British Racing Motors
Encyclopedia
- "BRM" redirects here. For other uses, please see BRM (disambiguation)BRM (disambiguation)BRM can refer to:*British Racing Motors*Business reference model* Business reply mail * Basic Rifle Marksmanship...
.
British Racing Motors (generally known as BRM) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
motor racing team. Founded in 1945, it raced from 1950 to 1977, competing in 197 Grands Prix
Grand Prix motor racing
Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a simple road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and driver...
and winning 17. In 1962, BRM won the Constructors' Title. At the same time, its driver, Graham Hill
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
became World Champion. In 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1971, BRM came second in the Constructors' Competition.
History
BRM was founded just after the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by Raymond Mays
Raymond Mays
Thomas Raymond Mays CBE was an auto racing driver and entrepreneur from Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.He attended Oundle School, where he met Amherst Villiers, leaving at the end of 1917. After army service in the Grenadier Guards in France, he attended Christ's College, Cambridge...
, who had built several hillclimb
Hillclimbing
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course....
and road racing
Road racing
Road racing is a general term for most forms of motor racing held on paved, purpose-built race tracks , as opposed to oval tracks and off-road racing...
cars under the ERA
English Racing Automobiles
English Racing Automobiles was a British racing car manufacturer active from 1933 to 1954. Currently the ERA trademark is owned by a British kit-car manufacturer.-Prewar history:...
brand before the war, and Peter Berthon, a long-time associate. Mays' pre-war successes (and access to pre-war Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
and Auto Union
Auto Union
Auto Union was an amalgamation of four German automobile manufacturers, founded in 1932 and established in 1936 in Chemnitz, Saxony, during the Great Depression. The company has evolved into present day Audi, as a subsidiary of Volkswagen Group....
design documents) inspired him to build an all-British Grand Prix car for the post-war era as a national prestige project, with financial and industrial backing from the British motor industry and its suppliers channelled through a trust fund
Trust law
In common law legal systems, a trust is a relationship whereby property is held by one party for the benefit of another...
.
This proved to be an unwieldy way of organising and financing the project, and as some of the backers withdrew, disappointed with the team's slow progress and early results, it fell to one of the partners in the trust, Alfred Owen
Alfred Owen
Sir Alfred George Beech Owen was the son of Alfred Ernest Owen, who in 1910 became the sole-proprietor of the British engineering company Rubery Owen & Co....
of the Rubery Owen
Rubery Owen
Rubery Owen is a British engineering company which was founded in 1884 in Darlaston, West Midlands.-History:In 1884 the company was started by John Tunner Rubery and his two brothers , as an ironworks manufacturing gates and fences...
group of companies, which primarily manufactured car parts, to take over the team in its entirety. Between 1954 and 1970 the team entered its works F1 cars under the official name of the Owen Racing Organisation. Berthon and Mays continued to run the team on Rubery Owen's behalf into the 1960s, before it was handed over to Louis Stanley, the husband of Sir Alfred's sister Jean Owen.
BRM V16
A factory was set up in Spalding Road, BourneBourne, Lincolnshire
Bourne is a market town and civil parish on the western edge of the Fens, in the District of South Kesteven in southern Lincolnshire, England.-The town:...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, behind Eastgate House, Mays's family home, in a building called The Maltings. (At this stage it was in the former ERA works, vacated in 1939 and used in 1944 as a billet for the Parachute Regiment as it regrouped before going to Arnhem
Battle of Arnhem
The Battle of Arnhem was a famous Second World War military engagement fought in and around the Dutch towns of Arnhem, Oosterbeek, Wolfheze, Driel and the surrounding countryside from 17–26 September 1944....
.) Several people involved with ERA returned to the firm to work for BRM, including Harry Mundy
Harry Mundy
Harry Mundy was a British car engine designer and motoring magazine editor.He was educated at King Henry VIII School in Coventry and went on to serve his apprenticeship with Alvis. He left them in 1936 to join English Racing Automobiles in Bourne, Lincolnshire as a draughtsman...
and Eric Richter. The team also had access to a test facility at Folkingham
RAF Folkingham
RAF Folkingham is a former World War II Royal Air Force flying station in Lincolnshire, England. The airfield is located south west of Folkingham and due east of Lenton village, approximately due south of county town Lincoln and north of London...
aerodrome.
The first post-war rules for the top level of motor racing allowed 1.5 litre supercharged or 4.5 litre normally aspirated engines. BRM's first engine design was an extremely ambitious 1.5 litre supercharged V16. Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce Limited
Rolls-Royce Limited was a renowned British car and, from 1914 on, aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Stewart Rolls and Henry Royce on 15 March 1906 as the result of a partnership formed in 1904....
was contracted to produce centrifugal superchargers, rather than the more commonly used Roots
Roots type supercharger
The Roots type supercharger or Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping fluids with a pair of meshing lobes not unlike a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust...
type. Since his experience on supercharging ERA engines, Berthon had been doing war-time work on aero-engines at Rolls-Royce, Derby
Derby
Derby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. The design concept of the V16 had not been used extensively on automobiles before so that design problems were many and the engine did not fire for the first time until June 1949. It proved to be outstandingly powerful but its output was produced over a very limited range of engine speed, the power coming on suddenly if throttle was applied carelessly, resulting in wheelspin
Wheelspin
A wheelspin, occurs when the force delivered to the tire tread exceeds that of available tread-to-surface friction and one or more tires lose traction.Standard differentials always apply equal torque to each wheel...
as the narrow tyres proved unable to transfer the power to the road. This made the car very touchy to drive. Engineer Tony Rudd
Tony Rudd
Anthony Cyril "Tony" Rudd was an engineer involved in aero engine design and motor racing, with particular associations with BRM and Lotus.- Early life and war service :...
was seconded to BRM from Rolls-Royce to develop the supercharging system and remained involved with BRM for nearly 20 years.
