When F1 Went Crazy: The Most Bizarre Cars Ever Built

[@RacersReverie]

What video would you like us to make next? Make sure to like & subscribe for more Motorsports content just like this!

[@BlueThunderO7]

I have an idea for one. The History of Motorsports. How it began, where it is now and where it'll go in the future.

[@Zephirot080]

The BT46 wasn't banned. It was withdrawn by Brabham so Bernie could get the commertial rights to F1 with support from the other teams

[@londontaxifilms7313]

Have you done one on the old board tracks?

[@l1a146]

The BT46b wasnt actually banned by the FIA at the time. Bernie Ecclestone who was the president of the formula one constructors association. Withdrew it. In order to keep the other constructors onside. He had bigger plans. 😉

[@RichardMcLaren]

It's a real shame that F1 regs are so restrictive now. There was always such innovation a few decades ago.

[@londontaxifilms7313]

It’s getting to be like NASCAR. Pretty much only the drivers are different.

[@truebrit3578]

Much of what is on this video was not innovation. Aerodynamics had many unknowns at the time and people were trying things that ultimately did not work. Part of the problem was the availability of wind tunnels and understanding how to calibrate them properly. Even some of the early work on ground effect came from accidentally setting up a model incorrectly and then trying to understand where the downforce had come from. Now aerodynamics are much better understood and measured everyone comes up with the same best solution.

[@MarkMorris-y6n]

Also alot more deaths

[@LorraineHinchliffe-vg5cb]

Gordan Murrays' "Fan Car" was incredible, and was NEVER actually banned.

[@londontaxifilms7313]

@@LorraineHinchliffe-vg5cb hmmm… could they bring it back?

[@t3h51d3w1nd3r]

You didn't mention that the Lotus 56B was also 4WD, so it could've been a much better contender in the wet. And the Lotus E22s nose cones weren't stacked on top of each other "like jenga" they were side by side, did you even look at the car?

[@sonicstep]

0:36, I had a big poster of that Tyrell P34 on my bedoom wall for several years with Jody Scheckter as pilot. A mate of mine had a Tamiya RC Tyrell P34 with realistic feeling rubber slick tyres, which I was quietly jealous of. A radical design certainly, - not overused "for sure" - but not ugly; far from it.

[@SimonDore-p2g]

The real reason the Brabham fan car was "retired" is drivers from the other teams quietly complained to Ecclestone about being pelted by all the rubbish the fan picked up and spat out the back all over the following cars. As a youngster in the pits looking at some of those cars and they were dented by pebbles and sandblasted by dust. Car pulled from competition without losing face. It was never banned.

[@studlydudly]

The Arrows A2 is one of the most beautiful F1 cars in my eyes. The problem was the air flow under the car was very complex, in trying to maximise the Ground Effect efficiency, every part of the cars floor was sculpted to create a Venturi effect. Even the engine was canted upwards towards the rear to allow the entire rear of the floor to be a venturi section. I have no doubt that with todays technology and CFD they could make the car work. BTW, you should have included the Lotus 80, a very similar concept to the Arrows A2, but even more beautiful, well except its rather wide nose.

[@johnjones928]

Exactly, The A2 and 80 were full wing cars that made more downforce than their teams could harness or control, the porpoising was epic, and the canted engine/gearbox arrangement on the A2 gave it an awkward rear biased high CG they never could manage in low speed corners.

[@ernestogasulla7763]

The real reason the P34 failed wasn't the GoodYear special sized tires. Its concept went obsolete quickly. While Tyrrell was trying to gain a little on the straights, Lotus was focused on gaining a lot on turns, with ground effect cars. By the end of 1977 it became obvious that the 6 wheeler was a failure, and they went back to a conventional 4 wheels car. And the Lotus E22 wasn't really a Lotus. Renault had bought the rights to the name and applied it to their cars, one of which was the E22. The last "real" Lotus raced in 1994.

[@olesrensen5020]

Most of these weird cars comes from a time when F1 was worth seeing. It hasn’t been for the last 20 years

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

You're not wrong, but these kids don't know what F1 really was. All they can see is the blood and fire, and the mayhem.

[@petebeatminister]

The Brabham wasn't ugly nor a flop performance wise. Quite the opposite: Lauda was driving circles around everybody else with it. Which obviously peed off the other teams big time. And it must be mentioned that fan cars (there were other attempts in other series) can be very dangerous: they basically drive way too fast. If the sucktion cuts out for any reason, the thing goes flying. And lets not forget that this was the F1 of the 70s, when accidents too often meant the death of the driver, totally different to how it is today.

