Venetia Day adorns the Matra MS120 at London’s Racing Car Show at Olympia on January 6 1971…
She is quite the most beautiful young lady with all of the ‘bibs n bobs’ we fellas tend to like. With the compound curvature of a Maserati 250F she is hard to beat.
I get a lot of metrics as part of this WordPress website, it always amuses me that the seventh most popular article i have done is the MS120 Matra piece i wrote a while back featuring Venetia’s ‘rear suspension’. Here to complete the set is her ‘front suspension’ which is as firmly set and finely proportioned as the rear…
Its certainly not the best piece i have written, so i guess it has something else going for it, page one or two of a Matra MS120 Google search !
All very politically incorrect these days of course, but political correctness is so ‘ferkin boring!
Here’s the original article if you’ve not read it;
‘One of the most classic racing engines of all time – and unquestionably the most widely copied – was the 1913 3-litre four cylinder Peugeot conceived jointly by Georges Boillot, Jules Goux and Paolo Zuccarelli whose ideas were interpreted by the brilliant draftsman Ernest Henry’ ; Harry Mundy in Automobile Year #10…
The team first expounded the advantages of twin overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder and compact combustion chambers.
Jules Goux fourth and Robert Peugeot at the 1914 French GP. Goux winner at Indy in 1913 in a Peugeot L56. Mercedes Christian Lautenschlager won the race, Boillot was well in the lead before a spate of Dunlop tyre problems. 4 July 1914, less than a week after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the imminent start of WW1 (unattributed)
‘The Three Charlatans’; driver/technicians Goux, Boillot and Zuccarelli, the latter the most important in terms of his conceptual ideas, as they became known within Peugeot HQ, put a proposal to M Robert Peugeot to develop, outside the factory a team of cars for the 1912 French GP. The race was being revived that year, and two 3-litre cars for the Coup l’Auto at a cost of 4000 pounds for each car.
The 1912 GP engine of 7602cc was estimated to develop 140bhp@2200rpm, the car very successful as covered in the contemporary magazine articles included at the end of this piece.
‘Overhead camshafts had been used earlier by Mercedes and Clement-Bayard…The technical contribution of the Peugeot engine was in the use of the hemispherical combustion chamber, four valves per cylinder operated directly by twin overhead camshafts and a central sparking plug. In other words, Zuccarelli, from whom this conception emanated, appreciated the virtues of a compact combustion chamber, large effective valve area and low valve stresses’.
‘A stirrup-type valve tappet guided top and bottom ad having its own return spring was used and the entire mechanism was fully enclosed and lubricated; the valves and springs were exposed to assist cooling…The one piece cylinder block and head was bolted to a two piece crankcase split on the horizontal centre line of the five main bearings’ said Mundy.
Boillot won the 1912 French GP at Dieppe by 13 minutes from the closest Fiat at an average speed of 68.5 mph. The Fiats, to demonstrate the efficiency of the Peugeot engine were of 14143cc.
Georges Boillot, Peugeot L3, Coup l’Auto 1913 (Getty Images)
The 3-litre Peugeot engine produced for the 1913 Coupe de l’Auto race run concurrently with the French GP, was the more important in its technical influence as its efficiency and light chassis was more than a match for the 1912/13 GP cars built for an unlimited formula and having in some cases twice the capacity.
Many features of the 3-litre were common with its bigger brother but other key elements copiously copied were;
.A train of spur gears contained in a separate and easily detachable casing which replaced the former bevel gear and shaft drive to the camshafts
.The heavy stirrup type of valve tappet was discarded in favour of a finger interposed between the cam and valve stem
Boillot on the way to Peugeot L3 victory on the Amiens 31.6 km road course used only once for the French GP, in 1913. Zuccarelli was killed when he hit a cart before the race; five fatalities at the place in two months (unattributed)
.A novel construction was introduced for the crankcase and the three main bearing crank, made of the highest quality BND/Derihon steel. The latter was made in two halves and bolted at the centre, at which point a double row ball bearing was used; a single row roller bearing was used for the front and rear mains. This type of construction permitted the use of a one-piece crankcase casting, the two end bearings for the crankshaft being contained in a separate housing.
