AutoCult BRM P15 (1950) (Great Britain)

About the Original

The unsuccessful project

In 1947, for some British motorsport enthusiasts, the idea of taking a dominant position in the highest racing league in the future apparently became sheer mania! In order to achieve this ambitious goal, up to 160 well-known British companies joined forces. The racing project became known as “British Racing Motors” or short BRM (also B.R.M.).

The design and production were financed by the British Racing Motor Research Trust, which collected donations from the public. In 1950, the race care was finished and it was pushed to the starting line for the first time. However, the drive shaft of the BRM broke shortly after the start. The following race appearances were also characterized more by embarrassing mishaps than by sporting success.

In 1951, the two drivers, Reg Parnell and Peter Walker, competed in the “British Grand Prix”, the fifth round of the Formula One. The 40-year-old Parnell managed to finish the race at the fifth place – five laps behind the winner – and his team-mate made it to the seventh place (the last place). Reg Parnell got two Championship Points on his account through this final result. These remained the only two points that BRM ever got.

The unsuccessful episode of BRM lasted until the 1954 season. Several reasons were ultimately blamed for the fail of the project. The large number of companies involved and uncoordinated cooperation did not lead to the hoped-for concentration of expertise. This point was considered the biggest shortcoming, but the complexity of the 16-cylinder engine also pushed the team to its limits.