The Type 15, which was the designation for the V16 car, won the first two races it actually started, the Formula Libre
Formula Libre
Formula Libre is a form of automobile racing allowing a wide variety of types, ages and makes of purpose-built racing cars to compete "head to head". This can make for some interesting matchups, and provides the opportunity for some compelling driving performances against superior machinery...
and Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
events at Goodwood
Goodwood Circuit
Goodwood Circuit is an historic venue for both two- and four-wheeled motorsport in the United Kingdom. The 2.4 mile circuit is situated near Chichester, West Sussex, close to the south coast of England, on the estate of Goodwood House, and completely encircles Chichester/Goodwood Airport...
in September 1950, driven by Reg Parnell
Reg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.-Driving career:Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing...
. However, it was never to be so successful again. The engine proved unreliable and difficult to develop, and the team were not up to the task of improving the situation. A string of failures caused much embarrassment, and the problems were still unsolved when the CSI announced in 1952 that for 1954, a new engine formula of 2.5 litres unsupercharged or 750 cc supercharged would take effect.
Meanwhile, the organisers of all the Grands Prix counting for the World Championship elected to run their races for Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
for the next two years, as Alfa Romeo had pulled out of racing and BRM were unable to present raceworthy cars - leaving no credible opposition to Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
other than ancient Lago-Talbots and the odd O.S.C.A.
O.S.C.A.
Officine Specializzate Costruzioni Automobili - Fratelli Maserati SpA was an Italian brand of sports car automobiles, usually abbreviated to O.S.C.A., OSCA or Osca.- History :...
. The V16s continued to race in minor Formula One races and in British Formula Libre events until the mid fifties, battles with Tony Vandervell
Tony Vandervell
Guy Anthony "Tony" Vandervell was an English industrialist, motor racing financier, and founder of the Vanwall Formula One racing team.-Biography:Vandervell was the son of Charles Vandervell, founder of CAV, later Lucas CAV...
's Thin Wall Special Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
375 being a particular highlight of the British scene.
Crisis
The Type 25 was the next car. It used a very oversquare (4.05 x 2.95 in, 102.87 x 74.93 mm) 2.5 L atmospheric four-cylinder engine designed by Stuart Tresilian and (as became a typical theme with BRM) it arrived late and took a lot of development; it was in fact so late that the Owen Organisation started the 2.5 L formula with a Maserati 250FMaserati 250F
The Maserati 250F was a racing car made by Maserati of Italy used in '2.5 litre' Formula One racing between January 1954 and November 1960. Twenty-six examples were made.-Mechanical details:...
. The P25 was initially unsuccessful, not winning a race until a long awaited victory at the Dutch Grand Prix in 1959. Colin Chapman
Colin Chapman
Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman CBE was an influential British designer, inventor, and builder in the automotive industry, and founder of Lotus Cars....
helped to improve the car in 1956. Stirling Moss
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
believed that the BRM engine was superior to the Coventry-Climax unit used in his Cooper, and a P25 was briefly run in 1959 by the British Racing Partnership
British Racing Partnership
British Racing Partnership was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory — Stirling Moss's father and former manager respectively — in 1957 to run cars for Stirling, when not under contract with other firms.BRP ran a...
, for Moss (and also Hans Herrmann), and Rob Walker also backed the construction of a Cooper-BRM to gain access to the engine.
The P25 was becoming highly competitive just as the rear engined Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
started to become dominant; the P48 was a quick reaction to this, using major components from the P25 but in rear-engined format. The P48 was revised for the 1.5 L rules in 1961, but once again BRM's own engine was not ready and the cars had to run with a Coventry-Climax four cylinder unit in adapted P48 chassis, achieving very little results.
The firm moved to a purpose-built workshop on an adjoining site in spring 1960 but when the 1.5 litre atmospheric Formula One regulation was introduced in 1961, Alfred Owen was threatening to pull the plug unless race victories were achieved very soon.
Champions
By the end of the season BRM had managed to build an engine designed by Peter Berthon and Aubrey Woods (BRM P56 V8) (2.6975 x 2.0 in, 68.5 x 50.8 mm) which was on a par with the Dino V6Ferrari Dino engine
The Ferrari Dino engine is a line of mechanically similar V6, V8, and V12 engines produced by Ferrari for the past 40 yearsAlfredo "Dino" Ferrari, was the son of Enzo Ferrari. Dino suggested to Enzo Ferrari the development of a V6 engine for F2 at the end of 1955. Soon afterwards, Alfredo fell ill,...
used by Ferrari
Ferrari
Ferrari S.p.A. is an Italian sports car manufacturer based in Maranello, Italy. Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, as Scuderia Ferrari, the company sponsored drivers and manufactured race cars before moving into production of street-legal vehicles as Ferrari S.p.A. in 1947...
and the Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax
Coventry Climax was a British forklift truck, fire pump, and speciality engine manufacturer.-History:The company was started in 1903 as Lee Stroyer, but two years later, following the departure of Stroyer, it was relocated to Paynes Lane, Coventry, and renamed to Coventry-Simplex by H...