Ernest Henry at his drawing board, year unknown. Hiss exact contribution to the design of the Peugeot’s and the engine still the subject of debate after 100 years; a key member of the team whichever way you cut it (unattributed)
.It was also the first engine to use dry-sump lubrication; better cooling with full pressurisation to all bearings and also allowing engines to be placed lower in the chassis.
The influence of the engine was also profound in the sense that it lead to the adoption of a capacity limitation from 1914, a principle adopted for most subsequent formulae. From 1914 onwards there was no effective alternative to the overhead camshaft as stroke to bore ratios were reduced and rotational speeds increased, two basic requirements of increased performance…
‘The Three Charlatans’ circa 1912; Paolo Zuccarelli, Jules Goux and Georges Boillot (TNF)
Contemporary ‘The Automobile’ articles on the 1912/1913 Peugeots…
1912 L76 7.6-litre.
1913 L3 3-litre.
Bibliography and Credits…
Automobile Year #10 article by Harry Mundy on Grand Prix engines, ‘The Automobile’ 26 September 1912 and February 1914 articles via theoldmotor.com, The Nostalgia Forum Peugeot GP thread, Jacques Henri-Lartigue
Tailpiece: Boillot, winner on Peugeot L3. French GP, Amiens 12 July 1913…
David Coulthard’s Red Bull Renault RB’4WD’ trys to avoid being lassooed y’all, Johnson City, Texas 19 August 2011…
There was no American GP from 2008 to 2011 this Red Bull promotion was of Coulthard driving the ‘Circuit of The Americas’ then under construction outside Austin, Texas.
YouTube footage thereof…
DC Red Bull Renault, ‘Circuit of The Americas’ first ‘race laps’, August 2011 (Getty Images)
British privateer, Horace Gould’s ‘crew’ time his Maserati 250F, he finished eighth in the race won by Moss’ similar car…i love this unattributed shot, it somehow captures the waiting game of a drivers lover in those very dangerous days…
Gould was a Bristol motor trader who competed in sixteen Grands’ Prix, his best result in this car , an ex-works 1954 250F ‘2514’, in the 1956 British Grand Prix, finishing fifth and earning two championship points.
He raced Jack Brabhams’ similar Cooper Bristol on an ‘Australasian Tour’, at Mount Druitt, New South Wales, in 1953 beaten by Jack, and in the 1954 New Zealand Grand Prix, the race won by Stan Jones’ Maybach 2.
Horace Gould in his Cooper T23 Bristol at Mt Druitt, he ‘was left for dead off the line, Jacks car with its lightweight flywheel, Harley clutch and Stromberg carbs’. (aussieroadracing.homestead.com)
Gould was the quintessential passionate privateer, eking out an existence on start and finish money in events throughout Europe in the late 1950’s, he stopped racing around 1959 and died of a heart attack in 1968, aged 47.
de Filippis in the cockpit of her Maserati 250F. Monza, Italian Grand Prix 1958…
de Filippis started racing Fiat 500s aged 22 after her brothers bet her she couldn’t drive fast. In 1954 she finished second in the Italian sports car championship and was scooped up by Maserati as a works driver.
In 1958, driving Maserati 250F chassis #2523 a ‘T car’ used by Fangio in 1957, she became the first woman to take part in a World Championship Grands’ Prix at Spa, Belgium finishing 10th. She missed the French Grand Prix when an official with Gallic charm and chauvinism suggested to her that ‘The only helmet a woman should wear is the one at the hairdresser’s.’
