BRM P25

British Racing Motors had been founded with the laudable intention of flying the flag at the top level of international motor racing. But this postwar British engineering showcase spent much of its first decade mired in humiliation.

BRM’s first attempt at a Formula 1 car, the Type 15, had been a classic example of engineering over-reach: its complex and temperamental supercharged 1.5-litre V16 engine was just one of its many problems. Serial late withdrawals from races began to attract scathing editorials in the press, and BRM was at least partially culpable for world championship grands prix being run for