V8 used by other British teams. However, the real change was the promotion of an exceptional engineer who had been with the team since 1950 (originally on secondment from Rolls-Royce to look after the supercharging on the V16); Tony Rudd
Tony Rudd
Anthony Cyril "Tony" Rudd was an engineer involved in aero engine design and motor racing, with particular associations with BRM and Lotus.- Early life and war service :...
was elevated by Owen to the position of chief development engineer. Rudd was the first professional engineer to exercise full technical control over the team, and basic engineering and reliability problems which had plagued the team for years began to vanish. He was given greater responsibility in 1960 after two of the drivers, Graham Hill
Graham Hill
Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to...
and Dan Gurney
Dan Gurney
Daniel Sexton Gurney is an American racing driver, race car constructor, and team owner.The son of a Metropolitan Opera star, he was born in Port Jefferson, New York, but moved to California as a teenager...
, went on strike and told Alfred Owen they would not drive again, and in early 1962 full executive authority was given to Tony Rudd. Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon were sidelined. The team had designed their first mid-engined car for 1960, matching the other teams, and won the World Drivers' Championship with Graham Hill as driver, in . (During 1962, BRM also ran Lucas electronic ignition.) During 1965, 210 bhp at 11,000 rpm was the rated power. However at the high-speed 1965 Italian GP (Monza) an uprated version was raced with 220 bhp at 11,750 rpm for short bursts. A planned 4 valve per cylinder version in cooperation with Weslake Engineering never materialized.
As part of Owen's attempt to make BRM pay its way, the V8 engine was sold to privateers and appeared in a number of other chassis during the 1.5 L formula, particularly in private Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
chassis and in smaller marques such as BRP
British Racing Partnership
British Racing Partnership was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory — Stirling Moss's father and former manager respectively — in 1957 to run cars for Stirling, when not under contract with other firms.BRP ran a...
.
A number of privateers acquired 1961-2 BRMs during this period, including Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Trintignant
Maurice Bienvenu Jean Paul Trintignant was a motor racing driver and vintner from France. He competed in the Formula One World Championship for fourteen years, between 1950 and 1964, one of the longest careers in the early years of F1...
and Scuderia Centro Sud
Scuderia Centro Sud
Scuderia Centro Sud was a privateer racing team founded by Guglielmo "Mimmo" Dei that entered various Formula One and sports car between 1956 and 1965....
; these cars continued to race on for many years.
Monocoque V8 cars were soon developed and these ran on through the 1.5 litre formula and performed useful service in the early races of the subsequent 3.0 litre formula. In 1965 Jackie Stewart
Jackie Stewart
Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am...
was signed to partner Hill; he took his first Grand Prix win
1965 Italian Grand Prix
The 1965 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1965. The race, which was the seventh round of the 1965 Formula One season, was won by Jackie Stewart who took his first Grand Prix victory whilst driving for the BRM team...
at Monza
Autodromo Nazionale Monza
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception....
in his debut season, and won the first World Championship race of the new three-litre formula with a car fitted with a Tasman
Tasman Series
The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries...
2.0 litre V8; once again BRM were not ready for the start of a new formula and the old cars continued to be used, even on occasion when the H16 was ready.
BRM H16
For , the engine regulations changed to permit 3.0 litre atmospheric (or 1.5 litre supercharged) engines. BRM refused Peter Berthon's and Aubrey Woods's proposal to build a V12V12 engine
A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft....
, and instead built a strange engine, designed by Tony Rudd and Geoff Johnson, the H16
H engine
An H engine is an engine configuration in which the cylinders are aligned so that if viewed from the front, they appear to be in a vertical or horizontal letter H....
(BRM Type 75), which essentially used two flat-8
Flat-8
A flat-8 or horizontally opposed-8 is an internal combustion engine in flat configuration, having 8 cylinders.The most famous engine of this type is the Porsche air-cooled flat-8 engine introduced in a 1.5 L version for Formula One that grew up to a 3 L version used in the Porsche 908.Another...
engines (derived from their 1.5 L V8) one above the other, with the crankshafts geared together.
BRM found the H16 (2.75 x 1.925 in, 69.85 x 48.895 mm) attractive because it was initially planned to share design elements and components with the successful 1.5 litre V8. While the engine was powerful, it was also heavy and unreliable - Rudd claims that his drawings were not followed accurately and many of the castings were much thicker and heavier than he had specified. (When Lotus took delivery of their first H16 it took six men to carry it from the van to the workshop). At that time, BRM earned the nickname of "British Racing Misery". BRM, Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
, and various privateers had been using enlarged versions of the BRM 1.5 V8 of up to 2.1 litres in 1966, as competitive 3.0 engines were in short supply in this first year of the new regulations. Lotus also took up the H16 as an interim measure until the Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
DFV
Cosworth DFV
The DFV is an internal combustion engine that was originally produced by Cosworth for Formula One motor racing. Named Four Valve because of the four valves per cylinder, and Double as it was a V8 development of the earlier, four-cylinder FVA , making it a Double Four Valve engine...
was ready, building the Lotus 43
Lotus 43
The Lotus 43 was a Formula One racing car designed by Colin Chapman for the 1966 season. It was partially based on the Lotus 38 Indycar, due to Chapman's experience at Indy with larger engine capacity and tyre/suspension setup. The car was designed in this way in response to new regulations which...
to house it, and Jim Clark
Jim Clark
James "Jim" Clark, Jr OBE was a British Formula One racing driver from Scotland, who won two World Championships, in 1963 and 1965....
managed to win the US Grand Prix at Watkins Glen
Watkins Glen International
Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation...
with this combination. It was the only victory for this engine in a World Championship race. Lotus built the similar Lotus 42 designed for Indianapolis with a 4.2 litre version of the H16 (2.9375 x 2.36 in, 74.61 x 59.94 mm) but this was never raceworthy; the cars were raced with Ford V8s instead.
