Its one fan driven by its only engine, the 1978 BT46B was simply being cool, said Brabham. Five days after it won its only race, the FIA said different. Photo: Peter Collins

They swore me to secrecy at the time, but that time was long ago. And heck, the constructor doesn’t even exist any more. Maybe, I can finally tell about the Formula One car I helped design.

One day at a Grand Prix in the summer of 1976, Herbie Blash, a manager for the Brabham team, quietly questioned me about the infamous “Sucker” Chaparral of the old Can-Am. That innovative sports racer, as I’m sure we all remember, had ground effects generated by means of a fan system. The vehicle was banned at the end of 1970, and the idea had been forgotten.

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