Brabham

GB, 1962 to date

(1) Brabham Racing Developments Ltd, New Haw, Weybridge, Surrey, 1962 – 1966

(2) Motor Racing Developments Ltd, New Haw, Weybridge, Surrey, 1966 to date

The meteoric rise and continued ascendancy of the Brabham was one of the most marked features of racing in the mid-sixties. Jack Brabham’s world championships for Cooper in 1959 and 1960 were underlined by a further triumph in his own Brabham car in 1966, and by his driver Hulme in 1967. Advertising less power than their rivals, the Brabham scored on reliability, achieved by steady, logical development. For the 1½-litre Formula 1, Coventry-Climax V8 engines were used in the Brabham, the great American driver Dan Gurney scoring two victories in the 1964 ‘grandes épreuves’. For the new formula a sohc. V8, developed by Brabham’s partner R. Tauranac from a Buick design, was produced in conjunction with the Australian Repco concern. As on all Brabham cars, a small-diameter tubular steel space-rame was retained, in an era when other contenders were following the monocoque fashion set by Lotus.

Success attended Brabham in whatever class he entered, the last year of Formula Junior (1963) being dominated by his products, usually driven by F. Gardner or D. Hulme, whilst Hulme sensationally won the 1965 Tourist Trophy in a Brabham BT8 sports car, with Coventry-Climax engine of only 2 litres. The record in the junior formula was equally impressive, mastery of Formula 3 class being achieved by 1965. In Formula 2 the Brabham marque won the majority of races in 1964, and the Honda-engined model completely swept the board in 1966.

The model numbering had reached Brabham BT21 by the beginning of 1967, this being a typically Brabham F3 car with Cosworth-Ford engine, Hewland Mark VI gearbox, tubular space frame, and three-piece glassfibre body. Total production passed the 300 mark during 1967.

The 1968 and 1969 seasons were less fruitful for Brabham, despite a developed version of the Repco engine and eventual adoption of the Cosworth unit in Formula 1. Some consolidation was achieved in increasing sales of single-seaters Brabham cars for sale, noted for their handling qualities, in the lesser formulae. The Brabham firm’s first monocoque was for Inidanapolis in 1968, but others did not appear until 1970, when the Brabham BT33 Formula 1 cars had more success, and Tony Trimmer took the Formula 3 Shell Championship with a Brabham BT28 space-framed machine. Its successor, the Brabham BT35, had as much success in hill-climbs as on the circuits.

During 1971 and 1972 the quasi-works Rondel Racing (who included ex-World Champion Graham Hill) and other Formula 2 teams did quite well with the Brabham BT36 space-framed cars. Carlos Reutemann started 1972 by earning pole position in his first Grand Prix, but this was not fully followed up. He used a ‘lobster-claw’ Brabham BT34 with separate frontal radiators, and similar rear suspension to the earlier Brabham BT33.

The Brabham BT38 Formula 2, 3, B or Atlantic car of 1972 was the first Tauranac-designed ‘for sale’ monocoque, though shortly afterwards Ron Tauranac followed Brabham’s lead in leaving the firm, and control passed to a group headed by financer Bernard Ecclestone. A further ‘lobster-claw’ Formula 1 model, the Brabham BT39, was developed form this design for the V12 Weslake engine. New production models for 1973 were the Brabham BT40 (F2), Brabham BT40B (F Atlantic) and Brabham BT41 (F3).

Source: Georgano, encyclopedia of motorcar; DF

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