The H16 engine was redesigned with a narrow angle 4 valve head and magnesium main castings to reduce weight and increase power, but never raced in a car (it was intended for the 1967 BRM P115) as BRM decided to use the V12 unit which was being sold to other F1 and sports car teams with encouraging results.
BRM V12
McLaren M5A
The McLaren M5A/1 was a racing car constructed by Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, and was McLaren's first purpose-built Formula One car. Like its M4B predecessor, only one car of this type was ever built...
. Back at the works, the early V12 years were lean ones. In the 2-valve layout gave about 360 bhp at 9,000 rpm. In 1968 this had increased to 390 bhp at 9,750 rpm. Geoff Johnson updated the design by adding a 4-valve head, based on the H16 485 bhp 4-valve layout; this improved the V12's power output to 452 bhp at 10,500 rpm and eventually to a claimed 465 bhp during 1969. In 1973 Louis Stanley claimed 490 bhp at 11,750 rpm. The first V12 chassis (P133) was designed independently by Len Terry; the subsequent P139 was designed and built in-house. John Surtees
John Surtees
John Surtees, OBE is a British former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver from England. He was 500cc motorcycle World Champion in 1956 and 1958–60, Formula One World Champion in 1964, and remains the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels...
joined as the team's lead driver, with the semi-works Parnell
Reg Parnell
Reginald Harold Haslam Parnell was a racing driver and team manager from England. He participated in seven Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, achieving one podium, and scoring a total of 9 championship points.-Driving career:Before World War II Parnell was a very successful racing...
team for driver development (notably Piers Courage
Piers Courage
Piers Raymond Courage was a racing driver from England. He participated in 29 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 2 January 1967. He achieved 2 podiums, and scored a total of 20 championship points.- Biography :Piers Courage was the eldest son and heir of the Courage brewing...
and Chris Irwin
Chris Irwin
Chris Irwin is a British former racing driver. He participated in 10 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on 16 July 1966...
). Surtees' time at BRM was not happy, and despite the fact that a ground effect
Ground effect in cars
Ground effect is term applied to a series of aerodynamic effects used in car design, which has been exploited to create downforce, particularly in racing cars. This has been the successor to the earlier dominant aerodynamic theory of streamlining...
"wing car" was designed, this was never constructed and the team's performances were lacklustre. Surtees left after a single unhappy season (1969), along with Tony Rudd who went to Lotus (initially on the road-car side), and Geoff Johnson who departed for Austin Morris.
The team regrouped with new drivers and Tony Southgate
Tony Southgate
Tony Southgate is a British engineer and former racing car designer. He designed many successful cars, including Jaguar's Le Mans-winning XJR-9, and cars for almost every type of circuit racing. He was responsible for the chassis design of Ford's RS200 Group B rally car...
as designer, and gained its first V12 victory for Pedro Rodríguez
Pedro Rodriguez (racing driver)
Pedro Rodríguez was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.-Career:...
at the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix
1970 Belgian Grand Prix
The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 7, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jackie Stewart - 3:28.0* Fastest Lap: Chris Amon - 3:27.4*Last win: Dunlop...
in a P153, with further victories for Jo Siffert and Peter Gethin in 1971 in the P160. The team had reached one of its intermittent peaks of success. Sadly both Siffert and Rodriguez were killed before the 1972 season and the team had to regroup completely again. Their last victory was when Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Beltoise
Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. François Cevert was his brother-in-law ....
drove a stunning race to win the rain-affected 1972 Monaco Grand Prix
1972 Monaco Grand Prix
The 1972 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 14, 1972. This was the last race on the original Monaco circuit, before the swimming pool was installed and the tunnel was lengthened...
with the P160. The campaign was generally chaotic: having acquired major sponsorship, Louis Stanley originally planned to field up to six cars (three for established drivers, three for paying journeymen and young drivers) of varying designs including P153s, P160s and P180s and actually ran up to five for a mix of paying and paid drivers until it became obvious that it was completely overstretched—the team's sponsors insisted that the team should cut back to a more reasonable level and only three cars were run in 1973 for Beltoise, Lauda and Regazzoni.
Decline and Fall
The last notable performance was Beltoise's second position in the 1974 South African Grand Prix1974 South African Grand Prix
The 1974 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Kyalami on 30 March 1974.- Race summary :It was initially uncertain that the South African Grand Prix would go ahead due to the power crisis, but it did so, albeit belatedly in March...
with the Mike Pilbeam-designed P201, a car with a pyramidal monocoque
Monocoque
Monocoque is a construction technique that supports structural load by using an object's external skin, as opposed to using an internal frame or truss that is then covered with a non-load-bearing skin or coachwork...
, very different from the curvy "coke-bottle" Southgate cars. The Owen Organisation ended its support of the team and it was run on a lower-key basis by Louis Stanley and some of the Bourne personnel as Stanley-BRM until 1977. Old P201s were initially used, with the team hoping for revival with the bulky and vaguely Ferrari-like P207 - which failed entirely.