[@samhill618]

Goodyear had no interest in continuing development a specific tyre for the Tyrrell P34 so it slowly lost its competitive edge (as the Cosworth engine it used was no longer competitive). Well at least Goodyear was willing to make the tyre

[@stevemarino5745]

Gordon Murray designed the Brabham sucker car featured here, but Jim Hall was designing and racing his sucker car nearly a decade earlier. Hall was more fortunate, in that he was allowed to enter and race his Chaparral car (since the Can Am formula was basically Run What Ya Brung and had almost no restrictions on engine size or power). The snowmobile motor(s) used to power the sucker fans were 2 stroke and created quite a racket. One of the Can Am drivers listened to the sucker car and said "If that's what we have to race then I quit".

[@SimonDore-p2g]

You also forgot the Williams 6-wheeler and the March 240 that had four small wheels at the rear. Both the March and Tyrell six wheelers work well on my slot car track.

[@AtheistOrphan]

I had the Scalextric March 240.

[@karl-unoisaksson4000]

Oh God... I've TOTALLY forgotten about the Ligier Smurfhat in the middle of the field!!! My weakened Libido just SCREAMED: "-Why are you watching this?!?!" And then I saw the sacreligous of all times - THATFXXKNGFERRARIWITHGAYWINGSALLOVERTHEPLACE!!! I cant go on... Love from Sweden 💖

[@terrystevens5261]

Describing the Tolemans rear wing, while showing footage of Stefan Bellof in his Tyrrell. The BT46B was never banned, and who says they are eyesores ?

[@tonydownunder5703]

Great video thanks for sharing 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@LorraineHinchliffe-vg5cb]

Gordan Murrays "Fan car" was never actually banned (Gordan was far too clever for that) and they voluntarally withdrew it. Great car.

[@PaulDouglas-i5m]

It Sucked up the Dirt and Debris from the Track and Blew it out into the Path of the Drivers Behind......Not Safe at All for Them....

[@happychappy7115]

The Tyrell 6 wheeler, Stig drove recently. Said it had some big pluses.

[@ratheonhudson3311]

If there were unrestricted mixed races we would see some amazing builds. I'd love to see non-petrol powered vehicles with seriously crazy engines.

[@geoffcoglan7056]

The Lotus 56b was a development of f the 56 Indy car.

[@wordclock5445]

Great video, but it is missing the Williams FW26 from 2004.

[@Fitch93]

1971 wasn't the last year for the Tea tray on the March, the March 721 was an evolution of the 711 and started the season with the same Tea Tray front wing. It performed bad enough they moved on to the 721X which had a cowled nose, but it was an even worse performer so the factory team reverted to using the customer car they'd built for CMG racing, the 721G, which was an adaptation of the March 722 Formula 2 car.

[@nigelmichael1188]

The Brabham BT46b (fan car) was voluntary withdrawn by Bernie Eccleston because he wanted to unite all the formula 1 constructor organisation (foca) teams Fisa as it was in charge of formula1 NOT the FIA closed the loophole at the end of the season.

[@DanetteScheel]

Chaparral invented the sucker car back in the late 60s or early 70s. I think it might’ve been called the 2 J. This was Jim Hall’s company.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

The Can-Am builders made more road practical innovations than F1 ever did, or ever will.

[@ssnerd583]

Jim Hall did some AMAZING things with race cars and Can-Am wouldnt be the same without him and the Chaparrals

[@JCCyC]

Sorely missing is the Eiffeland.

[@J_S209]

… and the Japanese Mako, the Tecno and that weird Ligier that was low but long as a bus and that car build in a lockup that made one race in the early 70’s.

[@JCCyC]

@@J_S209 I don't think these cars' weirdnesses quite reach WTF level. But yeah, they're strange. In the last two you mean the 1982 Ligier and the Connew, is it?

[@terrystevens5261]

@@JCCyC I remember the Connew, with Francois Migault driving.

[@billutzu1]

I also missed the first Kauhsen

[@J_S209]

@@JCCyC Connew … correct! I Hector Rebaque has a Rebaque in his garage at home!

