BRM P57
The BRM P57 , also known as the BRM P57 , was a Formula 1 racing car , built and used in 1962 and 1963 by the British Formula 1 team British Racing Motors . With the P57, BRM won the World Constructors 'Championship in 1962 and Graham Hill the drivers' title.
Development history and technology
The P57 was created in 1962 under great time pressure. Team owner Sir Alfred Owen presented the team with the alternative of either building a car capable of winning or abandoning the goal of being successful in Formula 1 once and for all. The car was very successful and BRM won both world championships. It had a tubular space frame, front and rear wheel suspensions on double wishbones with external spring-damper units , magnesium wheels and disc brakes from Dunlop. With a dry weight of 990 lb or 487 kg, the P57 exceeded the minimum weight required by the regulations by 37 kg.
Peter Berthon had completely redesigned the engine at BRM. It was a V-eight cylinder with a cylinder bank angle of 90 °, a displacement of 1498 cm³ (bore 68.6 mm, stroke 50.8 mm) and two overhead camshafts per cylinder bank. The transistor ignition, which was also used by Coventry Climax , and fuel injection instead of carburetors, both from Lucas Industries, were a novelty at the time . The air funnels, intake manifolds and injection nozzles for each cylinder were on the inside of the V or between the cylinder banks. The engine in the first version developed 188 bhp (approx. 190 hp or approx. 140 kW) at 10,250 rpm.
The initial exhaust system with short pipes standing vertically to the left and right of the engine appeared unusual. Due to the risk of breakage, however, they were replaced by horizontal tailpipes during the season. To the left and right of the driver's seat were two rubber tanks with a total capacity of 31.5 gallons and approximately 140 liters, respectively.
In 1963 the original five-speed gearbox was replaced by a six-speed gearbox.
Racing history
Graham Hill won four world championship races with the P57 in 1962. He won the Dutch Grand Prix , won in Germany , Italy and the season finale in South Africa .
The P57 was used by BRM until spring 1963 and then replaced by the P61 . At the Monaco Grand Prix in 1963 , Hill was able to achieve the first of his five victories in the principality with the agile racing car. As a result, the P57 were sold to private teams. Maurice Trintignant bought a vehicle and Scuderia Centro Sud used the P57 in Formula 1 until the mid-1960s.
Remarks
- ↑ The specified dimensions for bore and stroke result in a slightly larger displacement than the 1498 cm³ also mentioned in the source.
- ↑ In the book The Great Price of Germany , Heel Verlag, Königswinter 2008, ISBN 978-3-86852-043-9 , it says on page 100, in the training accident caused by a film camera that Carel de Beaufort had lost from his Porsche, the “brand new BRM” was so badly damaged that Graham Hill had to drive the 1962 race at the Nürburgring with the previous year's BRM. However, various websites name the BMR P57 as the winning car. If Hill had won the race with an old car, that would speak for his excellent driving skills. However, it is more likely to be misinformation in the book mentioned.
Web links
- ^ Cyril Posthumus: Classic Racing Cars. Hamlyn Publishing Group Limited, 1977, SBN 528-81843-0.