1967 Brabham BT24 Monoposto

Having won back-to-back Formula 1 World Championships for Cooper Cars in 1959 and 1960, and while still under contract to Cooper, Sir Jack Brabham began a quiet partnership with Ron Tauranac in 1961. That partnership would produce winning cars clear through the BT33 F1 model of 1970. A brilliant engineer and fellow Australian, Tauranac's designs began with the MRD-1 Formula Junior (for Motor Racing Developments), which was driven by yet another Aussie, Gavin Youl. He had very good success in the 1961 British Formula Jr. Championship.

By the end of 1961, with the Brabham-Tauranac partnership was out in the open, Sir Jack left Cooper and both MRD (their design/build firm) and the Brabham Racing Organization (their Grand Prix team with Sir Jack racing the cars of his own name) were off and running. While development began on the BT3 Formula 1 car, MRD developed the BT2 customer Formula Junior cars, a refinement of the MRD-1 F-JR.

MRD eventually became the official chassis supplier for the competition team Brabham Racing Organization. Tauranac designed the cars while Dan Gurney and Brabham undertook driving duties. The team did rather well during its early years, finishing as high as 3rd in Constructors' Championship points in 1965. For 1966 and 1967, the team would experience back-to-back Drivers' and Constructors' Championships after changes to Formula 1 rules were made. For 1966, new three-liter displacement rules had manufacturers searching for a suitable powerplant. Most teams selected Coventry's time-tested Climax inline four-cylinder unit. Other teams instead chose to develop new motors from the ground up, which predictably led to teething and reliability issues.

Brabham sought help from the Repco manufacturing company of Australia, which had supplied him with parts over the years. Engineer Phil Irving took an Oldsmobile F85 V-8 and replaced the traditional overhead valve arrangement with a single camshaft, minimizing the engine's physical profile. The block was eventually recast in a lightweight aluminum alloy. The result was a very reliable, if only modestly powerful, engine that was more than capable of carrying the lightweight BT19 and BT20 chassis to the 1966 Formula 1 title. Brabham, himself, won his third Drivers' Championship, becoming the first man in Formula 1 history to win a title in a car of his own manufacture.

By this point in history, Gurney had been replaced by Denny Hulme, who had become a legend in his own right. He was instrumental in amassing the total points needed to win the 1966 Constructors' Championship.

For the following season, many manufacturers were further along with their engine development. Mid-season, Lotus introduced their mighty Cosworth DFV V-8 which portended a changing tide for the years to come. Jim Clark and Graham Hill continually set fastest laps at most races with the new motor, but the Cosworth engine was still generally too temperamental to last for an entire race.

Brabham took the Repco RB 620 V-8 a step further for the following season with the re-engineered RB 740. One of the most significant changes was the relocation of the problematic lower outside exhaust system to a manifold that fit neatly inside the V'd cylinder banks, porting up and rearward for a small, aerodynamically clean package.

An additional 35 horsepower was produced from the Repco F85-replicated block, and the RB 740 was installed into a much smaller chassis than that of the BT19 or B20, one based on the Formula 2-specification BT23C frame. The resulting BT24 proved to be a formidable contender, with the power-to-weight ratio of the earlier Brabham cars, with the reliable Repco engine.

The first of the three BT24 chassis built by MRD for the final two-thirds of the Brabham team's 1967 campaign was BT24-1. It took 4th and then 2nd at the British and German Grand Prix before achieving 1st at the Canadian Grand Prix in August. This was followed by a 2nd place finish at the Italian Grand Prix and then another outright victory at the International Gold Cup Race at Oulton Park. At the United States Grand Prix, the car finished 5th and was runner-up at the season-concluding Grand Prix event in Mexico City.

The BT24-1 was certainly instrumental in helping Brabham, earning the team 41 World Championship point, making the car the highest-points earner in Brabham racing history. With Denny Hulme's performances in the other BT24 chassis, the car earned Brabham Racing a second consecutive Constructors' Championship, while Jack Brabham narrowly finished 2nd to Hulme in the Drivers' Championship.

Jack Brabham drove chassis number BT24-1 a final time in the 1968 season debut at Kyalami, South Africa, where the car retired early. By this point in racing history, Brabham Racing was forging ahead with its new BT26 chassis, and the BT24s were retired from team use. After the Kyalami date, the car was sold to a South African enthusiast who continued to campaign it in the local national series. The Brabham BT24-1 was retained in South African, mainly under the care of one collector during the 1970s, before being returned to England in 1980 and displayed in the Donington Grand Prix Museum for almost two decades.

In 1998, the Brabham-Repco was acquired by the current owner. A correct new body, engine, suspension, and wheels were fabricated for the car, while the original elements were de-installed and carefully saved so the car could be driven in historic competition without compromising the sanctity of these significant elements. The BT24 has been used in numerous historic racing events, including the Goodwood Revival, Monaco Historic Grand Prix, and the Grand Master Series of the 2007 French Grand Prix, where the car took 1st in Class at the race it won 40 years earlier.

This car is powered by a Repco Type 740 SOHC V-8 engine fitted with a Lucas fuel injection system and offering 335 horsepower. There is a five-speed manual gearbox and AP racing disc brakes.

By Daniel Vaughan | Nov 2014