Everything that gets forgotten about F1's epic Brabham fan car

Brought to you by Aramco: bit.ly/3xCbsb1
The Brabham BT46B - better known as the fan car - only raced once in Formula 1. But it made a profound impact and is celebrated to this day as a beacon of technical ingenuity.
Most F1 fans know the basic story of Gordon Murray’s car, which won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix in the hands of Niki Lauda on its sole racing appearance. As an answer to the ground-effect innovation of Team Lotus, a large fan attached to the rear of the Brabham created a similar effect by sucking air out from below the car, pulling it closer to the ground and sealing the underfloor with the side skirts.
But there’s a lot more to the story than that, as well as some legends about it that aren’t quite accurate.
So we’ve dug into the detail of one of F1’s most legendary cars to bring you some facts you may not have known. And to make it easier to understand this famous car, we’re very grateful to ‪@f1passionit‬ for sharing their tremendous 3D model of the Brabham BT46B with us.
#F1 #F1tech #FanCar
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[@WeAreTheRace]

Brought to you by Aramco: bit.ly/3xCbsb1

[@gamemeninc.5334]

"Progress is a race that..." *double taps*

[@DaFinkingOrk]

Let's be fair though, most KZbin sponsorships are scams, shitty overpriced products or pay to win gambling games. It makes a change to have a very immoral government's product so it makes a change. At least it's not a scam, if you buy their oil you get oil, not the false promise of maybe getting oil, a certificate that says you own oil but you don't, a slot machine that might give you oil if you spend more than the oil is worth, or a course on how to dig nonexistent oil from your own property. You just know you're buying it from people who like to behead people and fund terrorists.

[@OwensShadow276]

Exactly lol 😂

[@josaphatfebrianj.f_works2838]

2:56 because the downforce and cornering speed gain was worth signi- *cut*

[@arneltn]

he got sucked through the fan i suppose

[@josaphatfebrianj.f_works2838]

@therace33. Nice try, but you're not the same guy 🤣

[@Ribeirasacra]

@@josaphatfebrianj.f_works2838 There are lot of theses fake telegram related channels. it is about time You tube done something about them.

[@josaphatfebrianj.f_works2838]

@@Ribeirasacra luckily the reason i know its a fake channel its because of youtube weird username system having numbers after your name lmao

[@The_Curious_Cat]

But the downforce was really signi.

[@oliverwilson999]

I really wish that this car had a chance to actually be raced properly, and I would like to see how engineers nowadays would design a fan F1 car.

[@NoisyGiraffe]

The Red Bull X2019 from the Gran Turismo games was designed by Adrian Newey and is the closest we'll probably get to a modern F1 fan car.

[@MScotty90]

Not an F1 car, but check out Gordon Murray’s new T50 and the McMurty Spierling if you haven’t seen them yet. The McMurty’s Goodwood run in particular is nuts.

[@oliverwilson999]

@@MScotty90 i have seen both, but I would like to see an open wheeler

[@deeacosta2734]

@@MScotty90 it’s definitely the closest. As cool as it is it shoots gravel and dust everywhere.

[@philippruest5577]

Ground effect and fan car were both alteady developed and raced by 1970 by Jim Hall's Chaparral, so 8 years before Lotus and Brabham brought them to F1.

[@Friendly_Cat]

Yeah, they just copy pasted the idea with the "cooling of radiators" being the excuse.

[@dangerdean9066]

That was the 2J wasn't it.

[@Friendly_Cat]

Haha, damn right

[@ab-gu2nh]

@@Friendly_Cat Most likely it have been developed independently.

[@thomasvleminckx]

Okay, you finally got me. I'd like to buy one ARAMCO, please. Where can I get one?

[@mikespearwood3914]

Saudi Arabia I think?🤑

[@jimutjayadev]

All the info in the video and yet you choose to focus on the irrelevant part. Man these pseudo F1 fans are something else these days.

[@mikespearwood3914]

@@jimutjayadev Get a sense of humour.

[@joshywoshy18]

@@jimutjayadev Yea, grow a sense of humor dude. It'll make your life more bearable. Not to mention less insufferable to others.