Jean Behra offered her a drive in his Porsche team in 1959. Behra’s death led to her reconsidering her future and she quit. ‘Too many friends had died,’ she told the Observer in 2006. ‘There was a succession of deaths – Luigi Musso, Peter Collins, Alfonso de Portago, Mike Hawthorn. Then Behra was killed in Berlin. That, for me, was the most tragic because it was in a race that I should have been taking part in. I didn’t go to the circuits any more. The following year I got married, then my daughter was born and family life became more important.’
Her GP results are; 1958 Syracuse Q8, DNF Belgium Q19 DNF, Italian Q21 DNF all 250F. 1959 Monaco Porsche 718 DNQ and BRDC Intl Trophy Silverstone 250F Q23 DNF.
de Filippis, Maser 250F, Spa 1958 (The Cahier Archive)
Well, Mike Spence in any event. His ‘Parnell Racing’ Lotus 25 BRM is ‘in drag’ for filming of John Frankenheimer’s iconic racing film ‘Grand Prix’…
James Garner played Aron, the helmet design that of Chris Amon, Aron drove for the fictional, nascent Japanese ‘Yamura’ team after being booted out of the Jordan BRM team in a crash which took out his teammate ‘Scott Stoddard’.
In the race itself the great British ‘all-rounder’ Spence finished an excellent 5th behind Brabham, Hill, Clark and Stewart…
Mike Spence in his factory BRM P261 on the ‘BRDC Intl Trophy’ grid, Silverstone 29 April 1967. He was 6th in the race won by Mike Parkes’ Ferrari 312. ‘Gedda move on with the start’ seems to be the pose? (unattributed)
Great atmospheric shot of Michael Schumacher in his Ferrari F2005 during the Monaco Grand Prix, he finished 7th after an accident with David Coulthard, DC trying to avoid the spinning Albers Minardi, Kimi Raikkonen won the race in a McLaren…
Kimi Raikkonen on his way to Monaco victory 2005. McLaren MP4/20 Mercedes. (Coolamundo)
The Ferrari F2005 was the final evolution of a series of V10 3 litre engined cars, F1 engine regs changed to 2.4 litre V8’s in 2006.
The chassis was lighter than the F2004 and the aerodynamics evolved over the previous car. The gearbox was smaller and lighter than F2004’s, made of titanium and carbon fibre. The ‘055’ engine was essentially carried over but with mounting points changed, the challenge that year to get 2 race meetings out of the engine.
Rubens Barrichello, Albert Park, AGP. Ferrari F2005. (Coolamundo)
The rear suspension was redesigned to improve its aerodynamics and work with the cars Bridgestone tyres, and therein lay the problem of Ferrari’s season after 5 years of dominance.
The sporting regulations for 2005 didn’t allow tyre changes at pitstops. Bridgestone didn’t master the tradeoff between race long durabilty and performance so the year was fought out amongst Michelin shod teams.
Ferrari’s only 2005 ‘win’ was at the farcical US GP at Indianapolis when the Michelin shod teams withdrew from the event, or rather completed one slow lap as the tyres failed with the loads imposed by Indy’s banking during qualifying.
Ralf Schumacher beside his shagged Toyota TF105 after his huge shunt caused by tyre failure. Deja vu for the poor German who had an even bigger accident at Indy the year before in his Williams, outing him for several races. (unattributed)
A compromise proposed by Michelin to use a chicane was rejected by the FIA. This dopey decision resulted in a meaningless Ferrari ‘win’ but was otherwise to everyones’ detriment; American fans, TV audience, Michelin, the FIA and the sport…
Fernando Alonso won the 2005 Drivers title and Renault the Manufacturers’ with their Renault R25, McLaren were resurgent especially in the second half of the season, Kimi Raikkonen consistently quicker than Juan Pablo Montoya in the McLaren MP4/20 Mercedes.
