1963 Brabham BT6-Cosworth

Frankly, I was surprised at how easily it drove after some previous experiences I had with other open-wheelers. Owner Ed Holly and I are about the same size and shape, and once my bum was in the seat of his Brabham BT6 I felt perfectly at home. No names of course, but some open-wheelers I have had the pleasure of experiencing have been really quite the opposite, and I have been only too pleased to hand them back to their owners.

Wakefield Park is about two hours south of Sydney, and is the perfect circuit to test an unfamiliar car. Not too long, so it’s easy to remember what the next corner is like and plenty of runoff room should you wish to test the cornering capabilities of a car.

Not to worry with the Brabham of Ed Holly, as it is as agreeable as its good looks. It is also a car with impeccable provenance, being the launching pad of a future F1 World Champion in the form of New Zealander Denny Hulme.

Any Brabham car story starts during 1961 when it was becoming clear to Jack Brabham that despite World Championships in 1959 and 1960, his success with the Cooper Car Company was destined not to continue.

Ron Tauranac

Looking back, the name of Ron Tauranac is synonymous with the world’s most prolific manufacturer of racing cars. Tauranac started out with his brother Austin in the 1950s, building their own Ralt racing specials, before being the T in the BT model prefix number of later Brabhams built, and later returning to the name Ralt, producing a total of 1,051 Ralts from 1975 to 1993.

However, the name of Tauranac is also connected with Brabham during the Cooper days. During the late 1950s Brabham formed an opinion that the handling of F1 cars from Cooper could be improved by lowering the Climax engine. However, father Charlie Cooper took the line that there was no need to change anything while they were winning.

Brabham and Tauranac had worked together in Australia with both doing work for the other. So Brabham scribbled out what he had in mind on a piece of paper and posted it off to Tauranac back in Australia. In response, Tauranac not only designed a set of step-down gears, but also had them made in Australia for Brabham to take back to England for the 1958 season. Later it was Tauranac whose input was received for the new Lowline Cooper.

In addition to driving for Cooper, Brabham also had a garage in London called Jack Brabham Motors, selling Rootes Group and Standard-Triumph cars, as well as his own branded tuning kit for the Sunbeam Rapier. Having the ’59 and ’60 World Championships to his name meant the garage was doing well, and as a result Brabham was able to offer Tauranac a job in England.

Motor Racing Developments

Of course Ron Tauranac wasn’t brought out from Australia just to hop up English road cars, as Brabham had ideas of making his own racing cars. However, there was a hitch to this as Brabham was still contracted to Coopers for 1960-’61, and he couldn’t be seen as being involved in the manufacture of a new racing car.

Brabham’s ideas soon turned to plans that Tauranac was working out on his drawing board. Motor Racing Developments was formed with Brabham and Tauranac being partners and the first car, MRD-1 was ready in mid-1961.

Money wasn’t all that available to the fledgling company and once completed MRD-1 was sold to a visiting Australian driver named Gavin Youl. Carrying the chassis number FJ1 there was nothing unconventional with the MRD. Spaceframe chassis, alloy body, Ford 1-liter engine, modified Volkswagen gearbox with drum brakes all round. Retrospectively it became the BT1, and its 6th place finish in its first race at Mallory Park was certainly not auspicious. However, in August 1961, Youl lined up for a Formula Junior race at a major meeting at Goodwood and this time the car was powered by a Holbay-modified 1,100-cc engine resulting in pole position with a new lap record! MRD was on the map and after a few more events Youl took the car back to Australia with him.

Formula Junior

Interestingly, the car that eventually became BT1 was the first water-cooled racing car designed by Ron Tauranac. Formula Junior was settled on as a logical choice because while it was economical it was also the closest thing to Formula One, making the car the first Junior designed by Tauranac as well.

The success of the Youl win also meant that the word was out on who was behind the car. Brabham then put out the news in the motoring press and while John Cooper had previously learned of what was happening, not so Charles Cooper. He, of course, was not impressed, and from all reports was offended. Not so John, as he understood Brabham’s ambitions.

It was at this time when an up and coming French driver by the name of Jo Schlesser showed an interest in two new MRDs as he thought the model was so clean and straightforward. He had reservations, however, about the name MRD, as it’s pronounced merde in French which is their word for shit. Thus, the name of the cars into the future were called Brabham, an arrangement that didn’t sit 100 percent well with Ron Tauranac.

As an aside, it is perhaps important to reflect on the names of the companies involved. Motor Racing Developments Limited had originally been a 50/50 partnership between Brabham and Tauranac, but later it became a 60/40 partnership due to Brabham’s insistence, as he put up £2,000 in capital. Brabham’s wholly owned company, Brabham Racing Organisation was the company that went motor racing and was actually a customer of Motor Racing Developments.

