Vanwall


Vanwall was a motor racing team and racing car constructor that was active in Formula One during the 1950s. Founded by Tony Vandervell, the Vanwall name was derived by combining the name of the team owner with that of his Thinwall bearings produced at the Vandervell Products factory at Acton, London. Originally entering modified Ferraris in non-championship races, Vanwall constructed their first cars to race in the 1954 Formula One season. The team achieved their first race win in the 1957 British Grand Prix, with Stirling Moss and Tony Brooks sharing a VW 5, earning the team the distinction of constructing the first British-built car to win a World Championship race. Vanwall won the inaugural Constructors' Championship in Formula One in, in the process allowing Moss and Brooks to finish second and third in the Drivers' Championship standings, winning three races each. Vandervell's failing health meant 1958 would be the last full season; the squad ran cars in a handful of races in the following years, but finished racing in 1961.

History

Tony Vandervell was one of the original backers of British Racing Motors. In the early 1950s he entered a series of modified Ferraris in Formule Libre races under the name "Thinwall Special".
The first actual Vanwalls were known as Vanwall Specials and were built for the new Formula 1 regulations in 1954 at Cox Green, Maidenhead. The chassis was designed by Owen Maddock and built by the Cooper Car Company.
The 2.0 L engine was designed by Norton engineer Leo Kuzmicki, and was essentially four Manx single-cylinder engines with a common waterjacket, cylinder head and valvetrain, with induction by four AMAL motorcycle carburetors. This combination was fitted to a Rolls-Royce B40 military engine crankcase, copied in aluminium. Designed for Formula Two, which was supplanted before it appeared, the car debuted in a Grande Epreuve in the 1954 British Grand Prix. Against 2½ litre Formula One competition, it was at a decided disadvantage. The Goodyear disc brakes proved successful, but the front suspension and fuel and cooling systems were troublesome. Development continued with a switch to Bosch fuel injection, while retaining the AMAL throttle bodies; they were plagued with throttle linkage trouble, due to vibration from the big four-cylinder. Vanwall also increased the capacity of the engines, first to for Peter Collins at Monaco 1955, and then a full . Vanwalls then ran for a season in F1 without much in the way of success. At the end of the 1955 season, it was plain that the engine was sound, but that the Ferrari-derived chassis needed improvement. It was suggested to Vandervell that he should hire the services of a young up-and-coming designer to improve their cars. The designer was Colin Chapman.
The new 1956 cars designed by Chapman were of space frame construction, the De Dion rear axle's unsprung weight reduced and front torsion bar added. Furthermore, a fifth gear and Porsche synchromesh were added to the transmission. The driving seat was placed above this and could not be reduced below above the road, making the height very problematic , and the handling was suspect despite Chapman's best efforts. The solution which today is obvious, mounting the engine behind the driver, would take two more years to be accepted. Costin made the most of it, and produced a car "much faster in a straight line than any of its rivals".
The new car showed early promise in 1956 by winning the non-championship F1 race at Silverstone against strong opposition. It set the lap record at Syracuse Stirling Moss drove the car to victory in what was his only drive for Vanwall that year, as he was still contracted to drive for Maserati in F1. Talented drivers Harry Schell and Maurice Trintignant were the full-timers for the season. However, neither of them had much success although the car showed obvious potential.
With the car developing and becoming ever more competitive, Moss eventually decided to drive for the team in 1957. He was joined by two Englishmen, Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis-Evans. As the 1957 season unfolded, the cars became faster and more reliable. Moss and Brooks duly shared Vanwall's first Grand Prix victory in Britain at Aintree, and Moss went on to win both the Italian and Pescara Grands Prix.
At the end of 1957, alcohol fuels were banned and replaced by a compulsory 130-octane aviation gasoline. This caused problems for Vanwall and BRM with their large bore engines that required methanol for engine cooling. As a result, the Vanwall's power dropped from at 7,500 rpm to on the test bed. During the race, where revs were reduced, only 255–262 bhp at 7,200–7,400 rpm was available. This put them at a disadvantage to the new Dino Ferrari V6 cars with a claimed 290 PS at 8,300 rpm. The Vanwall's superior road holding, streamlining, 5-speed gearbox, and disc brakes helped to offset this.
All three drivers stayed with the team in 1958, and Moss and Brooks each won three championship races that season. Vanwall became the first team to win the Constructors' Championship, held for the first time that season. However, Moss lost out to Mike Hawthorn in the Drivers' Championship by a single point to finish second, with Brooks ending the season in third. Their triumph at the end of the season was sadly marred when, during the final race of the year in Morocco, Lewis-Evans was fatally injured in an accident.
The 1958 season was the last one in which Vanwall entered every race. Vandervell's health was failing and he had been advised by his doctors to rest. The team continued half-heartedly. Brooks made one appearance in a lower and lighter Vanwall at 1959 British Grand Prix, proving less successful against the new mid-engined Coopers, and the team tried again with another car in the 1960 French Grand Prix. These efforts lacked the seriousness of the past however and they were unsuccessful.
The last racing Vanwall was an "unwieldy" rear-engined machine produced for the 1961 3.0 litre Intercontinental Formula. Although showing promise when campaigned by John Surtees in two races, development was stopped short when the formula did not find success in Europe. The engine was enlarged to , rated at on 100 octane petrol.
The Donington Collection had a complete example of each model, including the rear-engined car.
In 2003 Vanwall Cars was formed, producing the Vanwall GPR V12, a single-seater road-legal car bearing a strong resemblance to early Vanwall racing cars, and the Sports Racer, a two-seater of a similar style. In 2013 the trademark was acquired from Mahle Engine Systems UK by Sanderson International Marketing Ltd.

