[Video] Brabham BT42 blasts FOS with DFV roar | GRR
Brabham were in the doldrums in the early 1970s. Its talismanic leader had sold the company, which had then been sold on again. Brabham finished ninth two seasons in a row in 1971 and 1972, struggling to five and seven points in these seasons.
But in 1973 they had a young designer called Gordon Murray working on their team, his first work was the Brabham BT42, a wedge-y angular replacement for the more traditionally cigar-like BT37. It was an instant success, propelling Brabham, with drivers Carolos Reutemann and Wilson Fittipaldi up to fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, Reutemann picking up a pair of podium finishes along the way.
In 2011, the very lucky Paul Knapfield was at the wheel of a BT42 at the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard. Lining up in the Timed Shootout Knapfield had the honour of hurling this DFV-powered screamer up the Goodwood Hill, and he did so in some style. It’s a brilliant piece of Brabham’s mid-history renaissance and boy does it sound and look incredible.