Pete05
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- 7,095
- Melbourne, Australia
In 1961, the first year of the 1.5 litre era, BRM had to resort to an underpowered Climax FPF engine but they were busy developing their own engine for the 1962 car. This engine was a brand-new fuel injected V8 which stood out from the rest of the pack because of it's characteristic howl. For the first few races the V8 was equipped with 8 separate near vertical exhaust stacks, but they were later replaced because they tended to break off.
The P57 turned BRM's fortunes around. Graham Hill scored the team's second Grand Prix win, again in the Netherlands, exactly three years after Jo Bonnier's first. He went on to win another three Championship rounds. He also won the Driver's World Championship and BRM took the Constructor's crown.
For 1963 the P57 was extensively modified with the spaceframe chassis being replaced by a monocoque. Hill took victories at Monaco and US Grands Prix in 1963, 1964 and 1965. The arrival of the new 3 litre regulations in 1966 ended BRM's good years and their cars were only sporadically in contention for victories.
ENGINE
Configuration
P56 90 degree V8
Location
Mid, longitudinally mounted
Construction
Aluminium alloy block and heads
Displacement
1498 cc / 91.4 cu in
Bore / Stroke
68.5 mm (2.7") x 50.8 mm (2")
Compression
10.5:1
Valvetrain
2 valves per cylinder, DOHC
Camshaft
Gear driven
Fuel feed
Lucas Fuel Injection
Aspiration
Naturally aspirated
Power
200 bhp / 149 kW @ 11,000 rpm
Torque
136 Nm / 100 ft lbs @ 9750 rpm
DRIVETRAIN
Chassis
Aluminium body on tubular spaceframe
Suspension (f&r)
Double wishbones, coil springs over Armstrong dampers
Steering
Rack and Pinion
Brakes
Discs, all-round
Gearbox
BRM 5 speed manual
DIMENSIONS
Weight
495 kg / 1091.3 lbs
Wheelbase
2281 mm / 89.8"
Front track
1333 mm / 52.5"
Rear track
1327 mm / 52.2"
http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/con-brm.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Racing_Motors
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