In honor of Vanwall’s six Formula One wins in 1958, Vanwall Group has recently announced their plans to build six new Vanwall Formula One continuation cars. The Vanwall Group is the successor to the legendary British Vanwall motor racing team.
In 1957, Vanwall became known as the first British-built car, with British drivers – Sir Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks – to win the British Grand Prix. They had six victories in 1958 and were then hailed as the first winner of the Formula One World Constructors Trophy. There have only ever been two Formula One teams to have recorded a maximum points score in a championship season and Vanwall was the first team to achieve that honor.
Only five of the six continuation cars will be offered for private sale as the sixth car will form the core of a Vanwall Historic Racing Team. Each vehicle will have historic racing and vehicle restoration experts working on them in Lincolnshire, England. The continuation cars will have a meticulously engineered 270bhp, 2,489cc Vanwall engine based on the original drawings and blueprints from the 1950s. The hand-built continuation cars will be sold for £1.65 million ex VAT.
At its peak, Vanwall was known for innovative engineering, with the aerodynamics design by Frank Costin working hand in hand with the Colin Chapman chassis. They introduced the use of disc brakes in Formula One, instead of the drum brakes, giving them a small but important competitive advantage over the Ferraris. After 62 years, Vanwall Group has already begun researching how the historic Vanwall brand DNA could translate into a vehicle for the 2020s, with investigations continuing into future road and race car programmes.
“The Vanwall name is too important to consign to history. The Vanwall story is untold to many, but it is a great British tale of innovation and achievement and shows what happens when the right team come together and push themselves fearlessly to reach a clearly defined goal. On this anniversary, we think the time is right to celebrate this great British story of success. Faithfully recreating the iconic 1958 championship-winning car with six 100% accurate and authentic continuation cars is a fitting tribute to their historic success. The DNA that made those cars so successful also serves as an inspiring foundation for the future of the Vanwall marque, which I look forward to sharing in due course.”
Vanwall Group Managing Director, Iain Sanderson.
A former world champion offshore powerboat racer, Sanderson is also a pioneer in electric vehicles as he was the one who commissioned the Lightning GT electric supercar back in 2008.
These photos are of an original Vanwall VM5 that is part of the Miles Collier Collection at Revs Institute.
“I can still remember watching the Vanwalls at Aintree in ’57 when I was a boy and had the pleasure of sitting in one at Goodwood. I drove at all the major circuits in a Cooper T51 for many wonderful years but the Vanwall is the car I coveted. These cars will be fully race eligible and in the right hands will be unbeatable, repeating Tony Vandervell’s mission to beat the red cars!”
Vanwall Group Chairman and former Historic Grand Prix Cars Association Chairman, Andrew Garner.
More information regarding the six Vanwall continuation cars can be found at the Vanwall Group website.
[Source: Vanwall Group]
As the majority of “historic” racing cars on the circuits at present are chock full of ‘updated’ parts these will fit right in to say nothing of supplying the demand for more ,long gone, cars at silly prices as already seized on by Jaguar, Lister, et al.
If you consider there is not much to an old formula car’s shape not like the XKSS. The Vanwall, Lotus 16, Maserati F250, 59 Elva Jr (which the Elva is of course fiber glass, this must be a MILLION pound profit margin or the motor in the Vanwall must justify the million pounds.
Remember being at Silverstone,just after Club corner, and the crowd cheering as a Vanwall came round in first position.
Paul, I drove the 59 Elva Jr from 2001- 2014 that you had earlier, great fun. Lon McKinstry
I received a Strombecker slot car set in the early 60’s and this Vanwall was one of the 2 cars in the set, but I don’t remember reading anything about its history or success in the set. Then again, I probably didn’t read any of the instructions included at that time. Wish I still had it now.