[@xlockedbmw]

@@jimutjayadev Not to mention that I don't like giving more money to the Saudi royal family

[@warwickhewitt8844]

Thankyou for this video! I just loves the F1 cars from the 1970's and 1980's. Six wheelers, turbos, fan cars, ground effects carbon Fibre etc they were amazing times for designers and their creativity!

[@chippiethegreat681]

Sound issues at 2:54?

[@jimiverson3085]

The banning of the Chaparral 2J had established the principle that fans were only allowed to the extent they were needed for cooling. The Brabham fan system was moving several multiples of the air required for the radiators, so I don't see how it would have survived the protest that would have come. The team agreeing to withdraw the car just eliminated the need to go through the hearing process.

[@samiraperi467]

The original fan boost.

[@gigadonis8684]

When Formula E first came out I thought that fan boost meant that the cars had fans on them like the BT46B so they could have a temporary boost round the corners.

[@thomasbjork4293]

Ahh, I was there in Anderstorp. Of course had most attention to my hero Ronnie, who finished 3rd after a superb recovery from a puncture.

[@king-lasagna]

8:38 The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial Trophy was ran in 1979! So almost 1 year after the 1978 Swedish GP

[@milindpatel8088]

What was that sponsor bit in between! Hilarious

[@deanfarrimond7543]

That aramco advert gives me a headache every time I hear it.

[@RACECAR]

Everyone else: *Either going on about the lack of innovation or still griping about the video sponsorship* Me: *Takes in the casual madness of the 70s in this picture with what looks like the Mechanic is doing all his notes in just a jacket and Jeans while the designer is just chilling out with some sandwitches*

[@jstoli996c4s]

Complaining is easy and free, that’s why most people do that instead of actually observing and thinking.

[@sambull4633]

Excellent insightful video. Would love to see similar videos this off season

[@jakefimo]

Brabham was a fucking genius and fantastic driver, Aussie legend

[@mikespearwood3914]

Brabham wasn't actually involved here I don't think?

[@sloppynyuszi]

@@mikespearwood3914 yeah, this was a Bernie’s joint by this time. Brabham was long gone by this time. He is an under appreciated legend of F1

[@SHRModding]

You can drive this car is AMS2. And the fan as well as its effect on the car is fully simulated

[@doctoronishispsychosislab1474]

I have decided this channel is better than the Main F1 channel

[@MEben-pv4rx]

Imagine we could combine in one small, light f1 car: blown diffusor, Fan, flexi wings, double diffusor, ground Effekt, hybrid v4 from porsche, drs, active Suspension, Renaults special nose weight from 2006, DAS, collapsing Suspension, 2 brake pedals like mclaren did - that would be peak f1 with development Potential, no problems with dirty air, and nimble cars

[@BetterThanSparksYT15]

It definitely won't be ridiculously hard to understand with even the smallest fragment having a ginormous aerodynamic effect😂😂😂

[@mrterp04]

2:57 narration cuts out for a few seconds

[@simonblynch]

Love the bit where the FIA commission becomes Italian. Almost as nice as the bit where Aramco is described as sustainable. Great work. Do I need to unsubscribe in the off season?

[@murangi.p-in-hd]

yes.

[@Mtlmshr]

One and done! That’s how you do it, that would be a great dam story if it didn’t cost so much money to go and win in your first and only start in F1! It does go to show how insightful Bernie Echolstone was about his direction in the sport and how he wanted complete and utter control eventually!

[@berserkfuryyy6798]

3:23 look at my guy in the background chilling lol great video

[@hhhernandez15]

Thanks Edd! Very insightful

[@herbie3oh3]

2:57 anyone else’s sound just cut off?

[@MrReese]

2:56 say what? 😂 And PLEASE, get rid of this Aramco BS.

[@mikii2001]

The fact that Murray used fan when creating GMA T.50 forty years later shows how much potential it has.

[@tyler_bt3326]

He used a fan for downforce in the McLaren F1 as well

[@bfapple]

@@tyler_bt3326 I wasn't aware of this...

