Tuesday 14th September 2021

BRM completes first 'new' P15 V16

Monster-sounding V16 car is due to run at a special BRM parade at Goodwood Revival this weekend

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Without question, BRM produced on of our favourite videos of this year. It was simple. In a surprisingly artful way, it showed the rebuilt Type 15 V16 motor running for the first time. We wondered if it might be the best engine-sound footage ever. "It's quite a substantial noise," one of the engineers told us. "It can be heard in my village, which is 10 miles away."

Now the firm has followed up on that theme with another, longer video dubbed 'The Chrysalis'. The name is apt, of course, for an engine still on the test bed - but the 'new' P15 V16 race car is on the verge of becoming a very public butterfly. BRM reports that the first car produced from scratch since 1953 survived its shakedown at Blyton Park last week, and is ready for its unveiling at Goodwood Revival this weekend.

Built to mark the 70th anniversary of the British Racing Motors team, the first of three cars planned goes to the John Owen, the son of the original team principal. Now 82, the project is said to the realisation of a long-held dream to revive the iconic sound of the supercharged 1.5-litre motor producing 600hp at 12,000rpm.

 

"Hearing that V16 engine again after so many years was an incredible moment, and a dream come true," said Owen. "It's a tribute to the tremendous skill, persistence and attention to detail of the engineering team at Hall and Hall, and I really can't wait to unveil the car at the Goodwood Revival."

"The car is fundamentally superb," noted Rob Hall, the man doing the driving at Blyton. "Of course, it still needs a few tweaks and adjustments, but this is to be expected in such a complex package. We took the engine up to 9,000rpm but got a ticking off from the circuit because we exceeded their 95dB noise limit!"

The project has been brought to fruition by a 'unique' partnership with restoration specialists, Hall and Hall, and used post-war blueprints to painstakingly recreate the car over a two-year period. "This has been an incredible journey for all of us", commented Rob's father and business partner, Rick Hall. "With the first of the three new Mk1 V16 now complete, we will turn our attention to the two remaining chassis numbers. With all the technical hurdles now safely overcome, we are supremely confident we can create a truly magnificent, brand-new, historically authentic yet entirely raceable 1950s Formula 1 car".

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• BRM's V16 can be heard from 10 miles away

[Mr.Grooler]

Nice little video. Looking forward to hearing the car this weekend; hopefully they can manage a few laps!

[FourWheelDrift]

The Beast of Bourne.

[Equus]

"With all the technical hurdles now safely overcome..."

Oooh, that's a brave thing to say!

[geo1905]

I was at the Spring autojumble at Beaulieu a couple of years ago when the museum wheeled out the BRM V16 with it's fully rebuilt engine. Everyone was warned that the sound was earsplittingly loud and we all needed to be jolly careful. In a tense and expectant atmosphere, the staff attending the car then all put on ear defenders and the engine was started up. Yes, it is loud but it only becomes unpleasant when the revs really rise up the scale....which was never going to happen as the rebuild apparently cost over £50,000. Fabulous piece of kit but what a lot of initial drama followed by a rather flat feeling. I'd love to see it race and the second stage of the supercharger cut in and release all that power and noise .. but I'm not holding my breath !

[Mr Tidy]

Stunning car - and an amazing engine sound as I found out at Goodwwod in 2012!

[Maxdecel]

geo1905 said:

I was at the Spring autojumble at Beaulieu a couple of years ago when the museum wheeled out the BRM V16 with it's fully rebuilt engine. what a lot of initial drama followed by a rather flat feeling. I'd love to see it race and the second stage of the supercharger cut in and release all that power and noise .. but I'm not holding my breath !

Will this suffice until the weekend ?
Makes me every time
Oh yes Vol. to 11 or as one comment put it "Pure mechanical euphoria"

Edited by Maxdecel on Wednesday 15th September 01:09

[sideways man]

It’s not only pure volume, but the depth too. Recordings don’t do it justice. Utterly fascinating car,Good luck for the weekend!

