BRM: A Legacy of Ambition
In 1947, racing driver Raymond Mays and engineer Peter Berthon founded British Racing Motors (BRM). Their goal was to showcase the strength of British industry in motorsport. More than 100 companies contributed funds to the "British Racing Motor Research Trust." By 1949, BRM unveiled its first race car, the P15 V16. However, despite its impressive engineering, the car was unreliable and failed to compete with the dominant European teams.
BRM always had ambitious designs. The P15’s 1.5-liter supercharged V16 was powerful but fragile. The team entered the Formula 1 World Championship in 1951 but initially struggled. By 1952, financial difficulties forced BRM to halt operations. Industrialist Alfred Owen stepped in, reviving the team in 1955. Four years later, Jo Bonnier secured BRM’s first Grand Prix victory in Zandvoort.
BRM’s Glory and Decline
Graham Hill won the 1962 Formula 1 World Championship with the BRM P57, also securing the Constructors’ Championship for the team. This double triumph marked BRM’s peak. Several customer teams also relied on BRM engines, but despite their efforts, another championship title never materialized.
BRM’s decline began when the team pursued complex and ultimately unsuccessful technical projects. When Formula 1 introduced new engine regulations in 1966, BRM opted for a challenging H16 engine. This overly complicated power unit never performed as expected and signaled the beginning of the end. By 1970, Alfred Owen handed control of the team to his sister, Jean Stanley, though he remained its primary financial backer.
Under Jean’s husband, Louis Stanley, BRM briefly returned to the spotlight. Pedro Rodríguez (Belgium 1970), Jo Siffert (Austria 1971), Peter Gethin (Italy 1971), and Jean-Pierre Beltoise (Monaco 1972) secured four victories. However, BRM also faced tragedy when Siffert died in a BRM at Brands Hatch in 1971.
The Slow Demise of BRM
Niki Lauda made his Formula 1 debut with BRM in 1973, though at the time, he was a pay driver. The team’s decline accelerated after Alfred Owen’s death in 1975, leaving BRM without financial support. In 1976, BRM entered only the first race of the season. The following year, the team introduced its last car, the BRM P207, designed by Len Terry. The overweight chassis and outdated V12 engine rendered the car uncompetitive. Only Larry Perkins managed to qualify it once. The team soon withdrew from Formula 1 and even failed to succeed in the British Aurora F1 Series with the P230.
BRM’s Le Mans Return in 1992 – and Failure
Although BRM’s assets were liquidated, the Owen family retained the rights to the name. David Owen, passionate about preserving his father’s legacy, supported businessman John Mangoletsi in his Le Mans project in 1992. It was not BRM’s first foray into sports car racing, as the team had occasionally built endurance racers in the past.
Mangoletsi, an engineer based in Knutsford near Manchester, was also a well-known Alfa Romeo dealer. His motorsport involvement was serious, and he commissioned former Zakspeed designer Paul Brown to create a new car. Brown designed a carbon-fiber monocoque, manufactured by Courtaulds Engineering—the same company that had built Tyrrell’s 012 chassis in 1983.
A 1966 Engine for a 1992 Race Car
For the engine, Mangoletsi and Brown opted for a V12. However, instead of using BRM’s last F1 engine, the P142, they turned to an older design. Graham Dale-Jones derived the “new” BRM engine from the Weslake V12, originally developed in 1966 for Dan Gurney’s AAR Eagle team. Gurney won the 1967 Belgian Grand Prix with this engine.
Dale-Jones reworked the Weslake block with modern internals, with Ricardo Engineering also contributing. The result was a 3.5-liter V12 producing 626 hp (467 kW) at 11,300 rpm. However, reliability issues plagued the project from the start. At the 1992 World Sportscar Championship race in May, an oil system failure prevented Wayne Taylor and Harri Toivonen from starting despite qualifying 12th.
Le Mans: 20 Laps and Out
At Le Mans, gearbox problems limited Wayne Taylor to just six practice laps, while Harri Toivonen and Richard Jones never completed a single lap. The ACO initially refused the team’s entry. However, with a thin 1992 field, race officials allowed Taylor to start alone, likely knowing the car wouldn’t last. As expected, the BRM P351 retired after 20 laps with gearbox failure.
Despite the debacle, BRM immediately flew the car to the U.S. for an IMSA race at Watkins Glen, financed by office equipment manufacturer DANKA. The race was another disaster—after just five laps, the P351 retired, ending its competitive career.
Rebirth of the BRM P351 as the BRM P301
The Owen family retained the car, and rumors persist that Ricardo Engineering reworked the engine, enabling a 1,000-mile test run. However, this claim remains unverified since the BRM P351 never competed again. In 1996, Keith Wiggins, former Pacific Racing Formula 1 team owner, acquired the chassis.
Wiggins commissioned Pilbeam Racing Designs to convert it into an open-top prototype. The V12 was replaced with a turbocharged 3.0-liter Nissan V6. The modified car, now the BRM P301, competed in the International Sportscar Racing Series (ISRS) — ironically, a series founded by John Mangoletsi himself.
BRM P351 – Technical Specifications:
- Chassis: Carbon-fiber monocoque, designed by Paul Brown, built by Courtaulds Engineering
- Engine: 3.5-liter V12, derived from the 1966 Weslake design, but outdated compared to contemporary Jaguar, Mercedes, and Peugeot engines
Conclusion: An Ambitious but Doomed Revival
The BRM P351 was a bold yet ultimately flawed attempt to resurrect a legendary racing brand. The outdated engine, underdeveloped chassis, and inexperienced team made success impossible. As a result, the BRM P351 remains little more than a footnote in endurance racing history.
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