Wednesday 4th November 2020

Legendary BRM V16 is back

Original chassis numbers to feature on three 'new' P15s - BRM will mark 70 in style

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Any discussion of the greatest sounding engines used in motorsport will always feature the usual suspects: BDAs from Escort, the Audi five-cylinder, the Jaguar V12 and BMW M88 just for starters. There’s another, too, deserving of the list and often unfairly forgotten: the BRM V16. Its combination of tiny, 1.5-litre capacity, ferocious appetite for revs (with the ability to go beyond 12,000rpm) and supercharger ensured a spellbinding sound in Grand Prix racing like nothing else. With Fangio at the wheel in the early days of Formula 1, the BRM Type 15 with the 16-cylinder engine was apparently quite the thing to witness. Now just one remains, kept in a museum and very seldom seen or heard, a regrettable (if understandable) shame.  

Well, not for much longer. John Owen, son of original BRM team principal Sir Alfred Owen, along with his sons Simon, Paul and Nick, is to mark 70 years of the brand next year with the construction of three more P15s. Chassis numbers set aside in the 1950s but unused because of a rule change (isn’t it amazing how these keep turning up?) will be utilised to create three more V16-powered F1 racers, one set aside for Owen himself and two to be offered to customers. They’re being made possible by access to a quite extraordinary archive; there’s a digital catalogue of more than 20,000 technical drawings to help unpack the design and engineering, allowing the builders - Hall and Hall - to create vehicles as faithful to the originals as possible.

Speaking of which, the V16s won’t simply be designed as exhibits - they’re being built to race. They’re being assembled to FIA standards, with eligibility for historic competition. The reasoning is simple - to keep the V16 a living part of British motorsport history. BRM talks of preservation and growth, of “the ability for future generations worldwide to see, and above all, hear, the mighty V16 for years to come.” What more laudable aim could there be? 

Indeed, a desire to raise awareness of the BRM’s incredible engineering feat has been John Owen’s main motivation for a long time. Having been 10 when the original V16s competed, he describes watching the likes of Fangio compete in the cars as “very special”. He continues: “In a selfish way, I have always dreamed of hearing that sound again but now I’d also love to share that sensation with others. To hear the V16 screaming at full tilt for the first time is something special – something you never forget.” Now that opportunity is going to exist once more for two lucky customers, as well as Owen senior who will get to experience the thrill of that wild engine for himself at last.

Beyond the involvement of the Owen family, the new V16 project is lent further credibility as Hall and Hall was founded by a member of the original BRM F1 team. Rick Hall joined them in 1972, and is quoted as being “delighted” to be involved. Appropriately, too, that company is based in Bourne, just as BRM once was - it all falls into place rather nicely. 

With the trio of V16s already in build, the plan is for on track demonstrations to commence in 2021 when the brand celebrates its 70th anniversary. As Nick Owen has said: “This is a story about how BRM and a few men in sheds, influenced Formula 1 and the wider motor industry”, and we can’t wait to see how that story is about to continue all these years later. Want one? Well, best hurry, because there will only be two once the Owen family have theirs, and best be wealthy - the two chassis “will be available on application” …

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[sidesauce]

Pretty cool. I wonder if there will be any more after these three?

[Esceptico]

Presumably the two for sale will fund the one earmarked for Owen? Not a bad idea.

[coppice]

'Unfairly forgotten '? By whom ? People who have no interest in motor sport apart from what happened last week? It was, in truth, a heroic failure and ISTR Moss dubbed it the worst car he ever drove . I have seen a couple of demos over the years and (on the odd occasion it's running on all 16 ) it sounds absolutely unbelievable .

[DeejRC]

It wasn’t even that glorious a failure. It was just a failure. Unfortunately they were simply rather rubbish, they simply never worked properly.

[Venisonpie]

Fabulous.

I guess if an engine with such a small capacity uses so many cylinders all of the moving parts will be small and delicate hence unreliable?

I hope they make it work.

[Equus]

3 year unlimited mileage warranty, one assumes?

