BRM V16 chassis IV to race at Revival | GRR
The BRM P15 V16 chassis IV, which made its world debut at the Goodwood Revival in 2021, is set to return to Goodwood, this time to race on track for the first time.
The car, the fourth Mk1 P15 to be built, will race in the Goodwood Trophy as part of a celebration of 60 years since BRM won the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship in 1962. It’s screaming 1.5-litre V16 engine set to stand out among cars from ERA, Maserati and more.
As well as celebrating the anniversary of BRM’s F1 title, the V16 also races in the Goodwood Trophy 70 years after it last took part in a race of the same name. During that event, in 1952, a V16 won and finished first, second and third in the hands of Jose Florian Gonzales, Reg Parnell and Ken Wharton.
The Goodwood Trophy has been a central part of the Goodwood Revival, since the first event in 1998. This race, for the cars that first battled at Goodwood when it opened in 1948, will see pre- and post-war Grand Prix cars together on track.
When Goodwood first opened, just after the conclusion of the Second World War, very few “new” racing cars were in existence. As a result many pre-war machines were brought out of their hibernation and pressed into action around the country and Europe as motorsport got back underway again. The Goodwood Trophy celebrates these tumultuous days as Grand Prix racing not only resumed, but the Formula 1 World Championship was born.
The fourth BRM V16 chassis was first unveiled by the Duke of Richmond at the Goodwood Revival in 2021. The culmination of years of effort by the Owen family to reignite the famous British Racing Motors brand, this car was originally meant to be finished back in the 1950s, as one of three P15 cars that were never finished. Now, as the first of the three to come to life, it brings the screaming sound of the V16 engine back to life for all to hear.
The V16 will be raced at the Revival by Rob Hall, who oversaw the build of this latest V16 at Hall & Hall in the run up to its debut at the Revival in 2021. Speaking of the return to Goodwood, John Owen BRM director and son of Sir Alfred Owen, who took over BRM from founder Raymond Mays, said: “We have been very clear from the start of the project that the final three MK1 P15's are to be built so that they can be seen and be heard.”
“They form an incredibly important part of British Motor Racing and British engineering history and it is vital that this is not forgotten. What better way to demonstrate this to the next generation by actually racing?”
Don’t miss the 2022 Goodwood Revival on the 16th-18th September. There are limited tickets still available, click here for more information or to book now.
Photography by Jordan Butters and Pete Summers.