[@derin111]

That Ligier literally made me gasp! 😮. 😅

[@charleshulsey3103]

That "twin tusk" lotus 🤮😖🤮😵‍💫🤮😭🤮😭😭

[@stevendimmock4791]

From a technical point of view the great thing about F1 is innovation and bending the rules. And road cars have benefitted from it as well.

[@JCCyC]

The high airbox ban in 1976 went into effect in Spain, not Belgium.

[@Pte1643]

Although it never actually competed, I think the March 2-4-0 could have had an honourable mention.

[@AtheistOrphan]

2:25 - Love the dustbin lid!

[@GenoBady2738]

The Williams FW26 deserves an honorable mention as well.

[@SachaSommer]

The Bt-46b was not banned! You should know that. Really poor!!!

[@charliewakely8585]

Also, he got the whole thing exactly the wrong way round? The other teams didn't claim that the fan should be banned because it provided extra cooling - that was Brabham claiming that was the main purpose. I dislike being told things in an authoritative documentary style which the creator clearly hasn't researched properly.

[@AtheistOrphan]

@@charliewakely8585- Yeah I noticed he got it the wrong way around!

[@fasthracing]

Love the plastic bin lid over the back of the Brabha.

[@t-mar9275]

Came for the Monza version of the BT34shown in the thumbnail but it wasn't part of the video. 😭

[@terrystevens5261]

I saw Graham Hill win his last F1 race in the Lobsterclaw at Silverstone International Trophy 1971. Yep looks like Monza in the thumbnail, it's lacking elements of the rear wing.

[@MarkCole-k1i]

Might help if you spelt Tyrrell correctly. And there was a 1960s 4wd F1 car in the Ferguson P99, which Stirling Moss took to victory in the Oulton Park Gold Cup

[@Robgrandia]

The Brabham BT 46b was an absolute beauty

[@RichardMcLaren]

The Brabham 'Fan Car' designed by Gordon Murray, was a great idea for 'ground effect' cars.......Would be interesting to see what the concept it could do within the current F1 regulations. For those that aren't aware, Gordon Murray has gone on to produce road cars (Gordon Murray Automotive) and one of them uses the same fan concept. It's well worth watching a KZbin video on its capabilities. There is such a video, but I can't remember where.

[@happychappy7115]

The fan assisted ground effect car from Gordon Murray was just too competitive; so the mafia banned it.😢

[@AWSgraphics]

the 6 wheeler is rad!

[@Paintppa1]

jim hall of chapparal fame used the fan idea on his can-am cars. don't know who came up with it first.

[@leyn39]

Hard to believe but the Chapparal fan car started with a children's drawing of a racing car.

[@terrystevens5261]

Jim Hall had it first, but used a separate donkey engine to power the fan. the fan on the Brabham was shaft driven from the gearbox.

[@rocadog7263]

The Chaparral 2J ran in the 1970 Can Am series and had two fans that came from a military tank! It used a two cycle engine to power the fans and was so powerful in creating a vacuum that some drivers reported it was picking up debris from the track and spitting them out in front of other drivers…

[@charliewakely8585]

This video contains several obvious mistakes and whole paragraphs, both of which appear to have been lifted from Wikipedia. What a pity the creator couldn't be bothered to do their research properly and just plagerised other people's work.

[@RacersReverie]

We're very sorry about any mistakes we might have made, and we'll make sure to do more research for Part 2! But thanks for watching and hope you enjoyed the video either way!

[@mrosella24]

Frank Costin did the body of the March 711, not Robin Herd

[@mirrorblue100]

A more sober and technical minded narration would have improved this program.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Yeah lots of errors.

[@edrcozonoking]

The purpose of asymmetric nose on the lotus eas that one was for meeting dimensional specs while the shorter was needed to meet crash strenght.

[@bettyschnauber8238]

Transformers, more than meets the eye!

[@aaronboard6738]

The Brabham fan car was never banned. It was withdrawn from competition by Bernie thanks to mounting pressure from other teams.

[@AtheistOrphan]

I had a Scalextric model of the March 711.

[@64fairlane305]

The BT46B was a Chapparal "copy"

[@TS-1267]

... I Have to Say This Video has a Very Professional Vibe... Very Interesting Indeed 👍

[@RacersReverie]

Thanks a lot! We really appreciate the kind words and we will continue to do our best to make interesting videos just like this!

[@frankdocter]

The Lotus of the E14 isn’t the Lotus of Chapman. It’s more Benetton/Toleman.

