Post by bevital on Aug 15, 2019 13:13:29 GMT -5
Hello,
I come back with a new thread for an ancient project... a model I built ten years ago...
the subject is the Repco-Brabham BT 24 that won the F1 World Champioship in 1967, driven by Denny Hulme
before seeing the model's photos, a bit of history, in my "macaroni" English...
At the end of 1965, new rules were announced for Formula One cars. The 1500cc atmospheric engines were too small in comparison with the Sport-Prototype and GT cars power units of the era, and so the displacement rose to 3000cc for atmospheric units, while 1500cc supercharged engines were admitted again. The longest technical F1 layout was born: it lasted 20 years, until 1986, and in its second decade it saw the turbocharger revolution.
At this era's dawn, in 1966, English teams hadn't yet a good enough engine for the new Formula: Climax, who had made excellent 2500 in-line 4s and 1500 V8s, never tried to build a 3000cc unit, while Ford hadn't yet decided to support the mythic Cosworth V8 project. Each one had to sort it out by himself... BRM (the only British factory that made also the engines of his cars) issued an incredible 16 cylinders in "H" layout – practically two flat 8 engines on top of each other! – as powerful as it was complex and fragile. This engine was used also by Lotus, aside of 2-litres Climax engines for the slower circuits. Cooper re-discovered an old Maserati V12, designed at the end of '50s for the 250F; Bruce McLaren, for his debut as a manufacturer, chose an Indy Ford V8 reducing its displacement from 4200 to 3000 cc.
Jack Brabham, the famous Australian, England-based driver/manufacturer, former two-times world champion with Cooper, found the solution at home: he asked to Repco, an Australian engineering and engine parts firm, to design for him a new engine based on an all-aluminium V8 Oldsmobile stock block. It was a very simple, light and reliable engine, with only two valves per cylinder, not very powerful but with an excellent torque; its lighteness allowed Brabham and his engineer Ron Tauranac to use a strengthened version of the 1500cc BT 20 tube frame. Therefore, the new Brabham 3000 was a light, simple an traditional car, fitted with a quite good, honest engine...
And the others? Porsche, at that time still a lightweight cars' specialist, withdrew at the end of the 1500cc formula, while Honda began to develop his own 3000cc project, that was ready to race only for the two last GP of the '66 season
Given this situation, 1966 could be the year for Ferrari, that had alot of experience with big block engines, but even in Maranello there were some issues: the Commendatore was heavily engaged in the battle with Ford for Sport-Prototype supremacy (in that times the endurance races were as important as F1, if not even more), with great economical effort, and for the new Formula he ordered to his chief engineer Forghieri to develop an old, quite heavy V12, instead of designing a brand-new engine. Moreover, Mr. Ferrari divorced during the season his top driver, "Big" John Surtees, one of the few that could worry the phenomenon Jim Clark.
Clark and his Lotus were often the fastest on the field, but they paid the fragility of BRM engine too many times, while Brabham with his BT20, the best driver-car-engine compromise, took four wins in nine GP and his third world title: the first and unique title in F1 history won by a driver that was also his car's manufacturer...
For 1967, everybody thought that things were to be different. Ferrari had further developed his 312, and aside of the faithful Bandini he deployed the young and talented Chris Amon; Lotus was near to complete his fabulous 49 with Ford Cosworth V8 engine and gave a car also to Graham Hill: two world champions in the same team; Honda came back in full force with John Surtees as its top driver… It seemed there wasn't any chance for Brabham, which presented his new car, the BT24 fitted with a new version of the Repco engine: the "740", which featured a 15 hp extra than the previous season's "620" and a new exhaust layout, in the middle of the cylinders' V. This is the car that I reproduced. The other team driver was the rough New Zealander Denny Hulme.
Once again, the fate was favourable for the Anglo-Australian team. Ferrari lost Bandini in the awful Monaco fire, and suffered by the incredible Chris Amon misfortune. Amon was considered as one of the best drivers of his era, but he never won a single Grand Prix in 14 Formula 1 seasons, missing often apparently sure wins for ridiculous failures. Jim Clark had to wait the third GP for his Lotus 49 Cosworth, immediately succesful, but once again often stopped by youth problems. Surtees had the same issues as Clark and Hill, winning only one time. At the end, Brabham team with four wins (two for Dennis Hulme, two for Brabham), seven second places (three for Hulme, four for Brabham) and three third places for Hulme on eleven races, won the title again, this time even with the "one-two": Hulme was the Champ ahead of his boss… looking at the podiums, one can have an idea of Brabhams' reliability....
In 1968, no more miracles: in spite of a new 32-valve version of his Repco engine, Brabham din't was competitive no more. So, for 1969, he too adopted the Ford Cosworth engine, but that's another story....