Goodwood

Spring 1962 heralded the release of the Brabham BT2, with Brabham having left Cooper some time beforehand. It was also the time for testing of the new car at Goodwood. Brabham himself set about the task of testing and slashed the Formula Junior time of 1m 33.6s, with a 1m 26.8s, which was also under the 1.5-liter Formula One time.

The BT2 was more a progression on the earlier car than a completely different construction. The bodywork was then made of fiberglass and Hewland were now supplying a five-speed gearbox using the Volkswagen casing. Australian Frank Gardner had been retained to drive the works cars.

The Brabham BT3 was to be the first Formula One car, but it was very much a poor cousin against the money-making customer cars and production was constantly delayed. In total eleven BT2s were built, against the single BT3. While waiting, the Brabham Racing Organisation ordered a new Lotus 24.

Promising

The best word to describe the first trading year for Brabham cars was “promising.” The cars certainly didn’t win every race entered, but each car had left its mark and—crucial for future success—the customers liked their cars.

For the southern summer of 1962, Frank Gardner travelled to Australia to run his BT2 and wiped the board in almost every race. This opened the eyes of a number of team owners and Frank soon found himself driving a Brabham for Ian Walker. This, of course, left a gap in the Brabham team that was filled by young New Zealander Denny Hulme.

Brabham offered Hulme a mechanic’s job and, perhaps, an occasional drive. He accepted of course, and soon proved to be a driver of some caliber. Hulme had a drive in a Brabham at London’s Crystal Palace and after setting pole, came in 4th. Not long after, he won his first race at Brands Hatch, during which he set a new lap record.

The New BT6

Always keen on releasing revised models, rather than each being a completely new design, Motor Racing Developments released the new BT6 in early 1963. Its design was a development on the BT2 Formula Junior car, and like its predecessor it proved to be popular, with a total of 20 built—some of which were adapted to Formula Two and Three the following year.

The success of Hulme in his brief showings impressed both Tauranac and Brabham. So impressed infact, that during the northern summer of 1964, Hulme was loaned a Brabham BT6 that he and wife Greta trailered all over England and Europe taking part in the Express and Star British Championship Series and the European L’Equipe Series.

Denny and Greta Hulme travelled without a mechanic and raced for over five months, in 14 events, managing six outrights wins, four 2nds, one 3rd and three DNFs. At the Reims circuit in France, where Hulme won, he set the fastest lap of 2m 41.4s for an amazing lap average of 115.06 mph.

The chassis number of that particular BT6 was FJ-9-63 and it is this car that features in this issue and is currently owned by Ed Holly of Sydney, Australia. Hulme finished in 2nd place in both the European Formula Junior and the “Express & Star” Formula Junior Championship, behind Peter Arundell who was driving a Lotus-Ford 27 and ahead of Frank Gardner, also in a Brabham.

Hulme’s success in the Brabham certainly generated significant wordage in the contemporary motoring press. In his column in Autosport of May 10, 1963, Bruce McLaren said after Hulme’s win at Aintree:

“For a driver who professes to be not particularly good in the wet, I thought fellow New Zealander Denny Hulme’s win in the works Brabham FJ was very good.

“He is now being trained in the Brabham tradition by building, working on and developing his own car. He looks after the car and tunes it in the Brabham racing shop.”

Hulme’s last race in FJ-9-63 was at Snetterton on September 28, 1963, where after setting pole position he went on to be first across the line while also setting a new lap record. It was also destined to be the car’s last outing as a Formula Junior and in England.

Tasman Series

From the late 1950s through to the early 1960s the southern summer in Australia and New Zealand was the scene of competitive and enjoyable racing that attracted a number of the top drivers from the Northern Hemisphere. While earlier, the races were a loose arrangement in both countries it was the introduction of the formalized Tasman Series from 1964 that provided significant inducement for manufactures not only to produce cars, but also to send race teams and drivers.

While the Australian National Formula at that time was 1.5 liters, the Tasman Series itself allowed engine capacities of up to 2.5 liters. In doing so it was catering to the aging Coventry Climax four-cylinder FPF engine.

In a letter from Frank Gardner to the previous owner, Ian McDonald, Frank said that FJ-9-63 was the first Brabham to be fitted with a twin-cam Ford engine in place of the Ford 105E Junior 1100-cc engine. Frank goes on to say that it was freighted to Australia in late 1963, and he drove it for the Alex Mildren Racing Team in local races and later the 1964 Tasman Series.