[@tyler_bt3326]

@@bfapple yeah, it’s not as drastic as in the T.50. But it’s there, he talks about it in a video comparing the work he did on the F1 and the work he’s done on the T.50. It’s very interesting, I think it was a top gear episode, worth looking up

[@DapperHesher]

@@tyler_bt3326 It is basically for skimming the boundary layer off in the tunnels/diffuser throat, allowing a more aggressive kick, then stalling it when diverted forcing the main airflow to take a less aggressive and less draggy path over the turbulent bubble that forms. It's not at all like sealing the floor to the ground and drawing down the pressure inside that plenum like the BT46B or Chapparal 2J.

[@tyler_bt3326]

@@DapperHesher yeah, I couldn’t remember the exact reasoning but I just remember Gordon saying he built fans into the design of the F1 for aerodynamic gains. Thanks for the extra info :)

[@andreipop1]

At 2:58 there is audio issue. Might wanna look into it. :)

[@drybonesmalone6974]

he wont, this channel is ass really

[@andrewsmith2399]

I loved the story thank you👌

[@GARBO96]

The part where you said it would be a variable speed fan clearly says variable pitch pitch means blade angle not blade speed

[@philiptownsend4026]

Thank you for that. I've always been fascinated by this car and was very happy to learn more about it. At that time I was racing an 850 Mini in a one make off-road/rallycross formula called Minicross. It was a very competitive formula and the technical regulations were not well written leaving plenty of loopholes which I thoroughly exploited and had a very fast car driven by a mediocre driver (me). Other entrants/drivers were always nosing around my car trying to see what I was doing that they were not. The technical scrutineers were extra interested too because some accused them of not doing their job properly with regard to my car. I could never leave my car unattended for fear of nosey parkers. To distract people I often added subtle little false "developments" to it like a dummy extra cylinder head stud and nut glued to the cylinder head. When the Brabham fan car was a big discussion point I added a round toffee tin to the boot lid with a rotating but undriven fan inside it. This caused some consternation among those who were taken in by my joke when I presented my car to the scrutineers and they spent most of their allotted time discussing my fan and shroud (nothing in the rules says I can't have a supplemental rear fan) rather than actually examining my car. I removed the additions from my boot lid before practice.o I was on the committee involved in drafting the technical regulations and could already see some loopholes in wording even at that stage as I sat at the table but I kept quiet at the time and exploited them later... Happy days

[@bfapple]

Everything that gets forgotten about Aramco's human rights violations...

[@maxverstappen7160]

Cry

[@AntiVaganza]

@Race, you didn't fully get the 2nd fan car operation explained correctly. It was NOT the change of fan speed that would make it better. It had 'variable pitch' blades which could be 'feathered' - what this means is that the angle of the blades could be changed while they were spinning. So, they could be set to produce maximum suction for corners or minimal drag in the 'feathered' position with very little to no suction whilst on the straight - despite still spining very fast. Same thing really with wind turbines who get set to feather when the winds are too high so they don't end up spinning out of control.

[@KruzAlonso]

Shame it’s forgotten it’s a great car and nice design.

[@aimanfitri0iv]

i remember this one it's simply stunning but a very controversial technical regulations

[@lup1up]

Should also thank and credit Grayson Vaughn who uploaded the YT video "1978 Brabham BT46 Fan Car - BBC Film" where you pulled some of your clips and information.

[@413TomaccoRoad]

It's videos like this that make The Race, in some ways, better than the F1 channel..

[@SaintKimbo]

The fan is one thing, but I always thought that this was one of the best looking F1 cars ever made, not from the rear though.

[@Hashiriya985]

''when reving the car too high the fan would suck the car into the ground'' thats like a plane reving its engine to high that its starts floating. can you imagine if modern cars could have that tech...

[@freshdotholla]

This was the glory days of Formula 1 bring these ideas back, let the engineers loose.

[@Gunar-ux5zy]

More of those Videos pls

[@britishfilmguy]

Aramco: powered by other people's money.

