BRM V16 '50-52

Mephisto · 19 Apr 2000, 00:38 (Ref:8070)

I would like to start a new topic about a car that shocks everybody only with it’s sound. I am talking about an BRM V16 from 1951. That car is amazing, since it had only a 1,5 litre engine, what makes about 93 cc a cylinder. This car is owned by Nick Mason the drummer of the band Pink Floyed. He is a fan of historic cars and has the money to by those.
Stirling Moss said once about this car, that it would be the worst car he ever was confronted with. The car apparently was very difficult to drive. That car had 550 bhp what was quite amazing for only 1,5 litre.
Others even mentioned that it was difficult to overtake that car, since that sound got louder and louder the closer you get, and in one point it is just to loud.
I would love to see that car drive in action, but I don’t have any idea, where to look up when this car is visible for public.
Has anybody got more info about this beautiful car and even some dates, where to see it actually drive ?

TimD · 19 Apr 2000, 00:58 (Ref:8071)

Nick Mason tries to exercise his car at a couple of meetings a year. Particularly the Coys Historic at Silverstone, and the Goodwood Revival.

There is another car, usually driven by Rick Hall, which has attended Goodwood. I think this one may live in the Donington Collection, but I am not certain of this.

Fifty years on, these cars are still chronically unreliable. They are so delicate, and so stressed, that something invariably snaps after a couple of laps. But what a couple of laps.

The sound, when you are near it, is earsplitting, but in an extraordinary way. It has a peculiar harmonic of bass and treble, unlike any other engine note I know of. And it carries across country, too. The CD "Into the Red" on which Nick Mason has recorded his favourite cars, has the BRM doing a lap of Donington.

The microphone is situated in the pits, and you can hear the V16 clearly for THE ENTIRE LAP.

Apparently, when the car first came out of retirement, they took it to Silverstone for proving. Half way through the afternoon, a man showed up in the pits and asked if he might see the BRM. He had heard it was being tested, and came to the circuit in the hope of catching sight of it.

When the crew said that they didn't think that the testing had been publicised, the man explained that he had been in his garden, several miles away, and had recognised the sound...

Nick Mason's race car transporter, incidentally, bears the licence plate "V16 NUT."

quintin cloud · 24 Apr 2001, 08:20 (Ref:84341)

I have a mp3 of the BRM at Goodwood of Nick Masons car without the Guy who comes into pits and mess's up the whole sound of the car if any body is interested I will put it on my page at www.formula1results.com just give a few days and will post again to say that it is there

Wolf · 24 Apr 2001, 16:47 (Ref:84475)

In Moss' & Pomeroy's 'Design & Behaviour...' a whole chapter is about P15 (I think tha's car's designation) in which very few favourable things are said (both of the car and the BRM project). Apparently the biggest problem was that car was unsuitable for cornering and was basically designed for pre-war driving techniques of coasting through corner and then jumping on the throttle (rather than drifting through). Most of the credit for that goes to centrifugal superchargers which produced enormous boost in rev area of 9,000 to 11,000rpm (e.g. 280BHP @ 8000rpm,350BHP @ 9000rpm, 400BHP @ 10000rpm, 425BHP @ 11000rpm). In light of that throttle steering was impossible... Moss was also appauled by reluctance of pepole in charge to make changes (he was not the only one that was giving them good advices), but also to correct the faults on the car (flattering wheels, toe-in at higher speeds &c). OK, tht's it from me for now...

Sparky · 24 Apr 2001, 17:29 (Ref:84489)

Quote:

Originally posted by TimD
There is another car, usually driven by Rick Hall, which has attended Goodwood. I think this one may live in the Donington Collection, but I am not certain of this.

Is this the car that is regularly seen in The National Motor Museum?

quintin cloud · 25 Apr 2001, 06:50 (Ref:84674)

Hi all

the MP3 of the brm p15 is now on my web page, to download the mp3 simply goto my page and then to the Formula 1 sounds photos, then at the bottom of the 2001 test photos at Kyalami there will be a link to the 2000 test photos and sounds , the zip file is there to be downloaded,file size is 1.78Mb.web address http://www.formula1results.com

Ray Bell · 2 May 2001, 03:48 (Ref:87856)

What a shame they never got it right in 1951, they might have gone for the 750cc option in 1954 then, with a nice V8 and shortened development time.

skid mark · 12 May 2007, 07:03 (Ref:1911448)

Quote:

Originally Posted by quintin cloud

Hi all

the MP3 of the brm p15 is now on my web page, to download the mp3 simply goto my page and then to the Formula 1 sounds photos, then at the bottom of the 2001 test photos at Kyalami there will be a link to the 2000 test photos and sounds , the zip file is there to be downloaded,file size is 1.78Mb.web address http://www.formula1results.com

Is this download still available?

Tim the Grey · 14 May 2007, 15:59 (Ref:1913285)

Try here.
http://www.billzilla.org/engread.htm