Gardner’s first race in FJ-9-63 was at the Catalina Circuit in Katoomba west of Sydney. The feature race of the meeting, the Blue Mountains City Council Trophy Race was for racing cars of up to 1500-cc and carried the not insignificant prize money of £400.

Unfortunately it was not destined to be an auspicious start for the car in Australia. Throughout the race Gardner had been duelling with the older Brabham of Greg Cusack, but there was a coming together of the two with both going into the safety fence. Cusack’s car was extensively damaged and as a result local driver Leo Geoghegan went on to win in his Lotus 27-Ford.

The Tasman Series consisted of eight separate races over almost the same number of weekends, in both New Zealand and Australia. For the 1964 Series FJ-9-63 was entered only for the Australian rounds.

At the first race, the Australian Grand Prix held at Sandown Park in Melbourne, Gardner was the first on pole of the non-2.5- liter brigade. However, while leading the smaller capacity cars to nine laps from the finish he retired with gearbox problems. His best result that year was a highly credible 4th place at the Tasman round at Lakeside on February 23, 1964.

Following the Tasman, the overseas drivers returned from whence they came and FJ-9-63 stayed in Australia as part of the Alec Mildren stable.

Bathurst

While the Mount Panorama circuit at Bathurst these days is usually the reserve of sedans and the like, not so in 1964 when it was used for national race meetings, including open-wheelers.

Enter a driver by the name of Charlie Smith who traded in an older Elfin on a Lotus 23 and was offered a drive in FJ-9-63 at the Mount Panorama “1500.” Here the car was timed at 152.54 mph where it was wise to hug the left-hand side of the track going across the infamous hump on Conrod Straight. In Smith’s case he quickly found that FJ-9-63 would virtually swap from the left to the right side while crossing the hump.

Throughout the race it was a neck-and-neck tussle between the Lotus 27 of Arnold Glass and Smith’s Brabham. Then, with just two laps remaining and Smith in the lead, a tire burst on the Brabham while at the top of the mountain, causing him to spin off into the fence, slightly bending the chassis.

Throughout the rest of the year FJ-9-63 was run at diverse circuits such as the country circuit at Towac, Catalina Park and Warwick Farm. In the hands of fellow Mildren driver Ralph Sach, it was even run in the 1964 Australian Hillclimb Championship at the Silverdale hill west of Sydney.

NZ Bound

In late 1964 FJ-9-63 was sold to New Zealander Roly Levis who first saw action in the car, not in NZ but at Warwick Farm, where the car was entered by Mildrens. However, it was the 1965 Tasman Series that Levis had in his sights.

The 1965 Tasman Series must have been quite a commitment for Levis as he entered every single event, of which there were seven that year. While the final points score for the series shows that Levis finished with two points and Jim Clark had 35, it doesn’t tell the true story. Of the seven races, Levis in FJ-9-63 was the leading non 2.5-liter car five times and 2nd once. In the seventh race, Levis was involved in an accident in the NZGP at Pukekohe where the car lost its nose cone and cockpit surround. Levis’ results provided him with 1st place in the Australian National Formula Championship.

The following year Levis again drove FJ-9-63 finishing the Tasman Series in 9th place overall, 1st in the Australian National Formula Championship and 2nd in the New Zealand Gold Star. Unfortunately, later in the year while testing at Levin, Levis flipped the Brabham and sustained minor back injuries.

Guy Fawkes

It was Guy Fawkes Day, November 5, 1966, and FJ-9-63 was entered by Bill Stone, its new owner. (Stone later went on to be a co-founder of Reynard Cars.) Levis was also in the event, but driving another BT6 that had been previously owned by Andy Buchanan/Bill Caldwell. Later Stone lined up for the Tasman Series, but restricted his entries to the New Zealand events only. The results show that he wasn’t at the sharp end of the field, especially against the likes of Jackie Stewart’s BRM P261 and the Lotus 33 of Jim Clark. However, he was certainly not among the also-rans of the 1.5-liter cars.

It was destined not to be a good year for Stone, as while he didn’t cross the Tasman Sea he did stay at home to run in the Timaru Road Race on February 4, 1967 through the streets of the South Island city of Timaru. Unfortunately, oil had been spilled on the very rough surface of the circuit and FJ-9-63 quickly spun end for end, turned over and cannoned off the circuit upside down, coming to rest after scraping along the concrete walls of a school ground.

While the car certainly was looking very second hand, Stone was lucky to escape with just a broken collar bone.

Despite the accident FJ-9-63 was rebuilt and was used during the remainder of the 1967 season. Stone also backed up for the New Zealand rounds of the 1968 Tasman Series, but at the Levin round on March 25 he had a narrow escape when the car spun and rolled, trapping him underneath. He walked away with a black eye and a few abrasions.