[@vincentsouchaud6717]

0:35 *Tyrrell, not Tyrell. 11:09 That is a Tyrrell, not a Toleman.

[@terrystevens5261]

Yep, steffan Bellof in the 012.

[@Tubesmaney]

The FIA could never reward innovation. - they aim for mediocrity and have succeeded in creating a series which rewards it! Additionally, would argue that the BT46 and the Tyrell P34 are not “ugly cars” as you have stated.

[@LucDesaulniers1]

How small those were then. Wished they would be back

[@klausjungblut3298]

Colani Eifelland is missing ;)

[@hypertube81]

They're all beautiful in their own right...except, maybe, the "smurf" car. Lol.

[@AirtonCosta-b3k]

Interessante que o Arrows A2 junto ao Fittipaldi F6/F6A e o Lotus 80 não foram bem sucedidos em 1979, mas nos anos seguintes vários carros na F-1 tinham detalhes deles em maior ou menor grau.

[@nealstarling5422]

It’s the innovations that are fine tuned and refined that are used on todays f1 cars that make them so much alike, different approaches often yield the same results, engineers always seam to come up the same solution in the end. What we see today are those results, a good scientist will be as delighted at their failures as their achievement’s because it’s always about the process of elimination. Remember jet airliners look the way they do due to safety and comfort of the passenger. Basically all automobiles are the same for this reason so it just follows that f1 cars would be condensed to what we see today.

[@philipp2261]

Well, how about that! At 3.51 that is my homemade version of the Arrows A2 that runs on Scalextric track! I should be flattered that it could be mistaken for the real car!

[@RacersReverie]

Oh wow no way haha! That's very cool!

[@brucealmighty9877]

Fantastic journalism 👏

[@RacersReverie]

Thanks a lot for your support!

[@MrJeepsters]

Je n'ai jamais compris le pourquoi de la Tyrrell 6 roues. Les changements de pneus sont plus longs.

[@Tukulti-Ninurta-b6p]

A l''époque, les changements de pneus n'étaient pas prévus pendant la course, sauf en cas de pluie ou de crevaison.

[@mrKoncpom]

At 10:35 it's not a reliability issue, just plain old Crashtor Maldonado getting lost in the buttons, not paying attention to where he's heading to :)

[@theswe001]

Bro mentioned Sweden on this video more that what i do in one day

[@quicksesh]

The Lotus E22 had the nose like that as the cross section at the tip had to be one dimension, then a little further back it had to be a wider dimension, most teams went with some sort of 'dildo' look, but Lotus wanted to channel the air between the tusks - but failed miserably

[@terrybeechener5992]

Where's the 'lobster claw' Brabham?

[@NigelTufnel612]

The current rules essentially allow for no innovation and if all of the cars where painted black it would be very difficult to tell them apart - it is a shame the pinnacle of motor racing has become extremely boring.

[@donwest5387]

Brabham saw the Chaparral 2J

[@samuelzackrisson8865]

the fan car was allowed to race for the rest of the season but bernie ecclestone decided against racing it for the rest of the season due to political reasons

[@marcleewinser8534]

The Tyrrell is fantastic. Unique. If everything unique is called ugly, this would explain the Word 'Uglification'.

[@karl-unoisaksson4000]

Im sorry, you made a brilliant docu... But... C'mon? Do you REALLY think the Williams "Shark Mouth" is a Sexy F1-car??? Or diid you just miss it? Thanx for sharing 🙏 Love from Sweden 💖

[@allenhanford]

People adjust their opinions on aesthetics based on who's winning.

[@ludwigvanel9192]

Since rhe big rear wheels outclass the fronts on any F1 car, there is no aerodynamic advabtage to shribkingbthe fronts. Niw: doubling smaller rear wheels would work for that.

[@mrrn100]

Excellent historical video

[@Demun1649]

How old are you? You weren't there, that much is clear. The Arrows WORKED. The Ligier WORKED. And not one, of the ten, shown here, are UGLY. Ugly applies to EVERY single vehicle on the current F1 grid, even the Ferraris, which is a shame. There are no drivers, the vehicles are controlled by engineers and computer geeks in the pits, and the pilot just turns the wheel.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

You hit the nail on the head. The "drivers" now are literally passengers, risking their life and limb for naught. They don't even know about the Can-Am, most of them, nor do they understand the safety innovations made in that ONE series, that are still in modern "cars". Let alone the UOP Shadow team proving that unleaded gasoline was just as powerful as leaded gasoline, which cleaned up air pollution greatly worldwide.