[@johnyossarian1135]

Why's Edd the one talking about the fan car? I thought he only covered pre qualifiers

[@haydenw8691]

Sponsorblock. Skipping Aramco sponsorspots since ages ago.

[@aydankhaliq2967]

Since this car got a 100% win record, you guys should do a video on the other 100% winning racing car. The Ferrari 312pb. Won every race it entered in 1972.

[@TherealLorinser]

Yep, but with a exception of Le Mans 24 Hours, Ferrari didn't trust their 312PB to last for 24 Hours.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@TherealLorinser They didn't race at LeMans, so it still had a 100% record of winning when it entered.

[@jesusfon5619]

They need to stop edging closer and closer to spec racing, the smaller the box the less development possible

[@urmokasela5649]

Good example how thirst for personal power hinders innovation.

[@MashifyLV]

Audio glitch 2:56, cutting off the end of the sentence.

[@Ikcatcher]

2:57 Christ, does no one check your videos before uploading? How can a sudden cut like this not be noticed during editing?

[@michaelsullivan3581]

Not to mention that it fired stones out the back at following cars at like 500 mph (or more). Not a bit dangerous, that!

[@haydenw8691]

F1 teams. Always for innovation. Until they get outsmarted and try get it banned instead of rising to the challenge.

[@johncnorris]

Not really a fan of the Fan Car but it's nice to see teams trying new ideas.

[@Sam-hc3zb]

Bu-bum tsss

[@BetterThanSparksYT15]

@@Sam-hc3zb I was gonna say it😂

[@UxJoy]

Haha the McMurty is using some of these principles to create 2 tons of DF. Pretty insane car.

[@ScottHoughton-yg5zg]

No mention of Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J 10 years prior???

[@onairnomad]

Gordon Murray 👏

[@markhill9275]

Sir Jack Brabham, 2 world titles in a car he designed himself. Never done before, never will be! Aussie engenuity, nothing less!

[@mikejohnson5900]

They should have let the Brabham run all season, and the other teams would have caught up the next year. The argument that it was too costly was silly, certainly teams like Ferrari, et al could easily have outspent Brabham. It's interesting that the FIA has been stopping and regulating innovation for decades until now where F1 is nearly a spec-car racing league.

[@tr0w3]

2:57 where is your editor?

[@AndyHack10]

1:26 It was a 180° "flat" V12, not a boxer engine!

[@SaintKimbo]

Same thing. 'Boxer' is just a nickname coming mainly from the flat twin BMW motorcycle engine, which someone likened the in and out action of the pistons as similar to a Boxers arms. It caught on and a lot of 'flat' engines are described as 'Boxers'. e.g Porshe flat 6's, the BB (Berlinetta Boxer) Ferrari etc. etc.

[@DapperHesher]

@@SaintKimbo The BB is a misnomer as it is not a true boxer, as it doesn't have opposed pistons.

[@SaintKimbo]

@@DapperHesher Hey, none of the motors actually get in the ring and indulge in the violent art of pugilism, so I guess everybody's got it wrong !

[@user-sy1ed9ex5m]

@@SaintKimbo 1. There is a difference - flat engines have shared crankpins for the oposite pistons, and boxers have separate crankpins. 2. The 512 was named BB during the desing process, since it was turning as beautifull as Brigitte Bardot. In order to cover in front of Enzo, and not tell him they named it after a woman, they said it was the "Berlinetta Bialbero" (bialbero - twin cam). And the british/american press came with the absurd "Berlinetta Boxer".

[@SaintKimbo]

@@user-sy1ed9ex5m You're talking nonsense, there is no technical definition of a 'boxer' engine, it's as made up term, a colloquialism. A twin overhead cam V8 is different to a Flathead V8, people still call them V8's because they have that configuration, just like people call 'flat' motors 'boxers'. You can nerd out about what the differences are in conrod location on the crank, but it's not that big a deal.

[@abcede3897]

4:06 what language is this?

[@tylerensminger]

I would have liked to the team run the car for the rest of the season but I get why others had issues with it not just because of how fast it was

[@user-hm5nn9pk8n]

What about the huge amount of dirt it sucked up and spat in the faces of the drivers following , imagine driving behind a fan car on a wet track. On ground of driver safety ( other drivers that is) it surely would have been banned the next race.