Amazingly, FJ-9-63 was rebuilt and after one further run by Stone it was sold that September to Gerald “Jiggs” Alexander. Then, like so many older racing cars, while it still performed, the rest of the field had caught up with it and in most cases left it far behind.

Restoration

Alexander continued to compete in the car to around 1970, by which stage it was sorely in need of a restoration. This was started with great enthusiasm, and FJ-9-63 was completely stripped. However, that’s how it stayed until 1999 when it was bought as a basket case by Australian Ian McDonald, who undertook its complete restoration.

Following the restoration, McDonald, to his credit, didn’t believe in maintaining FJ-9-63 in cottonwool, and would compete in the car whenever the occasion arose. Entering the scene was Sydneyite Ed Holly, who first saw the car at Phillip Island in 2005 and just fell in love with it.

Ed has been a leading light in the Historic Sports and Racing Car Association in Australia, and has owned and competed in a wide range of cars from an MGA to a Brabham BT21C. Ed was also the instigator of the inaugural Tasman Revival race meeting held in 2006. This year marks the fourth Tasman Revival, to which enthusiasts from all areas of Australia are looking forward to on November 23-25.

Ed was at Phillip Island to run his Brabham BT15 F3, and his first sight of FJ-9-63 was in the garages. Later Ed shared a race with FJ-9-63, which was being driven by Ian McDonald’s son Nick, and had to be content with watching from the infield due to a spin.

Not long after, Ed became aware that FJ-9-63 had come up for sale, but when he looked further down the ad he had to take a deep breath upon seeing the price asked. This did not deter him, however, and both he and wife Lorraine put their heads together as to where the money would come from. They decided that they could make a reasonable offer for FJ-9-63 if a much loved Lotus Elite could be sold, along with a Lotus 20.

Both were sold and with an addition of some further funds the offer was made. To Ed’s excitement, it was accepted. That was around July 2006, which was enough time to prepare the car for the 2006 Tasman Revival at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway.

Needless to say, Ed was not only delighted to have his original Tasman Series car on the grid, but that the whole meeting had been organized by a team headed by himself was very much a bonus.

Magnificent

When Vintage Racecar tested Ed Holly’s Brabham BT6 at the Wakefield Park circuit, Ed answered a few questions as to how it was when he brought it home.

“It was absolutely magnificent.” he answered. “I was so enthralled with the car, and still am. Plus, it has to be the easiest to maintain racing car that I have ever been involved with. For instance the engine was rebuilt 11 years ago, and since then it’s done three Tasman Revival meetings, three other major race meetings and I’ve lost count of the number of minor meetings. Plus, it holds the class lap record at both Phillip Island and Eastern Creek.

“It’s a great car that really talks to you,” Ed added. “It sort of taps you on the shoulder when you’re trying to be a little too enthusiastic and getting on the power too early. I know when to be careful.

“What is really interesting is that it’s just wonderful on circuits that are more of a driver’s track than those that demand power. Sydney’s Eastern Creek, for instance, is quite like Warwick Farm and there have been quite a few times when it has been more than competitive against larger-capacity cars. It certainly is a great leveller on such circuits.

“I want to own FJ-9-63 for a long, long time as it’s such an enjoyable car. It’s funny as lately the Formula Junior boys have been having a go at me saying I should convert it back to a Junior. I just smile and remind them that it really ran as a Junior for just six-months and has spent most of its life as a 1.5-liter car. It’s just a wonderful and enjoyable car. Oh yes, I am really looking forward to the next Tasman Revival.”

A Word with Ron

Recently I was at Eastern Creek, which has had a name change to Sydney Motorsport Park, and I was standing next to FJ-9-63 when along came Ron Tauranac. Ron attends most historic race meetings in this part of the world, and it’s always enjoyable to pass a little part of the day with him. So, with FJ-9-63 looking just wonderful next to us I had to ask what he thought of it.

“The BT6 cars were made in 1963, and in total 20 were made.” Ron said. “It was a development of the BT2 and went on to be developed into the 7, the 7a and so forth.

“As there was many hundreds of cars, I don’t remember any single one in particular, however the BT6 was the first Brabham in which we introduced the rubber doughnuts and also added a ball to centralize the shaft. Some haven’t got that fitted, so that the shaft flails around, breaking the coupling and damaging the car.

“One of the aspects I do recall was when in Australia those who bought a Brabham would buy a complete car as import duties were very high at the time. When they wanted spares the tax was very high so that I would send drawings for the part to be made locally and therefore avoid any tax.”