[@Demun1649]

@@Doc_-_Savage_1 Great to meet a fellow rational person. As to the risks the "drivers" take. They do it for the money. Why did Santander give Hamilton $14 million a year? Yet chase me, for $984, twice a year, even though the court said the contract was invalid? The fake drivers do it for the obscene levels of money they get paid by irresponsible, unaccountable multi-nationals.

[@gnubbolo]

the JS5 airbox is lol, it's huge, but has relatively small hole, the designer was a moron

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

Which JS5? There were two iterations, at least. How many race cars have you designed?

[@marciocarvalho8975]

The F1 glory days are gone sorry to high tech

[@DynamicDave-z8r]

Victories can make ugly sexy.

[@michaellinner7772]

Welcome to Formula 1, with a proud history of killing new and innovative ideas and designs. Wheels? Naw, let's make sure the cars all have the exact same wheels, hey let's also make sure that every car runs the same tires too. Let's make sure that every car has the exact same amount of fuel also. These are just a few examples. The list of restrictive regulations goes on and on, while at the same time F1 is always lamenting just how bland and homogeneous the cars have become.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

Formula snore.

[@arjenvreeken1593]

One of the... No, thé most interesting period development-wise: the 70ies. Alas not one of the safest ones, to avoid false romanticism. Still, my fav era.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

It was the airbox, and the rear wings. And the fact that the drivers had real talent, and balls the size of planets.

[@karl-unoisaksson4000]

I soooooo love this docu!!! These UGLY designs... somehow define my life-long devotion to the F1-sport... (Im 60 years old) I've been fascinated by the drivers and the cars, cried over the ones whom (RONNIE PETERSON) died... But the risk is a part of the sport... I've been asked over the years WHY I love F1 so much... All I can say is.... Formula One is SEXY!!! And... Hehehehe, those muppet cars (eventhough my Hero Ronnie Peterson actually had to race two (!) of them) werent sexy by far .. Thanx for sharing 🙏 (The Williams Shark was SO unsexy that I couldnt fulfill my marriage duties for a month - the woooorst design ever...) Love from Sweden 💖

[@daveblock1688]

Absolutely false about the BT46B. It was 100% legal and was NEVER banned. It was voluntarily withdrawn by Ecclestone for political reasons and Murray was fit with rage about it.

[@DavidGreen-hp5yq]

Kind of where motogp is now. :/

[@jakobquick6875]

U shud tell what “Engines” and what “Year” for all these monsters Great video otherwise❤

[@RacersReverie]

Thanks! We'll make sure to do that for Part 2 ;)

[@terrystevens5261]

Tyrrell P34 Ford Cosworth DFV V8. Brabham BT46B Alfa Romeo flat 12. Arrows A2 Ford Cosworth DFV V8. March 711 Alfa Romeo V8 and Ford Coswoth DFV V8. Lotus 56B Pratt and Whitney turbine. Ensign N179 Ford Cosworth DFV V8. Toleman TG183 Hart 4 cylinder turbo. Tyrrell 025 Ford Cosworth ED4/5 V8. Lotus E22 Renault V6 turbo. Ligier JS5 Matra V12. Caterham CT05 Renault V6 turbo.

[@olesrensen5020]

The Brabham bt46b wasn’t original. The concept was stolen from the Can-am Chaparral 2c. But how about the 4 wheel drive cars especially in 1969 😊

[@donwest5387]

the 2J

[@user-sumptemi52]

You sure…2C? Check again

[@olesrensen5020]

You’re absolutely right, my mistake

[@Kurt_onlyacc]

I'm third babyyyy

[@Peo_Sahlin]

Anyway, todays Indy cars are the ugliest racing cars ever.

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

And F1 cars aren't? They look like they were doused in glue and rolled in a big box full of wings and twiddly bits of shiny trash.

[@marciocarvalho8975]

About design i thank God for: i live/ lived in a time wen F1 teams could make theyr own car! Today every car has to be iqual and....f1 loose interest

[@alnwill]

This is what made F1 exciting. Cars that looked different, and new technologies explored. Today the cars look identical, and you can't tell the difference between them except for their livery. How boring, and possibly quite woke in safety attitude.

[@brucealmighty9877]

There are too many restrictions...

[@Doc_-_Savage_1]

Let's go racing! You can only go this fast. *holds thumb and forefinger one inch apart*