15 replies to this topic

[Cflores]

Hello everyone. I would like to know which was the first Formula 1 car to use an airbox to drive air into the engine. Can anyone help?

[Wolf]

IIANM Ferrari practiced at GP de l'A.C.F. in '61 with an airbox on the 156 (Ginther's car, I think), but am not certain on whether it was the very first instance (ISTR there were two Ferrari experiments with airbox)...

[Bonde]

I suppose it depends on how you define airbox. Such as the 4,5 litre talbots and the 2 litre Connaughts and other cars of the early to mid fifties had ram-air-cum-plenum inlets, although obviously not raised over the driver's head as would become the norm on mid-engined cars.

As for such 'tall' airboxes, I'd go along with the 1961 Ferrari experiments, then mid-sixties Chapparal sports racers, and finally Matra at the 1970 Mexican GP.

[RA Historian]

Originally posted by Bonde
I suppose it depends on how you define airbox.

Front engine cars, as Anders mentions, long had air scoops on the bonnet. If, on the other hand, you are looking at rear engine cars, one of the first that pops into my mind was at Monaco, 1960, where the experimental rear engine Ferrari 246 driven by Ginther had an air scoop on the side of the tall rear engine cover. But again, depends on the definition.
Tom

[dretceterini]

The 1956 rear engined Bugatti T251 had scoops on the rear engine cover. Does that count?

[D-Type]

I agree that this question hinges on the concept that an airbox is an air intake with a sealed connection to the carburettor.

I think that rules out Harry Schell's 1950 Monaco Cooper-JAP and the 1956 Bugatti which suggests that the 1960 and '61 Ferrari experiments are the answer rather than 1970-71 Matras, Tyrrells etc.

But the Talbot Lagos and Connaughts also meet the 'sealed' criterion. Maybe even the 1950-51 Ferrari 375 and it's derivative, the Thinwall Special could qualify.

Pre Formula 1, I have read that the ram effect of the intakes on the Barnato-Hassan was equivalent to light supercharging.

[Wolf]

Of course, Lotus tried something akin, but not exactly an airbox at the same race Ferrari were experimenting with their 'conventional' (by modern standards) airbox- or was it a year before, ISTR it was a Lotus 18. Ireland's car carried a front intake (with a length of large diameter tube outside the car to the engine) as Chapman's attempt to feed the engine more air (he thought turbulent flow around engine intake was not helping engine's breathing).

[Manfred Cubenoggin]

Granted not F1 but some USAC runners of the mid-1960's ran their rear engined cars...perhaps most notably the Ford V-8 entrants...with air boxes directly attached to the inlet trumpets.

[eldougo]

Air ram or scoops have been on F1 cars right from the first WDC 1950. As for airbox,s i would say that Lotus 72 at the 1970 British Gp had an air box on each side of the injector tubes. Then Brabham BT34 1971 race of champions had and engine cover and scoops ,but the first high airbox was the Tyrrell 003 in 1971 around midseason they came out with a full with nose and airbox at the French Gp 1971.
Then the 005 Tyrrell had the first TEApot style airbox ,they where only surpassed by the Ligier JS5in 1976 a the tallest airbox.

[Barry Boor]

Regarding that 'airbox' on Ginther's Ferrari at Reims in 1961 - I have the feeling that it never actually had any opening facing forwards and therefore was not an airbox in any sense of the word. Merely an attempt at aerodynamics.

Of course, I could well be mistaken......

[Bruno]

Reims Gueux: 1961
156/F1 Ritchie Ginther

[eldougo]

Wow. That is a great pic Bruno,i guess it has an opening behind the drivers head .The small scoops where for the brakes.One wonders why it did not catch on then in 1961

[Bonde]

Eldougo,

While it is true that the Lotus 72 sported a bifurcated, 'ear-style' airbox earlier in 1970, I've seen photos of the Matra MS120 with a tall airbox during the 1970 Mexican GP and right from the beginning of the 1971 season. Whether the Matra airbox was sealed around the inlet trumpets I don't know, but I suspect it was. IMO Matra certainly predates the Tyrrell in the tall airbox department - but since Tyrrell was doing most of the winning in 1971, everbody began copying Gardner once they saw a tall airbox above The Wee Scotts head...

As for the 1961 Ferrari experiment: Perhaps the drag and/or buffet around Ginther's head outweighed the potential advantages - but it certainly has an appearance ahead of its time!

[Cflores]

Thank you all! Great pic, Bruno. Where did you find it?
Wolf, I understand from your post that Ginther did nor race with this airbox, right?
So it's safe then to assume that the Matra S120 wast the first F1 car to race with one. That's what I wanted to know in the first place, sorry for not being more precise

[jcbc3]

Am I correct in understanding that they had road registered the Ferrari (re: the Prova plate from Modena)?

I guess they did some high speed testing on public roads. But I would have guessed that the prova plate was only valid in Italy.

[Bruno]

this pic comes from my files. it is extracted from a French monthly magazine “l'Automobile” of 1967/68

Originally posted by Cflores
Thank you all! Great pic, Bruno. Where did you find it?
Wolf, I understand from your post that Ginther did nor race with this airbox, right?
So it's safe then to assume that the Matra S120 wast the first F1 car to race with one. That's what I wanted to know in the first place, sorry for not being more precise