Fernando Alonso in his Renault R25, 2005. Circuit unknown. (LAT)
Ferrari F2005 Technical Specs…
Carbon fibre and honeycomb composite monocoque chassis, suspension by pushrods and torsion bars front and rear. Type ‘055’ 90 degree 2997cc , 4 valve normally aspirated V10 giving circa 900bhp@19000rpm. Semi-automatic 7 speed sequential gearbox. Carbon fibre brakes. Weight inclusive of fluids and driver 605Kg.
Jackie Stewart passes the burning molten alloy remains of Jackie Oliver’s BRM P153 and Jacky Ickx’ Ferrari 312B, fortunately both drivers escaped with only minor injuries, burns in Ickx’ case, lucky, it could have been much worse…
On the first of the 90 lap 19 April 1970 event Oliver had a suspension failure at the Ciudalcampo, Jarama, Madrid circuit, ploughing into Ickx and puncturing his fuel tank. The other P153 BRM of Pedro Rodriguez was withdrawn as a precautionary measure, Ollie reported stub axle failure as the accident’s cause.
#2 Ickx Ferrari 312B and Oliver’s white BRM P153, inside an inferno. ‘Bag type’ safety bladder fuel tanks mandated from the start of the 1970 season. The FIA at this time, pretty much year by year changed the regulations to improve safety around fuel tanks; safety foam around tanks in ’72, crushable structures around tanks in ’73, self-seal breakaway tank/hose coupling in ’74. (unattributed)
The full horror of the situation confronting the two drivers; Oliver has punched the release on his Willans 6 point harness and is jumping out of the BRM, Ickx is in the process of popping his Britax Ferrari belts. Johnny Servoz-Gavin’s Tyrrell March 701 Ford 5th passes. (unattributed)
Ickx disoriented and on fire in search of a marshall (Automobile Year 18)
A soldier beckons in Jacky’s direction. (Automobile Year 18)
The soldier, not a marshall puts Ickx’ overalls fire out. At this stage foam is being sprayed on the car fire but the foam extinguishers were soon emptied leaving water only, the impact on the molten magnesium componentry was to make the fire worse. (Automobile Year 18)
Jack Brabham’s Brabham BT33 Ford was on pole, reinforcing the speed of Ron Tauranac’s first monocoque GP contender, but Jackie Stewart won the race in one of his least favourite cars, the March 701 Ford.
The accident happened at the ‘Esses Bugatti’, a stub axle failed and Oliver’s BRM rammed Ickx’ Ferrari puncturing its fuel tanks and releasing 45 gallons of avgas, a similar amount aboard the BRM. Oliver got out quickly, Ickx finally emerged with his overalls on fire, the flames were put out by a soldier. Ickx suffered as a result of keeping his fuel soaked overalls on.
‘The accident created race havoc, not only the visibility being dangerously reduced for drivers…but the flaming petrol constituted another hazard. The fire-fighting was abysmal, vast quantities of water being hosed on the flames for a long time-a procedure which caused the magnesium elements to ‘gas’ and flare up time and time again. The BRM was still burning at the end of the race, but miraculously no-one was hurt’ the Automobile Year race report said.
Stewart didn’t have the race to himself; he initially pulled away from Brabham and Hulme, electronic dramas causing the Kiwi’s demise. Despite spinning twice Jack chased Stewart and Pescarolo, taking second when the Frenchman’s Matra V12 seized, he was five seconds behind JYS. Only a few metres separated them when Brabham’s Ford Cosworth failed, allowing Jackie to ease off to take victory.
Bruce McLaren was second, McLaren M14A and Mario Andretti in another privately entered March 701, third.
The 1970 speed of BT33 was reinforced by Jack’s pole. He won the season opening South African GP. Here spinning on the ‘extinguisher foam rink’. He spun twice but despite that was right on Stewart’s tail when his engine blew. Jarama 1970. (unattributed)
Jarama 1970 was also notable for the race debut of Chapman’s latest design the Lotus 72.
Jochen Rindt qualified his 8th, John Miles in the sister car did not make the cut. Rindt was out of the race on lap 8 with ignition failure.