[@deegan463]

The Gunnar Nilsson Memorial was held in 1979, not '78. Come on guys, check your facts and dates...you're telling me they held a memorial for Gunnar when he hadn't died yet? 8:56 #1 How is Alan Jones driving the FW07 in June of '78 when that car didn't debut until the end of April, 1979, at Jarama/Rnd5? #2 What is James Hunt doing driving a Wolf in 1978? He was still with McLaren. #3 Why is Nelson driving a Brabham in June of '78? He didn't sign to Brabham until the final round, first week of October '78.

[@grunewaj]

Wow! A fan car! What will they (re) think of next! it only took Murray eight years to copy the idea behind Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J. The lead in graphic said it would have broken F1... That's what they said about Hall's 2J. Funny!

[@anthonyrausch5708]

2:26 - I figure that; a couple of zeros would disappear; off of the bill if EVERY TEAM on the f1 grid today just used A BIN LID; and they would not even have to Buy new ones; and just make A TEAM LOGO STICKER and stick it in the middle of the lid and BOOM money saved…..

[@slap_k_man1862]

Imagine if Williams could have used something like this today

[@corpsecoder_nw6746]

This car is the extravagant version of the cars that used exhaust blown diffusers like the RB5/6/7/8 and RB9.

[@whassupg89]

I can only imagine the racing with a full grid of these would be terrible. Because they’d all have too much grip! Great story though

[@Rmagid]

You could try in Automobilista 2 which has the fan car

[@C.I...]

You don't have to imagine. Modern F1 has comparable grip levels, and as you predicted, is shit.

[@latotf2]

formula 1 could bring back fan cars nowadays. they would probably be powered by the hybrid system.

[@donwest5387]

same as Chaparral 2J

[@AmineKouki]

you might as well skip the main content and make every episode just a big fat Aramco ad

[@Nikoxion]

2:57 *signi*

[@DapperHesher]

In this video: Once again, guy with British accent not knowing who Jim Hall was.

[@Lonelyplanet3]

F1 is known to ban technical ingenuity

[@paulnewman3587]

Still never going to subscribe because of Aramco. Keep up the good work otherwise

[@Rodejong]

DISLIKED DUE TO BLOOD MONEY SPONSOR

[@scoobyben1979]

did no one check this video before posting it? Sound editing is terrible.

[@brain8484]

lotus were so whiny back then

[@jamesmoore6424]

Have you seen there is a production car now that has two fans, one of which is basically redundant and you start the fans first. It's fully electric and the downforce is something around a couple of tonnes (don't quote me) while sitting still. I actually want one. It is a single seater but also road legal. It's produced by McMurtry out of Great Britain.

[@Elaba_]

They weren’t a fan of his work.

[@joeyc1970]

You lads are back shamelessly taking that Saudi money then?

[@Hookert9997]

Signif

[@djblc2201]

Fix the edit fellas

[@hannocoetzee5882]

Aramco is going to loose you more sups than what the sponseship is worth🤢

[@pequignota]

You only say "thanks for watching" when the video is sponsored... otherwise, we never hear saying "hi" or "good bye" or "please" subscribe...

[@mytinplaterailway]

'powered by how' ? Who writes this rubbish!

[@xlockedbmw]

Sponsored by Saudi oil/blood money

[@Joe-wj7ku]

Getting real sick of hearing about Aramco. Can you get a sponsor with a little less theocracy-dirty-oil-money smell?

[@mukulsingh2540]

Say no to Aramco

[@sh-spectrum409]

I think we can all agree that this car sucked.

[@sepg5084]

It would have broken F1? Nah, everybody will just implement it, F1 won't be broken. Thumbs down 👎

[@DapperHesher]

Gordon Murray himself said that the development in the venturi tunnels themselves quickly got to the point where they were making more downforce than the static load the fan car was capable of in all but the slowest corners anyway.

[@mattyowen5402]

You really need to remove the Aramco adverts, they feel forced and not sincere