Cereal millionaire and amateur racer John Jordan
John Jordan
John Jordan may be:*Sir John Newell Jordan , British diplomat*John Jordan , American basketball player and coach for the University of Notre Dame*Johnny Jordan , English footballer...
purchased some of the team's assets when the team finally folded, and backed the building of a pair of P230 cars by CTG, with the aim of competing in the national-level Aurora AFX Formula One Championship. Teddy Pilette
Teddy Pilette
Theodore "Teddy" Pilette is a former racing driver from Belgium. He participated in 4 Formula One World Championship Grands Prix, the first on 12 May 1974 with Bernie Ecclestone's Brabham team....
raced a P207 during 1978 with a modest success, finishing fourth at Oulton Park and fifth at Brands Hatch. One chassis also apparently raced in the revived Can-Am series.
Side Projects
The team became involved with RoverRover (car)
The Rover Company is a former British car manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. After developing the template for the modern bicycle with its Rover Safety Bicycle of 1885, the company moved into the automotive industry...
's gas-turbine project, with the Rover-BRM
Rover-BRM
The Rover-BRM was a prototype gas turbine-powered racing car, jointly developed in the early 1960s by the British companies Rover and British Racing Motors .Rover had already been working with gas turbines for road vehicles since World War II...
gas turbine
Gas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
car running at Le Mans
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world's oldest sports car race in endurance racing, held annually since near the town of Le Mans, France. Commonly known as the Grand Prix of Endurance and Efficiency, race teams have to balance speed against the cars' ability to run for 24 hours without sustaining...
in 1963
1963 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 31st Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 15 and 16 1963. It was also the tenth round of the World Sportscar Championship....
and 1965
1965 24 Hours of Le Mans
The 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans was the 33rd Grand Prix of Endurance, and took place on June 19 and 20 1965. It was also the twelfth round of the World Sportscar Championship.-Pre-race:...
(it was damaged in testing and missed the 1964 race). BRM were also involved with Donald Campbell
Donald Campbell
Donald Malcolm Campbell, CBE was a British speed record breaker who broke eight world speed records in the 1950s and 1960s...
's gas-turbine Bluebird
Bluebird-Proteus CN7
The Bluebird-Proteus CN7 was a technologically advanced wheel-driven land speed record-breaking car, driven by Donald Campbell, built in 1960 and rebuilt in 1962.- Design :...
project. In later years they also built an unsuccessful Can-Am car, and dabbled with larger versions of the H16 engine for the Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. As a part of the Owen Organisation, BRM also worked on tuned road-car engines for Ford, Chrysler and others. The BRM-tuned version of the 1558 cc Lotus/Ford twin-cam
Lotus-Ford Twin Cam
The Lotus-Ford Twin Cam is a 1558 cc engine developed for the 1962 Lotus Elan and also used in a variety of other vehicles up until mid 1970s.-Design:...
engine was particularly popular. This improved version of the Lotus-Ford engine was used by Tony Rudd when he left BRM for Lotus to form the basis of the Lotus produced "Sprint" version of the engine used in the Elan Sprint
Lotus Elan
Lotus Elan is the name of two convertible cars and one fixed head coupé produced by Lotus Cars. The original Type 26, 26R Racing version , 36R Racing version , 36 Fixed Head Coupe, 45 Drop Head Coupe, and the "Type 50" +2 Coupe, circa 1962 to 1975, are commonly known as the '60s Elans...
, Elan Plus2S-130, Europa JPS
Lotus Europa
The Lotus Europa was a two door mid-engined GT coupé built by Lotus Cars from 1966 to 1975. In 2006 Lotus began production of a totally new, Lotus Elise-derived design, a mid-engined GT coupé named Europa S....
and Caterham Seven
Caterham Seven
The Caterham Seven is a super-lightweight sports car produced by Caterham Cars in the United Kingdom. It is based on the Lotus Seven, a lightweight sports car sold in kit and factory-built form by Lotus Cars, from the late 1950s to the early 1970s...
.
BRM were contracted by Chrysler (UK) Competition Department to develop a 16-valve cylinder head for the Hillman Avenger
Hillman Avenger
The Hillman Avenger was a rear-wheel drive small family car originally manufactured under the Hillman marque by the Rootes Group from 1970–1976, and made by Chrysler Europe from 1976–1981 as the Chrysler Avenger and finally the Talbot Avenger...
engine. It proved unreliable, underpowered, and unable compete with the Ford rally team's proven Cosworth BDA-powered RS1600 Escorts.
BRM engine sales
The Owen Organisation expected BRM to turn a profit through sales of racing engines; the four-cylinder appeared briefly in a Cooper-BRM special for Stirling MossStirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
but found no other customers. The V8 powered many 1.5 litre cars, including various private Lotuses and Brabhams as well as the BRP
British Racing Partnership
British Racing Partnership was a racing team, and latterly constructor, from the United Kingdom. It was established by Alfred Moss and Ken Gregory — Stirling Moss's father and former manager respectively — in 1957 to run cars for Stirling, when not under contract with other firms.BRP ran a...
works team. Enlarged Tasman Series
Tasman Series
The Tasman Series was a motor racing series held from 1964 to 1975, in Australia and New Zealand, and named after the Tasman Sea between the two countries...
V8s of between 1.9 and 2.1 L were popular in 1966 as a stopgap before full three litre engines were widely available. These units were also sold to Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
to power its early sports-prototypes.
A one-litre Formula Two
Formula Two
Formula Two, abbreviated to F2, is a type of open wheel formula racing. It was replaced by Formula 3000 in 1985, but the FIA announced in 2008 that Formula Two would return for 2009 in the form of the FIA Formula Two Championship...
engine was also made available, based on half of the F1 V8. This was not successful, in a formula dominated by Cosworth
Cosworth
Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...
-Ford and eventually Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
engines.
