99 made it’s public debut in an Intercontinental Formula race with a 2.5 litre / 152 cui Coventry Climax motor at Silverstone in 1961 where Tony Rolt’s former entrant Rob Walker entered the car for Jack Fairman alongside Stirling Moss in a similarly powered Cooper.

Fairman retired from the race with a broken gearbox that may have resulted from excessive engine braking in the absence of reliable brakes, while Moss went on to a comfortable victory in the Cooper. At the British Grand Prix, where the Fergusson appeared with a 1.5 litre / 91.5 cui Climax, Fairman qualified 20th but ran into electrical problems, after Stirling Moss had retired his Rob Walker entered Lotus 18 he took over from Fairman in the P99. The car was later disqualified for receiving a push start.

Ferguson Climax P99, Goodwood Festival of Speed

Stirling Moss was entered to drive the Ferguson in the Oulton Park Gold Cup, a non championship race for Formula One cars entered by most of the top teams except Ferrari and Porsche. Stirling won easily to record the first, and only, win of a (non championship) Formula One race with an all wheel drive car and coincidentally the last (non championship) win for a front engined Formula One car.

The Fergusons 1.5 litre / 91.5 cui Formula One motor was uprated to 2.5 litres / 152 cui and subsequently entered in a series of non championship Antipodean Formula Libre, unrestricted, races in early 1963 where Graham Hill drove the car to a second place finish in the Australian rain at Lakeside and a forth place in the sub tropical summer heat of New Zealand at Pukekoe where with a mile to go his gearbox packed up while again running in second place.

Innes Ireland drove the P99 in the next three events finishing third at Leven, but retired from both of the other races. Graham Hill raced the car one more time at Warwick Farm where he came home sixth.

Ferguson Climax P99, Goodwood Festival of Speed

After a conversation with Stirling Moss, who had praised the benefits of the P99’s all wheel drive,Indy 500 entrant Andy Granatelli instigated a test in which Jack Fairman and Bobby Marshman drove the P99 at Indianapolis with the 2.5 litre / 152 cui motor and recorded average speeds of over 140 mph, Marshman claimed he did not need to lift at all for any of the corners, the car was so underpowered. Andy was sufficiently impressed that he employed Ferguson Research to develop all wheel drive for his 1964 Indy 500 challenger the Studebaker STP Special.

Granatelli never won the Indy 500 with an all wheel drive car but kept backing the concept through various incarnations the last of which was the all wheel drive Lotus 64 built in 1969, after which all wheel drive was banned from the brick yard.

Rolt, Fergusson P99, Richmond Trophy, Goodwood Revival

Ferguson Research was also involved with five all wheel drive Formula One projects including the 1969 Lotus 63, Cosworth and McLaren M9A, the last two of which I’ll be looking at in the weeks to come.

Although not the easiest car to drive Stirling Moss once described the Ferguson P99, which fascinated him, as his favourite racing car. Stuart Rolt, of the same Tony Rolt family is seen driving the P99 in practice for the 2011 Richmond Trophy at Goodwood above.

My thanks to Alan Cox, E.B., Ray Bell, Roger Clark and Michael Ferner at The Nostalgia Forum for their patience answering my questions about the the Ferguson P99.

Thanks for joining me on this “Stirling’s Favourite” edition of “Gettin’ a li’l psycho on tyres” I hope you will join me again tomorrow for a look at the first BRM to win a Grand Prix. Don’t forget to come back now !

08 07 13 Errata, I originally stated that Moss was entered in a Lotus 18 for a non championship race at Silverstone when the Ferguson made it’s debut, when in fact Stirling drove a Cooper Climax to victory in the race run to the Intercontinental Formula as now stated in the amended text. Thanks to Roger Clark for pointing out the error.

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Third Time Lucky – McLaren Ford M7A

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After the disappointments of the Ford Indy derived V8 and Serenissima V8 used in the 1966 McLaren M2B, the interim BRM V8 Formula 2 based McLaren M4B and BRM V12 powered M5A of 1967 Bruce Mclaren bought 5 Ford Cosworth DFV motors for the 1968 season which were used as in the integral structure of the McLaren M7A designed by Robin Herd, Gordon Coppuck and Bruce himself.

McLaren M7A, Donington Park Museum

The M7A’s and 3 derivatives, M7B, M7C, and Alfa Romeo powered M7D were entered by the works team from 1968 to 1970. For 1968 the works Formula One McLaren’s were sponsored  by Shell while the McLaren Can Am Cars were sponsored by Gulf.

McLaren M7A, Donington Park Museum

Reigning World Champion Denny Hulme left Brabham to join McLaren in 1968 and on the M7A’s debut at the non Championship Race of Champions at Brands Hatch Bruce came first and team mate Denny Third. The M7A’s came in first and second at the non Championship International Trophy at Silverstone with Denny Hulme came edging the team founder.

McLaren M7A, Donington Park Museum

On their third championship appearance, after Spain and Monaco, Bruce McLaren became the second man to win a Grand Prix bearing his own name crossing the line first to win the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix. It would prove to be his forth and final Grand Prix victory.

McLaren M7A, Donington Park Museum

Denny Hulme won the Italian and Canadian Grand Prix towards the end of the season and finished third in the World Drivers Championship behind Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart, Bruce finished fifth in points standings. McLaren finished second in the constructors Championship behind Lotus but ahead of the Ken Tyrrell entered Matra driven by Jackie Stewart all three constructors used Ford Cosworth DFV motors.

McLaren M7A, Donington Park Museum

In 1969 Bruce only drove an M7A in South Africa where he finished fifth before focusing on the M7C, which will be the subject of a future blog, which featured a more substantial monocoque. Denny meanwhile continued driving the M7A throughout the 1969 season winning the season finale in Mexico. Denny finished the season 6th in points with Bruce 3rd, the Mclaren team finished 4th and last of the Ford Cosworth DFV powered teams in the constructors championship.

The M7B fitted with outrigged panier fuel tanks made only one works championship appearance at the 1969 South African Grand Prix where Bruce Mclaren finished 5th. He later sold the car to Colin Crabbe who’s Antique Automobiles team entered it in four races for Vic Elford who finished a best fifth in the 1969 Dutch Grand Prix.

In 1970 McLaren adapted an M7 to take a non stressed Alfa Romeo V8 which became known as the M7D the car recorded three DNQ’s, did not qualify, a not classified finish in France and a DNS, did not start, in the 1970 British Grand Prix. After the first four events Nanni Galli took over the M7D from Andrea de Adamich, recording the cars third DNQ at the Italian Grand Prix.

Privately entered M7A were driven in three races by Dan Gurney for All American Racers in 1968, best finish forth in the US Grand Prix, and Basil van Rooyen for Team Lawson in the 1969 South African Grand Prix where he retired with brake problems after completing 12 laps.

Thanks for joining me on this “Third Time Lucky” edition of ‘Gettin’ a lil’ psycho on tyres’ I hope you will join me again tomorrow. Don’t forget to come back now !

06/07/13 Errata as Tim has pointed out below Bruce finished the 1960 season second in the World Drivers Championship and so his 3rd place in points in 1969 did not equal his career best as originally stated. Apologies for any confusion.

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