Connaught Engineering
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| Full name |  Connaught Engineering |
|---|---|
| Base | Send, Surrey, United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Rodney Clarke Mike Oliver |
| Noted staff | Kenneth McAlpine |
| Noted drivers | Stuart Lewis-Evans Stirling Moss  Prince Bira Kenneth McAlpine |
| Formula One World Championship career | |
| First entry | 1952 British Grand Prix |
| Races entered | 18 |
| Constructors' Championships | 0 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 0 |
| Final entry | 1959 United States Grand Prix |
Connaught Engineering, often referred to simply as Connaught, was a Formula One, Formula Two and other sports car divisions constructor from the United Kingdom.[1] Their cars participated in 18 Grands Prix, entering a total of 52 races with their A, B, and C Type Formula 2 and Formula 1 Grand Prix Cars. They achieved 1 podium and scored 17 championship points. The name Connaught is a pun on Continental Autos, the garage in Send, Surrey, which specialised in sales and repair of European sports cars such as Bugatti, and where the cars were built.[2]
History
[edit]In 1950, the first single-seaters, the Formula 2 "A" types, used an engine that was developed by Connaught from the Lea-Francis engine used in their "L" type sports cars. The engine was extensively re-engineered and therefore is truly a Connaught engine. The cars were of conventional construction for the time with drive through a preselector gearbox to a de Dion rear axle. In 1952 and 1953, the Grand Prix races counting towards the World Championship were to Formula 2 rules so drivers of these cars could take part in those events as the table below shows.[3]
Connaught designed a new car for the 2½ litre Formula 1 of 1954 which was to have a rear-mounted Coventry Climax V8 engine (the "Godiva"), but when the engine was not proceeded with, a conventionally arranged "B" type was designed using an Alta engine developed into 2½ litre form. The first cars were built with all-enveloping aerodynamic bodywork but later rebodied conventionally (as the photos below show). In 1955, driving a Connaught in this form, Tony Brooks scored the first win in a Grand Prix by a British driver in a British car since 1923, in a non World Championship race at Syracuse. Thereafter the "B" type has been known as the "Syracuse" Connaught and the name was used for the car presented in the 2004 revival.[3]
In 1962, Jack Fairman attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in a Connaught race car, but failed to find the necessary speed to make the field.
Sports cars
[edit]Prior to the single-seat racing cars they built a small number of road going sports cars developed on the Lea-Francis Sports Chassis, which achieved considerable competition success. These were of types L2 and L3, and three examples of the stark Cycle Winged L3/SR Sports Racer. Two sports cars, based on the A Type Formula 2 cars, the ALSRs were also built for competition work.
In 2004, the Connaught name was revived by Connaught Motor Company for their Type D Syracuse and Type D-H hybrid sports cars.
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An ex-Rob Walker Racing Team Connaught Type B Formula One car -
Connaught Type B, 1955, at the National Motor Museum -
A Connaught Type D Syracuse
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Complete Drivers' World Championship results
[edit](key)
*Constructors points not awarded until 1958
± = Indicates a shared drive
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "History – Connaught Motor Company". Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ "Connaught Engineering". F1history. Retrieved 7 May 2023.
- ^ a b Wasef, Basem (9 October 2009). Legendary Race Cars. Motorbooks. pp. 147–149. ISBN 978-0-7603-3548-2.
External links
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