Team Lotus
Team Lotus
Team Lotus was the motorsport sister company of English sports car manufacturer Lotus Cars. The team ran cars in many motorsport series including Formula One, Formula Two, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, IndyCar and sports car racing...
used the ill-fated H16 engine, scoring its only win.
V12s were sold to other constructors of which the most notable were Cooper
Cooper Car Company
The Cooper Car Company was founded in 1946 by Charles Cooper and his son John Cooper. Together with John's boyhood friend, Eric Brandon, they began by building racing cars in Charles' small garage in Surbiton, Surrey, England in 1946...
, John Wyer
John Wyer
John Wyer was an English automobile racing engineer and team manager. He is mainly associated with cars running in the lightblue and orange livery of his longtime sponsorship partner Gulf Oil.As team manager and team owner, Wyer won the 24 Hours of Le Mans several times...
and McLaren. Matra
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
entered into a contract with BRM to collaborate in the design of their own V12 engine, but when this became public knowledge the French constructor was forced to drop the involvement with BRM and restart development with a French partner, as its government funding was threatened, but there were still close resemblances between the finished Matra engine and the BRM.
Sponsorship and colours
The first BRMs were a pale duck-egg green (any shade of green represented Britain's racing colours), but this was later replaced for aesthetic reasons by a very dark metallic shade of grey-green. During the team's Owen-owned years the cars bore simple "Owen Racing Organisation" signage. The BRP-entered BRM for MossStirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss, OBE FIE is a former racing driver from England...
and Herrmann
Hans Herrmann
Hans Herrmann is a former Formula One and Sports car racing driver from Stuttgart, Germany.In F1, he participated in 19 World Championship Grands Prix, debuting on August 2, 1953...
was a non-metallic duck-egg green. Centro-Sud ran their cars in Italian red; Trintignant's car was in French blue.
The team acquired significant commercial sponsorship from Yardley
Yardley of London
Yardley of London is a traditional British cosmetics brand and is one of the oldest in the world. Established in 1770, Yardley was a major producer of soap and perfumery by the beginning of the 20th century. By 1910, it moved to London's Bond Street, and in 1921 Yardley received its first Royal...
for the season, running in white with black, gold and ochre stripes in a stylised "Y" wrapping around the car's bodywork, losing this deal to McLaren for 1972 and replacing it by Marlboro's familiar white and red (a flat shade, not dayglo) colours. Ironically this deal was also lost to McLaren for 1974, to be replaced briefly by Motul
Motul (company)
Motul is a French company, now worldwide, which creates, develops and distributes lubricants for engines and for the industry.-History:...
in a pale green and silver colour scheme. As Stanley-BRM the cars initially ran in red, white and blue with no major sponsorship; for the team's swansong it was sponsored by Rotary Watches
Rotary Watches
Rotary Watches Ltd was established at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Moise Dreyfuss in 1895. By the 1920s family members Georges and Sylvain Dreyfuss began importing Rotary watches to Britain, which was to become the company's most successful market...
and ran in pale blue and white. The Jordan-BRM P230 was black and gold.
Later use of BRM name
BRM raced again as part of a project by John Mangoletsi for a Group CGroup C
Group C was a category of motorsport, introduced by the FIA in 1982 for sports car racing, along with Group A for touring cars and Group B for GTs....
sports car known as the P351
BRM P351
The BRM P351 was originally a Group C sports-prototype built for the 1992 World Sportscar Championship season in an attempt to resurrect the British Racing Motors marque. The car later reappeared in a heavily modified form in 1997 as a Le Mans Prototype known as the BRM P301 before retiring...
with the backing of the Owen family to use the BRM name. Unfortunately the car was short lived and unsuccessful. In 1997 Keith Wiggins
Keith Wiggins
Keith Wiggins is a motor racing team owner born in Great Britain.Born in London, England in 1958, Keith began his racing career while at school as a kart driver in 1973. He was selected as a member of the British International Kart Team for 1975-76...
and Pacific Racing
Pacific Racing
Pacific Racing was a motor racing team from the United Kingdom...
would resurrect the car as the BRM P301, using the BRM name only because it was technically a BRM built chassis but had no other connection to British Racing Motors. Heavily modified into an open cockpit sportscar, the car was equally unsuccessful.
A special edition Rover 200 was produced to commemorate the Rover-BRM gas-turbine car; this was finished in Brooklands Green (however not the very dark metallic gunmetal BRM shade) with an orange lower, front grill and silver details.
In October 2008, a press release announced that Bee Automobiles Ltd 'BRM Bee Four ERV' will compete in the British Speed Hill Climb championships.
The 'BRM Bee Four ERV', code named the 'Watt 4', is an all electric AWD (all wheel drive) vehicle capable of producing 700 hp or 520 kW. The ERV uses motor technology developed at Oxford University.
The car is theoretically capable of reaching speeds of up to 250 mph.
Participants in the project include Rubery Owen, Oxford University, Oxford Brookes and MIRA Ltd - Motor Industry Research Association.
Paul Owen, Grandson of Sir Alfred and Managing Director of Rubery Owen's Environmental Technology Subsidiary Rozone Limited, commented: "Rubery Owen is very pleased to see the BRM name once again being used to drive forward an innovative development to take motorsport to new levels".
As of 2011, the car has yet to leave the drawing board.
