What's this car then? Is it an F1 car from the 1960s or?
Discussion
nicanary said:
Difficult to say for sure, but not F1. Probably Formula Junior circa 1961/2.
Could be a Brabham BT6 or a Lotus 20/22.
Thanks. I was thrilled to have caught it. Wonder if emailing Brands Hatch might get me the answer. Or at least they might release a list of teams testing that day?Could be a Brabham BT6 or a Lotus 20/22.
Edited by nicanary on Friday 21st March 18:35
Hang on - surely the header to the YT clip is a rather nasty AI image and doesn’t relate to the Brands car. Just zoom in on the engine detail or the “wires”. Similar to this that Thumbsnap chucked up at me :
Personally I thought the car looked too quick for an FJ and the engine note was too throaty for a “screamer” and more suggestive of an FVA or similar.
Incidentally OP if you enjoyed the “Batmobile” that you also spotted get along to the Equipe (classic) meeting at Brands next weekend - should be brilliant.
Personally I thought the car looked too quick for an FJ and the engine note was too throaty for a “screamer” and more suggestive of an FVA or similar.
Incidentally OP if you enjoyed the “Batmobile” that you also spotted get along to the Equipe (classic) meeting at Brands next weekend - should be brilliant.
Edited by moffspeed on Sunday 23 March 09:19
moffspeed said:
Personally I thought the car looked too quick for an FJ and the engine note was too throaty for a “screamer” and more suggestive of an FVA or similar.
The FJ boys are pretty serious about developing their cars, some good peddlers too- the grid is often faster than for example the Historic F3 grid. moffspeed said:
Hang on - surely the header to the YT clip is a rather nasty AI image and doesn’t relate to the Brands car. Just zoom in on the engine detail or the “wires”. Similar to this that Thumbsnap chucked up at me :
Personally I thought the car looked too quick for an FJ and the engine note was too throaty for a “screamer” and more suggestive of an FVA or similar.
Incidentally OP if you enjoyed the “Batmobile” that you also spotted get along to the Equipe (classic) meeting at Brands next weekend - should be brilliant.
Sorry, yes, the thumbnail is AI generated, I thought people would just click on the video. The autogenerated thumbnail from the video was tiny and blurry so I quickly replaced it.Personally I thought the car looked too quick for an FJ and the engine note was too throaty for a “screamer” and more suggestive of an FVA or similar.
Incidentally OP if you enjoyed the “Batmobile” that you also spotted get along to the Equipe (classic) meeting at Brands next weekend - should be brilliant.
Thanks for the heads up on the event. Will check if SWMBO has any plans!
coppice said:
It looks like a FJ car and sounds like one . But it isn't one , not with those wheels . Far too wide and I cant recall even early sixties Fjs running on wires still. I think it's an evocation . But who knows?
As for the wires - I think you’re right there. Last gasp for the wires was probably the ‘59/‘60 Stanguellini. By the time that the engine had been put “in the right place” they all wore Wobblies or their equivalent.
Incidentally, talking Vanwall the ‘58 car was the first F1 car to feature alloy wheels (on the rear).
The “shark nose” 156 Ferrari design of 1961 represented the final use of wires in F1.
Edited by moffspeed on Sunday 23 March 11:23
I too was confused by posters talking about the big wheels. The OP was talking about the car in the video, not the render used as the face for the video. That looks more like the Sadler Formula Libre car, which incidentally also had wire wheels.
I suppose the video could have been one of the 4-cylinder 1961 Formula One car like a Lotus 21, but again the tyres are too thin. Deffo FJ.
The Sadler.

I suppose the video could have been one of the 4-cylinder 1961 Formula One car like a Lotus 21, but again the tyres are too thin. Deffo FJ.
The Sadler.
FJs can be very quick , well developed ones in the right hands can be around 1.5 litre F1 pace. I remember talking to FJ champion Jon Milicevic a few years ago and even he was surprised that showed his Cooper T59 was lapping Silverstone GP in the same time as one Adrian Newey's GT40 ....All figures researched on HSCC data base btw.
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