I come back with a new thread for an ancient project... a model I built ten years ago...
the subject is the Repco-Brabham BT 24 that won the F1 World Champioship in 1967, driven by Denny Hulme
before seeing the model's photos, a bit of history, in my "macaroni" English...
At the end of 1965, new rules were announced for Formula One cars. The 1500cc atmospheric engines were too small in comparison with the Sport-Prototype and GT cars power units of the era, and so the displacement rose to 3000cc for atmospheric units, while 1500cc supercharged engines were admitted again. The longest technical F1 layout was born: it lasted 20 years, until 1986, and in its second decade it saw the turbocharger revolution.
At this era's dawn, in 1966, English teams hadn't yet a good enough engine for the new Formula: Climax, who had made excellent 2500 in-line 4s and 1500 V8s, never tried to build a 3000cc unit, while Ford hadn't yet decided to support the mythic Cosworth V8 project. Each one had to sort it out by himself... BRM (the only British factory that made also the engines of his cars) issued an incredible 16 cylinders in "H" layout – practically two flat 8 engines on top of each other! – as powerful as it was complex and fragile. This engine was used also by Lotus, aside of 2-litres Climax engines for the slower circuits. Cooper re-discovered an old Maserati V12, designed at the end of '50s for the 250F; Bruce McLaren, for his debut as a manufacturer, chose an Indy Ford V8 reducing its displacement from 4200 to 3000 cc.
Jack Brabham, the famous Australian, England-based driver/manufacturer, former two-times world champion with Cooper, found the solution at home: he asked to Repco, an Australian engineering and engine parts firm, to design for him a new engine based on an all-aluminium V8 Oldsmobile stock block. It was a very simple, light and reliable engine, with only two valves per cylinder, not very powerful but with an excellent torque; its lighteness allowed Brabham and his engineer Ron Tauranac to use a strengthened version of the 1500cc BT 20 tube frame. Therefore, the new Brabham 3000 was a light, simple an traditional car, fitted with a quite good, honest engine...
And the others? Porsche, at that time still a lightweight cars' specialist, withdrew at the end of the 1500cc formula, while Honda began to develop his own 3000cc project, that was ready to race only for the two last GP of the '66 season
Given this situation, 1966 could be the year for Ferrari, that had alot of experience with big block engines, but even in Maranello there were some issues: the Commendatore was heavily engaged in the battle with Ford for Sport-Prototype supremacy (in that times the endurance races were as important as F1, if not even more), with great economical effort, and for the new Formula he ordered to his chief engineer Forghieri to develop an old, quite heavy V12, instead of designing a brand-new engine. Moreover, Mr. Ferrari divorced during the season his top driver, "Big" John Surtees, one of the few that could worry the phenomenon Jim Clark.
Clark and his Lotus were often the fastest on the field, but they paid the fragility of BRM engine too many times, while Brabham with his BT20, the best driver-car-engine compromise, took four wins in nine GP and his third world title: the first and unique title in F1 history won by a driver that was also his car's manufacturer...
For 1967, everybody thought that things were to be different. Ferrari had further developed his 312, and aside of the faithful Bandini he deployed the young and talented Chris Amon; Lotus was near to complete his fabulous 49 with Ford Cosworth V8 engine and gave a car also to Graham Hill: two world champions in the same team; Honda came back in full force with John Surtees as its top driver… It seemed there wasn't any chance for Brabham, which presented his new car, the BT24 fitted with a new version of the Repco engine: the "740", which featured a 15 hp extra than the previous season's "620" and a new exhaust layout, in the middle of the cylinders' V. This is the car that I reproduced. The other team driver was the rough New Zealander Denny Hulme.
Once again, the fate was favourable for the Anglo-Australian team. Ferrari lost Bandini in the awful Monaco fire, and suffered by the incredible Chris Amon misfortune. Amon was considered as one of the best drivers of his era, but he never won a single Grand Prix in 14 Formula 1 seasons, missing often apparently sure wins for ridiculous failures. Jim Clark had to wait the third GP for his Lotus 49 Cosworth, immediately succesful, but once again often stopped by youth problems. Surtees had the same issues as Clark and Hill, winning only one time. At the end, Brabham team with four wins (two for Dennis Hulme, two for Brabham), seven second places (three for Hulme, four for Brabham) and three third places for Hulme on eleven races, won the title again, this time even with the "one-two": Hulme was the Champ ahead of his boss… looking at the podiums, one can have an idea of Brabhams' reliability....
In 1968, no more miracles: in spite of a new 32-valve version of his Repco engine, Brabham din't was competitive no more. So, for 1969, he too adopted the Ford Cosworth engine, but that's another story....