Grand Prix winners
The BRM team won seventeen Formula One Grands Prix as follows:| Date | Race | Venue | Driver | Chassis | Engine |
| 31 May 1959 1959 Dutch Grand Prix The 1959 Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Zandvoort on May 31, 1959. It was the ninth Dutch Grand Prix. The race was held over 75 laps of the four kilometre circuit for a race distance of 314 kilometres.... |
 Dutch Grand PrixDutch Grand Prix The Dutch Grand Prix was a Formula One automobile race held at Circuit Zandvoort, from 1948 to 1985. It was a part of the World Championship from 1952, and designated the European Grand Prix two times, 1962 and 1976, when this title was an honorary designation given each year to one grand prix... |
Zandvoort |  Jo BonnierJoakim Bonnier Joakim "Jo" Bonnier was a Swedish sportscar racing and Formula One driver who raced for various teams.-Early life:... |
P25 | 2.5L I4 Straight-4 The inline-four engine or straight-four engine is an internal combustion engine with all four cylinders mounted in a straight line, or plane along the crankcase. The single bank of cylinders may be oriented in either a vertical or an inclined plane with all the pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
| 20 May 1962 1962 Dutch Grand Prix The 1962 Dutch Grand Prix was the eleventh time the Dutch Grand Prix motor race was held. The race also held the honorary designation of the 22nd European Grand Prix. It was run to Formula One regulations as the opening round of the 1962 World Drivers' Championship on 20 May 1962... |
Dutch Grand Prix |
Zandvoort | Graham Hill Graham Hill Norman Graham Hill was a British racing driver and two-time Formula One World Champion. He is the only driver to win the Triple Crown of Motorsport — the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis 500 and Formula One World Championship.Graham Hill and his son Damon are the only father and son pair both to... |
P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 5 August 1962 1962 German Grand Prix The 1962 German Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Nürburgring on August 5, 1962.- Classification :-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standingsConstructors' Championship standings... |
 German Grand PrixGerman Grand Prix The German Grand Prix is an annual automobile race.Because Germany was banned from taking part in international events after World War II, the German GP only became part of the Formula One World Championship in 1951... |
Nürburgring Nürburgring The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about... |
Graham Hill | P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 16 September 1962 1962 Italian Grand Prix The 1962 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 16, 1962.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Jim Clark - 1:40.35*Fastest Lap: Graham Hill - 1:42.3*Final Formula One entry for Gerry Ashmore... |
 Italian Grand PrixItalian Grand Prix The Italian Grand Prix is one of the longest running events on the motor racing calendar. The first Italian Grand Prix motor racing championship took place on 4 September 1921 at Brescia... |
Monza Autodromo Nazionale Monza The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is a race track located near the town of Monza, north of Milan, in Italy. The circuit's biggest event is the Formula One Italian Grand Prix, which has been hosted there since the sport's inception.... |
Graham Hill | P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 29 December 1962 1962 South African Grand Prix The 1962 South African Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at East London on December 29, 1962.- Classification :- Notes :*Pole position: Jim Clark - 1:29.3*Fastest Lap: Jim Clark - 1:31.0... |
 South African Grand PrixSouth African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Eastern Cape Province... |
Prince George Prince George Circuit Prince George Circuit is a race circuit in East London in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.Opened in the 1930s, it hosted the South African Grand Prix in 1934, and 1936 to 1939 when racing was halted due to World War II. Modified to meet Formula One regulations in 1959, the track was built into... |
Graham Hill | P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 26 May 1963 1963 Monaco Grand Prix The 1963 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 26, 1963. It was won by British driver Graham Hill driving a BRM P57.- Classification :* After de Beaufort withdrew, his entry was taken over by Bernard Collomb... |
 Monaco Grand PrixMonaco Grand Prix The Monaco Grand Prix is a Formula One race held each year on the Circuit de Monaco. Run since 1929, it is widely considered to be one of the most important and prestigious automobile races in the world, alongside the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans... |
Monaco Circuit de Monaco Circuit de Monaco is a street circuit laid out on the city streets of Monte Carlo and La Condamine around the harbour of the principality of Monaco. It is commonly referred to as "Monte Carlo" because it is largely inside the Monte Carlo neighbourhood of Monaco.The circuit is used on one weekend in... |
Graham Hill | P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 6 October 1963 1963 United States Grand Prix The 1963 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 6, 1963 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
 United States Grand PrixUnited States Grand Prix The United States Grand Prix is a motor race which has been run on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The race later became part of the Formula One World Championship. Over 41 editions, the race has been held at nine locations, most recently in 2007 at the... |
Watkins Glen Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International is an auto race track located near Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The facility is owned by International Speedway Corporation... |
Graham Hill | P57 | 1.5L V8 |
| 10 May 1964 1964 Monaco Grand Prix The 1964 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 10, 1964. Peter Arundell scored his first podium finish, and Mike Hailwood his first point.-Classification:-Standings after the race:Drivers' Championship standings... |
Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco | Graham Hill | P261 BRM P261 The BRM P261, also known as the BRM P61 Mark II, is a Formula One motor racing car, designed and built by the British Racing Motors team in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England. The BRM P261 was introduced for the 1964 Formula One season, and its design was an evolution of Tony Rudd's one-off BRM P61 car of... |
1.5L V8 |