In response to my comment as how easy to drive Ed’s car was, Ron said. “I think all our cars were easy to drive. The regulations changed frequently and people with enough money would buy a new car each year and sell the old one on. So what I used to do was to design the ultimate car I thought and back off in the design so that it would be just good enough to beat the opposition. Then we could update individual cars year by year. Other manufacturers employed designers who had to come up with a new car every year. This meant that their second-hand cars weren’t worth so much money at the end of the year, while ours maintained their value.

“This attracted people back to us as those who were buying a new car from us always got a good price for their old car. I continued doing that right through my career.”

FJ-9-63 at Wakefield

Those who recall my earlier missives would also recall that many cars have been tested at Wakefield Park. Designed as a club circuit, Wakefield Park has gone from strength to strength and is booked up all year round. It is important to realize that its success has also brought considerable trade into the local Goulburn area, much to the agreement of the local stores and accommodation providers.

Sadly, one of the enthusiasts behind the establishment of Wakefield Park, Paul Samuels, recently died after a long battle with cancer. Paul was also a previous president of the HSRCA and a very enthusiastic competitor in his Lotus 15 that he ran not only in Australia, but also the U.S. and England.

Looking back, the predominant memory of Ed Holly’s Brabham BT6 is how comfortable I felt while driving it. As mentioned, Ed is about my size or perhaps a little taller, and as I lowered my bum into the seat I was simply surprised at how easy it all was.

The right-hand gearchange was exactly where I wanted it to be, the instruments were in easy sight, my helmet didn’t clang on the roll bar (believe me, this happen so much, and it’s very disconcerting) and most importantly there was enough room for my size 8s with sufficient left over to rest my clutch foot. Plus, even the clutch was progressive and easy to feel so that I knew exactly where I was. Additionally, it was a real bonus that the car looked and felt immaculate.

Wakefield Park is perfect for testing as there are plenty of runoff areas for those silly moments, but luckily with such a forgiving car as FJ-9-63 this never happened.

Of course, I was mindful of not searching for the 7,500 to 8,000 rpm that Ed commonly reaches. In fact I keep it to a timid 5,500 rpm, which is more than enough for me to sense how it all felt. The gluteus maximi are an amazingly sensitive set of muscles that allows the perceptive to know how a car is performing.

I will admit that Ed’s BT6 handles like a dream, especially as most corners at Wakefield Park are right-handers. When I get to the left-handed twin-apex dogleg, which is about halfway round, I felt my gluteus maximus tense up as I have less than pleasant memories of this corner. It was back to second for the tricky corner and around without any fuss. I am pleased to say that each time I tried the dogleg I tried a little harder, and while my laps weren’t timed I knew I was getting faster. I also knew that in Ed’s BT6, I was the boss of the corner.

After ten or so laps I was getting really comfortable. Okay, I confess to taking it to 6,000 rpm plus a bit, (sorry Ed) but it was just so much fun. Plus, it wasn’t my fault that I felt so comfortable.

SPECIFICATIONS

Chassis/Body: Tubular steel chassis and fiberglass body

Wheelbase: 7ft 5.56ins (2,275mm)

Track: 4ft 2.78in (1,290mm) front – 4ft 3.96in (1,320mm) rear

Weight: 903.90 lbs (410kgs)

Suspension: Front & Rear: Independent with coilover shock absorbers and anti-roll bar

Steering Gear: Brabham MRD rack and pinion.

Engine: Cosworth twin-cam 1,500cc

Power: 185hp at 7,500 rpm.

Carburetor: Twin Weber DCOE 45mm

Clutch: Single-plate

Gearbox: Hewland Mk5

Gears: 5 forward, 1 reverse

Foot Brake: discs all round

Wheels: Brabham MRD 6 inch front & 8 inch rear

Tires: Front 4.50M x 13 Rear 550M x 13 Dunlop Tires

Acknowledgements / Resources

Many thanks to Ed Holly for the opportunity of getting up close and very comfortable with his Brabham BT6. Thanks also to Wakefield Park for the tracktime and also to the Golden Era Auto Racing (GEAR) for allowing me to pinch some time from their mid-week meeting.

Graham Howard & Stewart Wilson, The Official 50-race History of the Australian Grand Prix. R & T Publishing. ISBN 0 9588464 0 5

John Blanden, Historic Racing Cars in Australia. Turton & Armstrong. ISBN 0-908031-83-1

Mike Lawrence, Brabham Ralt Honda – The Ron Tauranac Story. Motor Racing Publications. ISBN 1899870 35 0

Sir Jack Brabham with Doug Nye, The Jack Brabham Story. MINIDI Pty Ltd. ISBN 0-9577060-30