It would take intensive development by Colin Chapman and his team to make the car competitive, the cars monocoques had to be ‘unpicked’ to make the suspension changes to eliminate a lot of the anti-dive/squat geometry and many other modifications but by June they had a winning car; victorious for Rindt in the sad Dutch Grand Prix, unfortunately the fire on that day had far more serious, fatal consequences for Piers Courage and his De Tomaso 505 Ford.
The sad reality of days like Jarama and Zandvoort in 1970, look how ill equipped in terms of fire protective clothing the marshalls are in the photos above, was the acceptance that safety standards in every respect; circuits, car construction and race support services had to improve to societal levels of acceptability. Thankfully we are on a different level in every respect today…
Rindt, Lotus 72 Ford, Jarama 1970. Look at the suspension travel on that early 72! (unattributed)
Jochen and Colin making a long joblist during Spanish GP practice. The car which won at the Dutch GP in June was a 72C which shows how much change there was in 2 short months. ‘Sol’ pitboard is Alex Soler-Roig who failed to qualify a Lotus 49C. (unattributed)
John Surtees ran as high as 3rd in his ex-works McLaren M7C Ford but faded and then retired with gearbox problems. Back at base his team were building John’s first F1 car the ‘TS7’ which made its debut at the British GP in July. (The Cahier Archive)
Piers Courage during Jarama practice 1970. His Frank Williams De Tomaso 505 Ford non-started after a practice accident. (The Cahier Archive)
Tailpiece: Stewart’s winning March 701 passes the conflagration…
Graham Hill having a squirt of Jack’s Brabham BT26A Ford in British GP practice, Silverstone, July 1969…
GH in a Brabham is not such a big deal; he raced F2 Brabhams with success for years, as well as Tasman Formula ‘Intercontinental’ Brabhams in the mid-sixties. Later, he was the pilot of Ron Tauranac’s intriguing ‘Lobster Claw’ BT34 in 1971, but he was a Lotus F1 driver in 1969, so ’twas a bit unusual to practice an opponent’s car.
Hill’s red Brabham BT11 Climax from Clark’s Lotus 32B and Aussie Lex Davison Brabham BT4, all Climax 2.5 FPF powered on the way to an NZGP win for Graham. Pukekohe, 9 January 1965. Hill also raced an earlier BT7A in the ’66 Tasman for David McKay’s Scuderia Veloce, the entrant of the car shown; he was familiar with Brabham ‘GP’ cars long before 1969! (unattributed)
Jack was still recovering from a testing accident at Silverstone in June when a Goodyear popped off a front rim, his car ploughed into an earth bank, his ‘equal worst accident’ with the Portuguese Grand Prix one in 1959. He lay trapped in the car with a badly broken ankle, Cossie V8 screaming at maximum revs until he punched the ignition cutout and extinguishers to minimise the chance of the pool of fuel in which he lay igniting. Eventually, a touring car, also on the quiet circuit mid-week, stopped and raised the alarm.
Jacky Ickx, driving the other Brabham, was late for Silverstone’s first session, all timed for grid positions in those days, so Tauranac had 2 cars idle.
Graham and teammate Jochen Rindt were peeved with Colin Chapman, to say the least, as the Lotus transporter was not in the paddock when the session got underway. Graham was ‘ready to rock’ all suited up, but had no car to do so and was more than happy to put in a few laps for Tauranac. Rindt remained in his ‘civvies’ and fumed as the rest of the field practised.
Ron Tauranac is giving Hill a few tips on his very quick, twice a GP winner in ’69, BT26. ‘Just don’t over rev the thing for chrissakes Graham, Jack will kill me if you do…’ Is that Ron Dennis at right? (unattributed)
1969 was the year of 4WD experimentation for Matra, McLaren, Lotus and Cosworth.