| 4 October 1964 1964 United States Grand Prix The 1964 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 4, 1964 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
United States Grand Prix |
Watkins Glen | Graham Hill | P261 | 1.5L V8 |
| 30 May 1965 1965 Monaco Grand Prix The 1965 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monaco on May 30, 1965.- Classification :- Notes :* Pole position: Graham Hill - 1:32.5* Fastest Lap: Graham Hill - 1:31.7 on lap 82... |
Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco | Graham Hill | P261 | 1.5L V8 |
| 12 September 1965 1965 Italian Grand Prix The 1965 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at Monza on September 12, 1965. The race, which was the seventh round of the 1965 Formula One season, was won by Jackie Stewart who took his first Grand Prix victory whilst driving for the BRM team... |
Italian Grand Prix |
Monza | Jackie Stewart Jackie Stewart Sir John Young Stewart, OBE , better known as Jackie Stewart, and nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, is a Scottish former racing driver and team owner. He competed in Formula One between 1965 and 1973, winning three World Drivers' Championships. He also competed in Can-Am... |
P261 | 1.5L V8 |
| 3 October 1965 1965 United States Grand Prix The 1965 United States Grand Prix was a Formula One race held on October 3, 1965 at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Race Course in Watkins Glen, New York.__FORCETOC__-Summary:... |
United States Grand Prix |
Watkins Glen | Graham Hill | P261 | 1.5L V8 |
| 22 May 1966 1966 Monaco Grand Prix The 1966 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race held at the Circuit de Monaco on May 22, 1966. It was the opening round of the 1966 Formula One season, the first of a new era for Formula One, the 'return to power' as engine regulations were altered from 1.5 litres of maximum engine... |
Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco | Jackie Stewart | P261 | 1.9L V8 |
| 7 June 1970 1970 Belgian Grand Prix The 1970 Belgian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Spa-Francorchamps on June 7, 1970.- Classification :-Notes:* Pole Position: Jackie Stewart - 3:28.0* Fastest Lap: Chris Amon - 3:27.4*Last win: Dunlop... |
 Belgian Grand PrixBelgian Grand Prix The Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship.... |
Spa Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. It is also home to the all Volkswagen club event, 25 Hours of Spa, run by the Uniroyal Fun Cup. It is one of the most challenging race tracks in the world, mainly due to its... |
 Pedro RodríguezPedro Rodriguez (racing driver) Pedro Rodríguez was a Mexican Grand Prix motor racing driver. He was born in Mexico City and was the older brother of Ricardo Rodríguez.-Career:... |
P153 BRM P153 The BRM P153 was a Formula One racing car which raced in the , and 1972 Formula One seasons. It was powered by a 3.0 litre V12 engine. Its best result was a victory at the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix.-References:... |
3.0L V12 V12 engine A V12 engine is a V engine with 12 cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of six cylinders, usually but not always at a 60° angle to each other, with all 12 pistons driving a common crankshaft.... |
| 15 August 1971 1971 Austrian Grand Prix The 1971 Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Österreichring on August 15, 1971.- Race report :Jo Siffert took a surprise pole position from Jackie Stewart and led away at the start from Clay Regazzoni and Jacky Ickx. The front two drew away from the pack, where Regazzoni was duelling... |
 Austrian Grand PrixAustrian Grand Prix The Austrian Grand Prix was a Formula One race.The first event, in 1964, was held at a race track on the Zeltweg Airfield. The race was a success, but the track was deemed too dangerous; it was narrow and very bumpy, and spectators complained of poor viewing areas... |
Österreichring Österreichring The Red Bull Ring is an Austrian race circuit in Spielberg, Styria.The race circuit was founded as Österreichring and hosted the Formula One Austrian Grand Prix for 18 consecutive years, from to . It was later shortened, rebuilt and renamed the A1-Ring, it hosted the Austrian Grand Prix again from... |
 Jo SiffertJo Siffert Joseph Siffert was a Swiss racing driver.Affectionately known as "Seppi" to his family and close friends, Siffert was born in Fribourg, Switzerland, the son of a dairy owner... |
P160 BRM P160 The BRM P160 was a Formula One racing car which raced in the 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1974 Formula One seasons. It was powered by a 3.0 litre V12 engine.... |
3.0L V12 |
| 5 September 1971 1971 Italian Grand Prix The 1971 Italian Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monza on September 5, 1971. This race is often referred to as the fastest Formula One race of all time, with a record average speed of 242.615 km/h , a record that was not broken until 32 years later at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix at... |
Italian Grand Prix |
Monza | Peter Gethin Peter Gethin Peter Kenneth Gethin is a former racing driver.He participated in 31 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 21 June 1970. He won the 1971 Italian Grand Prix in the fastest average speed in Formula One history , but this was his only podium finish... |
P160 | 3.0L V12 |
| 14 May 1972 1972 Monaco Grand Prix The 1972 Monaco Grand Prix was a Formula One race held at Monaco on May 14, 1972. This was the last race on the original Monaco circuit, before the swimming pool was installed and the tunnel was lengthened... |
Monaco Grand Prix |
Monaco |  Jean-Pierre BeltoiseJean-Pierre Beltoise Jean-Pierre Maurice Georges Beltoise is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and Formula One driver who raced for the Matra and BRM teams. François Cevert was his brother-in-law .... |
P160B | 3.0L V12 |
Exhibition
There is a small exhibition about Raymond Mays, including his interest in BRM, together with the trophies won by BRM while it was owned by the Owen Organisation, at Bourne Civic SocietyBourne Civic Society
Bourne Civic Society is a voluntary organization concerned with the development of the town and community of Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.It was founded in 1977 at a time of a rapid expansion of the town...
's Heritage Centre.
Computer simulation
A driveable, detailed virtual recreation of the BRM H16-powered P83/P115 and the BRM P261 was made available in the pc-based F1-simulation Grand Prix LegendsGrand Prix Legends
Grand Prix Legends is a computer racing simulator developed by Papyrus Design Group and published in 1998 by Sierra Entertainment...
.