British Racing Cars 1945-1969

In this publication we look at British-built racing cars from 1945 to 1969. By ‘racing cars’ we mean single-seat open-wheel racers mainly designed to compete in Formula 1 or F2, F3, Formula Junior etc. There are a few exceptions; some early postwar racing cars had two seats, so they could be fitted with mudguards and lights to compete in sports car events. And not every Grand Prix car had exposed wheels; Connaught and Vanwall had streamlined racing cars with the wheels enclosed. For most of the period covered here only BRM and Ferrari built their own engines. In the immediate postwar era British contenders used engines by Alta, Bristol and others, until the Coventry-Climax ex-fire pump engine powered successful cars in the 1960s. It is remarkable how many private entrants in F1 in the 50s and 60s drove their own cars in Grands Prix. A new era began in 1968 with the Ford Cosworth DFV engine, enabling teams to compete at a lower cost, but most cars would be constructed to comply with the 1970 F1 regulations.