Ultimately, very quickly in fact, 4WD was determined an F1 blind alley; the traction the engineers sought was more cost-effectively provided by advances in tyre technology. Goodyear, Firestone and Dunlop were all slugging it out in F1 at the time, none of ‘yer control formula bullshit then. The effectiveness of the ‘low wings’ mandated from the ’69 Monaco GP also played its part in getting grip.
Chapman’s issue was persuading his pilots to treat the Lotus 63 Ford, his 4WD design, seriously, to test it with a view to developing it rather than to humour him. 4WD was successful at Indy; Chapman’s ’68 Indy Lotus 56 ‘wedge’ was 4WD and came within an ace of winning the race, so was the ’69 Lotus 64, ignoring the misfortune surrounding both of these cars.
It was a challenge to get Rindt into the thing at all, but he did finish 2nd in the August 1969 Oulton Park Gold Cup. The result meant nothing, though, in front of him was Ickx’s Brabham BT26A, but all the cars behind were F5000 and F2 cars, not GP machines. Still, it was useful testing for Chapman if not for Rindt; his 4WD view was formed!
Chapman’s solution to his drivers’ recalcitrance was to sell two of his Lotus 49’s, one each to Jo Bonnier and Pete Lovely, leaving only one 49 in Team Lotus’ possession! A car you don’t have is a car you cannot drive. Said drivers were not best pleased.
Hill, Lotus 63 Ford 4WD, British GP practice, Silverstone, July 1969. ‘Turn in bitch!’, understeer and the inability of these cars to respond to delicate throttle inputs plus excessive weight, were the main performance deficiency issues. As well as the absence of the electronic trickery which helped make 4WD work into the 80’s (Brian Watson)
When the showdown with Chapman occurred, and the speed, or lack thereof, of the 63 was clear, Col borrowed back the car he sold to Bonnier, GH raced that 49 and JoBo raced the 63. Chapman rescinded the contract with Lovely.
The ever restless Lotus chief didn’t give up on 4WD in Fl, the gas turbine powered Lotus 56 campaigned in some 1971 events had its moments and potentially a great day in the wet at Zandvoort until Dave Walker ‘beached it’.
The 49 raced on into 1970 and in ‘C’ spec famously won the Monaco GP in Rindt’s hands before the Lotus 72, Chapman’s new 2WD sensation, which made its debut at Jarama was competitive.
Hill races his Lotus 49B to 7th place. Silverstone 1969 GP (unattributed)
At Silverstone Hill, the 49 B raced to 7th, having qualified 12th, and Bonnier retired the slow 63 with a popped engine. John Miles, making his F1 debut, raced the other Lotus 63 to 9th. The young, talented Lotus engineer stroked the car home from grid 14.
Stewart won a thrilling high-speed dice on the former airfield with Rindt, only to be ruined when Jochen’s wing endplate chafed a rear Firestone. Some say it was the greatest British GP ever, on the way to his world title in a Matra MS80 Ford.
It would be interesting to know Graham’s opinion of the Brabham BT26 compared to his 49, the competitiveness of which, especially in Rindt’s hands not at all in doubt despite the 49’s middle age; it was a little over 2 years old in 1969.
I am a huge Graham Hill fan, he was well past his F1 best by the time I became interested in motor racing in 1972, but he was still quick enough to take F2, and Le Mans wins then, he was my kinda bloke, sportsman and champion. A statesman for his sport and country.
Jochen and Jackie scrapping for the ’69 British GP lead, Jochen’s Lotus 49B with bulk, uncharacteristic understeer. Look closely and you can see the closeness of his LR wing endplate to Firestone tyre, the cause of a pitstop to rectify and then back into the fray only to run outta fuel, the 49 notorious for its incapacity to sometimes scavenge the last few gallons from its tanks. Stewart Matra MS80 Ford (unattributed)
1969 was as tough a year for Hill as 1968 was great.
