I’m sure anyone who reads ‘Racing Daydreams’ will be aware that ‘British Racing Motors’ are producing new V16 BRM Grand Prix cars. Quite the thing they are too… perhaps more effective as glorious nostalgia than they were as Formula One cars. All the same, it’s a hell of a project that has just received a tremendous boost.
Following five years of research & investigation, the team at BRM have uncovered the whereabouts of the original body buck that was used for the first six Mk 1 P15 Grand Prix cars. This is the iconic sleek shape that was unveiled at RAF Folkingham on 15 December 1949, and celebrated in this newsreel courtesy of ‘Race Day Replay’.
As the BRM body evolved, the original jig was squirrelled away by its creator, George Gray – to be uncovered all these years later in the roof of his boat house.
“With the discovery of the original body buck, we now have the opportunity to produce a car to the original shape and specification of Britain’s very first Formula One car”, said Paul Owen, grandson of Sir Alfred Owen. “This car has not been seen in this form for over 70 years, and it is a privilege for the Owen family to be in a position to bring it to life once again.”
Hall & Hall, who are responsible for creating the new BRMs, approached Richard Mille to see if he would like his reserved build to be completed in the original style, using the original jig. An opportunity he jumped at. “It would be a privilege to see this car built in its original form, and a fantastic addition to my existing BRM collection”.
And so, with Chassis V expected to be completed to 1949 specification in early 2023, it just remains to be seen who will snap-up the final Mk 1 chassis. Save your pennies… and remember to look into any old boathouses you might pass. Well, it makes a change from barns!
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