[Bobtherallyfan]

geo1905 said:

I was at the Spring autojumble at Beaulieu a couple of years ago when the museum wheeled out the BRM V16 with it's fully rebuilt engine. Everyone was warned that the sound was earsplittingly loud and we all needed to be jolly careful. In a tense and expectant atmosphere, the staff attending the car then all put on ear defenders and the engine was started up. Yes, it is loud but it only becomes unpleasant when the revs really rise up the scale....which was never going to happen as the rebuild apparently cost over £50,000. Fabulous piece of kit but what a lot of initial drama followed by a rather flat feeling. I'd love to see it race and the second stage of the supercharger cut in and release all that power and noise .. but I'm not holding my breath !

Get your hearing checked….

[ettore]

Equus said:

"With all the technical hurdles now safely overcome..."

Oooh, that's a brave thing to say!

Haha - brave indeed. I’m making sure I see the parade on Sat’ before the mechanical maladies strike. There are 5 V16’s there so I do hope to hear something.

I have had the luck of hearing one properly thrashed into the higher rev’ ranges (Gerry Marshall) and it remains - sans pareil- the MOST most extraordinary thing.

Love ‘em and loved the vid’ too.

[LotusOmega375D]

Amazing achievement, but is anyone else rather sad that the Revival seems to have become a race meeting for expensive replicas? The original ethos of the event was that only authentic period cars would be invited, preferably with genuine Goodwood race history. That policy seems to have gone out of the window years ago. For the valuable cars, it now seems to be a case of keep the original locked away and build a replica to go wheel banging at Goodwood. Very entertaining, but not in the original spirit of the event. Don’t forget that even the originals had their accidents in period.

By the way, what’s happened to the real BRM V16s? There often used to be one or two doing display laps at historic race meetings. Where are they now?

Edit: last question answered above.

[ettore]

I know what you mean about replica’s but I’m pretty easy about it tbh - only really affects the TT majorly (plus most of the GT40’s!) which I think is forgivable. Other than that the cars are still mainly original.

I’m fully behind the new V16’s if it means they can be run properly.

[Fetchez la vache]

I wonder why Tesla et al don't release a similar sales video where the sound of their electric motor pulls at your heart strings...

Edited by Fetchez la vache on Wednesday 15th September 10:50

[RSTurboPaul]

Great video - 600bhp from 1.5 litres is amazing, nevermind the fact it's a V16 and does 12000rpm!

I feel the need to hear/feel one of these in person


I wonder what else the engine might fit? lol

[Equus]

RSTurboPaul said:

Great video - 600bhp from 1.5 litres is amazing, nevermind the fact it's a V16 and does 12000rpm!

I feel the need to hear/feel one of these in person

I wonder what else the engine might fit? lol

The problem - apart from the fact that it never worked - was that boost characteristics of the centrifugal blower made it very difficult to drive. You wouldn't want to shoehorn one into your Caterham with thoughts of going bimbling round the country lanes on a weekend.

[LotusOmega375D]

I think I read that there was so much power on such skinny tyres that it always wanted to spin its wheels. This in turn made the supercharger and engine spin faster and put even more power through the rear wheels. Sort of a vicious circle.

[Andy83n]

Would be quicker with a tesla drivetrain...

[ettore]

Equus said:

The problem - apart from the fact that it never worked - was that boost characteristics of the centrifugal blower made it very difficult to drive. You wouldn't want to shoehorn one into your Caterham with thoughts of going bimbling round the country lanes on a weekend.

Tbf, they did eventually make it work reliably in period with the formula libre cars. They were clearly difficult to drive but whilst Moss hated it, Fangio and Gonzales loved it.

Edited by ettore on Wednesday 15th September 13:59

[sisu]

If I remember they were running a set of plugs to start it, then changing to another set once it was up to temperature. One wonders if this will be the case as this more of a flat cap and tweed journey for Goodwood or will it be useable?

[EyeHeartSpellin]

Love it. Truly special.

[Maxdecel]

Confirming all the above .... Oh ?
Works in Utub for me.