Jim Clark’s April 1968 death impacted Hill deeply on a personal level; they had been friends for years and Lotus teammates since the ’67 Tasman Series. Colin Chapman and Clark were like brothers, and whilst Colin struggled with his grief, Hill, in a tour de force of character and leadership, marshalled Team Lotus by their bootstraps and refocused them on the year ahead. The result, World Titles for Hill and Lotus by the season’s end.
Clark and Hill beside Graham’s Lotus 48 Ford FVA F2 car prior to the start of the Australian Grand Prix, Warwick Farm, 1967. Car behind is Kevin Bartlett’s Brabham BT11 Climax. Clark was 2nd in Lotus 33 Climax FWMV 2 litre, GH DNF with a gearbox failure. JYS won in BRM P261 2.1 litre (History of The AGP)
The Tasman Series in early 1969 showed just how tough a year Graham was going to have within Lotus. Rindt joined them from Brabham, and whilst enjoying it, he had committed to Jack verbally to return to Brabham in 1970, and landed in the team in the year the Repco 860 quad-cam engine failed consistently.
Jochen had been in GP racing since mid-1964, was a consistent winner in F2 and had taken the 1965 Le Mans classic with Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250LM, was regarded as one of the fastest guys around, if not the fastest, but had still not scored his first GP win. Graham was simply blown off by a guy with it all to prove. Jochen finally got the breakthrough win at Watkins Glen, the last round of the season, in which Graham had what could have been a career-ending shunt.
He spun mid race, undid his belts to bump start the car and of course was unable to redo them unaided; he spun again on lap 91, this time the car overturned, throwing him out and breaking both his legs badly.
What then followed was a winter of Hill’s familiar grit and determination to be on the South African GP grid in March 1970. He was and finished 6th in Rob Walker’s Lotus 49C Ford.
Quite a guy, G Hill.
Team Lotus 1969. Hill, Chapman and Rindt. A tough season all round. With some reliability from his Lotus and mechanical sympathy to it from Rindt, there was a serious opportunity at the title that year, not to be (unattributed)
Etcetera: Lotus 63 Ford…
John Miles races the Lotus 63 to 10th on his GP debut at Silverstone 1969. Rounding him up is Piers Courage’ Frank Williams owned Brabham BT26 Ford, he finished 5th at Silverstone in a ripper season in this year old chassis. He emerged as a true GP front runner in ’69 (unattributed)
Cutaway is self-explanatory for our Spanish friends! Key elements of 4WD system in blue; see front-mounted Ferguson system diff, Ford Cosworth DFV and Hewland DG300 ‘box mounted ‘arse about’ with driveshafts on LHS of cockpit taking the drive fore and aft to respective diffs. Rear suspension top rocker and lower wishbone, coil spring/damper, brakes inboard (unattributed)John Miles, a young Lotus engineer and F3 graduate, ponders his mount. Lotus 63 Ford. He was later to say the 63 was not so bad, he did more miles in it than anyone else, until he first parked his butt in a conventional Lotus 49! which provided context. Note forward driving position for the time and sheet steel to stiffen the spaceframe chassis. Nice shot of disc, rocker assy and stub axle also (unattributed)Fantastic front-end detail shot of the Lotus 63. Spaceframe chassis, Lotus first since 1962, beefy front uprights, upper rocker actuating spring/shock, lower wishbone. The Ferguson system front diff axle and driveshafts to the wheels. Big ventilated inboard discs. Intricate steering linkage from angled rack to provide clearance required (unattributed)
Tailpiece: Tauranac, Hill and the ‘Lobster Claw’ BT34 1971…
RT seeks feedback from GH during Italian GP practice at Monza 1971. Hill Q14 and DNF with gearbox failure on lap 47. GH’s best results in 1971, 5th in Austria and Q4 in France. Teammate Tim Schenken, in his first full F1 year generally quicker than GH in the year-old, very good BT33, BT34, not RT’s best Brabham. No doubt RT missed Jack Brabham’s chassis development skills; Jack was on his Wagga Wagga farm from the start of 1971 (unattributed)
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