Making the Rounds of F1

I think it was in 1957 that I saw Fangio race at Silverstone, it was a catalyst for me to get interested in motor racing and think of how I could design a racing car. I was always, and still am, fascinated by the technicalities of racing car design and the ability to do or think of something quite revolutionary—something no one else had thought of. To design something quite different it is good to know the performance of the various components of existing cars, for example suspension travel and damping.

Like most designers and other like-minded people, the ideal group to join was the 750 Motor Club. Many people in those days were inspired by the forward thinking of Colin Chapman and his Lotus racing cars. I must say I was impressed by him too. Money, as always, was a common problem amongst us all at the “club,” but, we all drew on each other’s contacts and friends to achieve our objectives. At our meetings, usually held in pubs in and around London, we had many sensible and meaningful discussions. While we built our cars from scratch, we used components readily available to us, a Ford engine, space-frame chassis, but, no aerodynamics in those days. We took our differing vehicles, most powered by 1172-cc power units, and raced them at various venues, and with varying results. I didn’t regard myself as a particularly good driver and I can’t remember many of my races, it was just good to take part with one’s own design.