Formula One World Championship results

YearChassisEngineTyresDriver1234567891011PointsWCC
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4ARG500BELFRAGBRGERSUIITAESPn/an/a
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4 Peter CollinsRet7DNSn/an/a
Vanwall VW 55Vanwall L4ARGMON500BELNEDGBRITAn/an/a
Vanwall VW 55Vanwall L4 Mike HawthornRetRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 55Vanwall L4 Ken Wharton9Retn/an/a
Vanwall VW 55Vanwall L4 Harry Schell9Retn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4ARGMON500BELFRAGBRGERITAn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 Maurice TrintignantRetRetRetRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 Harry SchellRet410RetRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 Mike Hawthorn10n/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 Colin ChapmanDNSn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 José Froilán GonzálezRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 2Vanwall L4 Piero TaruffiRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4ARGMON500FRAGBRGERPESITAn/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Stirling MossRet1511n/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Tony Brooks219Ret7n/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Stuart Lewis-EvansRet7Ret5Retn/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Roy SalvadoriRetn/an/a
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4ARGMONNED500BELFRAGBRGERPORITAMOR48
1st
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Stirling MossRet1Ret2RetRet1Ret148
1st
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Tony BrooksRetRet1Ret71Ret1Ret48
1st
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Stuart Lewis-EvansRetRet3Ret43RetRet48
1st
Vanwall VW 59Vanwall L4MON500NEDFRAGBRGERPORITAUSA0NC
Vanwall VW 59Vanwall L4 Tony BrooksRet0NC
Vanwall VW 11Vanwall L4ARGMON500NEDBELFRAGBRPORITAUSA0NC
Vanwall VW 11Vanwall L4 Tony BrooksRet0NC

The Constructors' Championship was not awarded until.
Indicates a shared drive.

Non-championship Formula One results

YearChassisEngineDriver12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4SYRPAULAVBORINTBARCURROMFROCORBRCCRYROUCAEAUGCOROULREDPESSACJOECADBERGOODTT
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4 Alberto AscariDNA
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4 Alan BrownRet
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4 Peter CollinsDNA2
Vanwall SpecialVanwall L4 Mike Hawthorn2
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2/
VW3		Vanwall L4NZLBUEVALPAUGLOBORINTNAPALBCURCORLONDRTREDDTTOULAVOSYR
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2/
VW3		Vanwall L4 Mike HawthornDNARet
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2/
VW3		Vanwall L4 Ken WhartonRet2
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2/
VW3		Vanwall L4 Harry Schell21Ret1
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2/
VW3		Vanwall L4 Desmond Titterington3
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2		Vanwall L4BUEGLVSYRAININTNAP100VNWCAESUSBRH
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2		Vanwall L4 Harry SchellDNARet
Vanwall VW 1/
VW2		Vanwall L4 Stirling MossDNA1
Vanwall VW 1/
VW3/
VW7/
VW8/
VW10		Vanwall L4BUESYRPAUGLVNAPRMSCAEINTMODMOR
Vanwall VW 1/
VW3/
VW7/
VW8/
VW10		Vanwall L4 Stirling Moss3RetDNS
Vanwall VW 1/
VW3/
VW7/
VW8/
VW10		Vanwall L4 Tony BrooksRet6DNARet
Vanwall VW 1/
VW3/
VW7/
VW8/
VW10		Vanwall L4 Stuart Lewis-Evans32
Vanwall VW 1/
VW3/
VW7/
VW8/
VW10		Vanwall L4 Roy Salvadori5
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4GLVINTSILLOMOUL
Vanwall VW 5Vanwall L4 Tony Brooks7DNA
Lotus 18Vanwall L4 Tony BrooksDNS