14 replies to this topic

[Megatron]

Was a car actually constructed for the preposed BRM of 1979? I have heard that one was but I don't know for sure. Also, why did they not come back?

[Marcor]

1)- This is from Motorsport April 2001:
Iniquity followed iniquity: the team gave Monaco, scene of its greatest triumphs, a miss; BRM was demoted from the F1 constructors' Association just days before the British Grand Prix; both 207s (yes two were built) were entered for the 1978 British F1 championship - and still couldn't win.

Yet Woods stuck it out, designed the car he hoped would modernise BRM, a Lotus-like wing car. It ran, briefly, on Donington's Melbourne Loop, but went no further.

Woods: "There's only one good thing I can say about all this: I was there at the start and I was there at the finish." He even oversaw the sale of BRM on 22 October 1981.

And that was that. Best remembered.

2)- This is from A-Z of Formula Racing cars 1945-1990 (David Hodges):
P230: This was an ersatz BRM - although it followed Woods / Terry design lines - which was built as an angular ground effects car by CTG in 1979, for patrons Derick Bettridge and John Jordan. They had only limited ambitions for this car, but even those were not followed through. (no picture of the car)

[desmo]

Here's an article on the BRM P230, it has some good photos.

http://members.madas...on/brm-P230.htm

[Allen Brown]

The P230 was sold to David Hepworth who had it converted into the "Hepworth" Can-Am car. It was tested by the Garvin Brown team (driver Danny Sullivan) in late 1980 as they attempted to find something better than a Lola T530. It never raced. Brown bought a Frissbee instead.

No idea where it is now. But I'd like to know.

Allen

[Felix Muelas]

Thank you, Desmo
Brevity is...wit ;)

Felix

[Rainer Nyberg]

Yes thanks Desmo for the link...never seen the P230 before.
Actually looking really purposeful this P230, especially when comparing with the P207...

[Gary C]

....in the ensuing four and a half years, have we heard where this car is ??

[19ryanh93]

Anyone who is still reading or following this thread.

 

The P230 was converted into as mentioned a Can Am car by Bob Sparshott (BS Fabrications) he strongly denies this due a long legal battle that followed.

 

It was completed and shipped to america for Garvin Brown to run in Can Am, however this did not happen, there are numerous rumours surrounding why the car was crashed the main one and the one that keeps cropping up was that March or Lola paid Garvin Brown more to not race it, Danny Sullivan also denies driving the car, even though photos show Sullivan in the car.

 

As for the cars whereabouts, it is currently in a garage in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, still in the Hepworth family we are currently restoring the car back to Can Am specification where it will carry the same name as when Garvin Brown ran it Hepworth GB1, this is due to the F1 bodywork never making it back from BS Fabrications.

 

For those wondering i am David Hepworth grandson. 

 

And a little thing not many people know.....someone was going to trust the ground effects that much they were going to drive it upside down on either the Brooklyn or Golden Gate bridge, or so i have been told.

[bill p]

Anyone who is still reading or following this thread.
 
It was completed and shipped to america for Garvin Brown to run in Can Am, however this did not happen, there are numerous rumours surrounding why the car was crashed the main one and the one that keeps cropping up was that March or Lola paid Garvin Brown more to not race it, Danny Sullivan also denies driving the car, even though photos show Sullivan in the car.
 
As for the cars whereabouts, it is currently in a garage in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, still in the Hepworth family we are currently restoring the car back to Can Am specification where it will carry the same name as when Garvin Brown ran it Hepworth GB1, this is due to the F1 bodywork never making it back from BS Fabrications.
 
For those wondering i am David Hepworth grandson. 
 
And a little thing not many people know.....someone was going to trust the ground effects that much they were going to drive it upside down on either the Brooklyn or Golden Gate bridge, or so i have been told.

That would be Gavin Brown

[Tim Murray]

I've always believed his name to be Garvin, not Gavin. Here's his obituary in Autoweek:

http://autoweek.com/...ica-road-racing

which includes a photo of Danny Sullivan driving the Intrepid GB1 on which the name Garvin Brown is clearly visible.

[2F-001]

Well, they had Garvin (Brown Racing) writ large on the sides of their truck and on their team shirts too.

 

I have a book here, titled Fast Lane Summer by Leon Mandel, which follows the CanAm season largely from the viewpoint of that team, with a lot of images I've not seen elsewhere; it's a very long time since I read it so I couldn't say if it contains anything pertinent or useful to this thread.

[bill p]

I stand corrected! Apologies, 19ryanh93.

Bill P

[racinggeek]

Well, they had Garvin (Brown Racing) writ large on the sides of their truck and on their team shirts too.

 

I have a book here, titled Fast Lane Summer by Leon Mandel, which follows the CanAm season largely from the viewpoint of that team, with a lot of images I've not seen elsewhere; it's a very long time since I read it so I couldn't say if it contains anything pertinent or useful to this thread.

 

Read the book years ago myself, but I don't recall anything about the Hepworth in it. Following the team through the 1980 season, much of it covered Sullivan's and the team's futile efforts with its own Intrepid chassis (a Lance Smith design, IIRC) and the speed they found when they gave up that project and joined the rest of the flock with a Lola T530. 

[E1pix]

Fascinating tale... and what a beautiful car!

I recall hearing or reading something at the time about the proposed "upside-down test," thinking what the result might be if radio commands to "turn left!" went awry... like, "Sorry, I meant the other (right-side up) left..."

But it seems the test was going to take place through a tunnel... then again, my memory's failed me a few times here of late...

[19ryanh93]

The Hepworth GB1 the can am car built around the P230 chassis will be at Goodwood next weekend