[anonymous-user]

“To hear the V16 screaming at full tilt for the first time is something special – something you never forget....”

Hmm, I was at castle Combe test day and a BRM V16 was there, I guess of the 16 cylinders, nine or ten were firing correctly. I think people will be disappointed if it’s built to the same specification as the period car....

Personally I think it’s sad that this is what historic racing is becoming, the affordable genuine period cars like the MGB will be forced out so rich enthusiasts can buy a car like this and pretend it’s genuine because it’s an endorsed replica with a BRM chassis number. Yes I know lots of continuation models already exist, Cobras, GT40s etc but it’s getting silly now. Soon we’ll have a grid full of headline replicas and the genuine period cars unable to get a grid slot.

[HeMightBeBanned]

I wonder if, 70 years on, they can make the engine work. They certainly couldn’t in the ‘50s.

[Lotobear]

Lovely, I recall hearing the troubled H16 running at Duns a few years ago on the JC event, also sounded wonderful, a hairs on the back of the neck lump in the throat moment.

[Callum43]

I saw it race at Goodwood on the odd occasion, probably the Easter Monday meeting in the Formula Libre category . Can’t remember who drove it . I must have been about 10 years old I reckon , and the noise in comparison to anything else was scary . It was amazing down Lavant straight but elsewhere it looked a total nightmare
So far as I can recall it lasted short races but the overall reliability was appalling. However doesn’t it look amazing as a static object .

[coded2112]

I have a book Into The Red by Mark Hales and Nick Mason, with a CD which has each of the cars running including the BRM V16, it just about manages to run a lap on all 16 cylinders, good book, worth a read

[ghibbett]

coded2112 said:

I have a book Into The Red by Mark Hales and Nick Mason, with a CD which has each of the cars running including the BRM V16, it just about manages to run a lap on all 16 cylinders, good book, worth a read

I have this also. The sound file of it is incredible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIZ3itRXOI4

No way it would pass any trackday noise regs however!

[Baddie]

It’ll be worth it if they can make it run properly. In “Into the Red” Mark Hales speculates on why it wouldn’t, methanol freezing in the carbs (cold day) or magnetos being overwhelmed past 9000 rpm. He described the car overall as being beautifully built, and referenced the mechanics referring to the engine’s fiendish internal complexity.

But, my god, I’ve never heard anything like the soundtrack of that V16, and I’d love to hear one running properly, in person, for more than one lap. I get the comments about yet another continuation, but this has to be done for the noise alone.

[Baddie]

Apparently it was a complete handful to drive because, as well as being relatively heavy, the centrifugal supercharger’s boost increased more and more as revs went up; the steepness of the power curve was an issue, with hp doubling very couple of thousand revs.

[RobM77]

I wonder if the reliability will be faithfully reproduced? :-D

[mgv8]

It's going to be interesting to see how much they can improve the reliability this time around. Would be amazing if they can run the new ones way more often.

[Tango13]

ghibbett said:

coded2112 said:

I have a book Into The Red by Mark Hales and Nick Mason, with a CD which has each of the cars running including the BRM V16, it just about manages to run a lap on all 16 cylinders, good book, worth a read

I have this also. The sound file of it is incredible!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIZ3itRXOI4

No way it would pass any trackday noise regs however!

I have a copy too. First tine I listened to the CD I kept turning the volume up to hear the V16 but due to the car was moving away from the microphone, when the car completed the lap and went past the straights where it was being recorded I doubt my neighbours were impressed

[singlecoil]

Reliability will depend on how much they keep to the original design and spec, with the tech available now getting it to run right would be no problem

[shalmaneser]

The much smaller tolerances this could be built to today would ensure at least some improvement in reliability I'm sure. I can't wait to see this wailing around Goodwood!

Would love if they were able to do the same for the H16, that sound really is very very special.

[James B]

Another "Into the Red" listener here although was around 12 or 13 at the time and some friends and I put the CD on and turned my fathers stereo system to the max to listen that V16 blast through the lounge again and again and again. Shortly after one of speakers developed an odd buzz, i'm sure it was nothing to do with that V16, nope, not at all.