21 fascinating F1 cars at the Monaco Historics

Racing returns to the Principality

The spectacular Grand Prix de Monaco Historique returned to the streets of Monte-Carlo this weekend (13-15 May).

More than 200 historic single-seaters took to the famous street circuit winding around the Principality, but here is just a selection of the most intriguing.

1. Gordini T16

This unlikely-looking Grand Prix car was built in 1952 to be a Formula Two racer for Prince Bira, but with a larger six-cylinder, 2.5-litre engine it evolved into a Formula One machine in 1954.

As well as competing in the 1955 and ’56 Monaco GPs, this car was driven in World Championship races by a host of other drivers including Harry Schell, Jean Behra, Paul Frère and Maurice Trintignant.

2. Talbot T26C

This Talbot made two appearances in the Monaco Grand Prix: in 1948 with Louis Rosier behind the wheel, and in 1950 when Belgian John Claes finished in seventh place.

It continued racing in Argentina until 1979, when it was returned to Europe and joined the historic racing scene.

3. Maserati 250F

The iconic 1950s Grand Prix Maserati that gave Juan Manuel Fangio the final two of his five World Championship titles, in 1954 and ’57, and won at Monaco in 1956 with Stirling Moss and in ’57 with Fangio.

This particular example is the works car driven by Stirling Moss at the Argentinian Grand Prix in 1957.

4. Brabham BT11

One of six cars built in 1964 for the ’64,’65 and ’66 seasons, this car competed twice in the Monaco Grand Prix.

The BT11 was driven by F1 World Champions Jack Brabham and Denny Hulme, and in privateer Rob Walker’s team by Jo Bonnier, Jo Siffert and Bob Anderson.

5. Cooper T56

The Cooper Type 56 was a unique model built in 1961, based on a Formula Two car and driven by future World Champion John Surtees in practice for Italian Grand Prix.

The car was sold to customers in kit form and was developed into the T59.

6. Lotus 18

One of the most famous cars racing at the Monaco Historics this year is this ex-Stirling Moss Lotus 18.

It was delivered to Rob Walker’s team in 1960 with a 2.5-litre Coventry Climax engine, which was changed to a 1.5-litre unit for the revised regulations in 1961.

Moss won at Monaco and in Germany that year in this very car.

7. Ferrari 312 B3 ‘Snowplough’

Nicknamed the ‘Snowplough’ – or Spazzaneve in Italian – this unusual-looking Mauro Forghieri-designed F1 car was a prototype built in 1972 for Ferrari’s home Grand Prix in the search for more downforce.

It wasn’t quicker than the B2, however, so never competed in period.

8. McLaren M14A

A reworking of the McLaren M7, the M14A was driven by Denny Hulme, Dan Gurney and Bruce McLaren. This particular car was Hulme’s racer and competed at Monaco in 1970, where he achieved fourth place.

Peter Gethin also drove the car in the Monaco Grand Prix the following year, but retired. It was initially powered by a Ford DFV, but the 14D variant featured an Alfa Romeo V8.

9. Lotus 72

Introduced in 1970, the Lotus 72 is a legend not only for its Grand Prix successes – of which there were many, including World Championships for Jochen Rindt and Emerson Fittipaldi – but also for its longevity, surviving in one form or another right through until 1975.

This car was made ready for Jacky Ickx for the start of the 1974 season in its iconic JPS black-and-gold livery, and featured in no fewer than 21 F1 starts, two of them in Monaco.

10. Hesketh 308

This was the first 308 built in 1974 by the tiny privateer team funded by Lord Hesketh, and the equipe’s charismatic and capable hotshoe driver James Hunt scored three podium finishes in that debut season.

Hunt won in Holland the following year, but the money ran out at the end of the season and the team was no more.

11. Hill GH1

Five-time Monaco Grand Prix winner Graham Hill set up his own team for 1973, running a Shadow DN1, then for the ’74 season he ordered a new Lola chassis and built his own car.

The Hill GH1 competed in 10 Grands Prix in 1974 with Francois Migault, Vern Schuppen and Alan Jones at the wheel. Jones took a fifth place in the car at the German GP.

12. McLaren M26

One of seven chassis built for the 1976 season, the M26 was the car that replaced the tremendously successful M23, which had won the World Championship twice, in 1974 and ’76.

The M26 took three Grand Prix victories in the hands of James Hunt in 1977, and this particular car was the prototype that started five GPs for both Hunt and Jochen Mass.

13. Shadow DN5

Following the withdrawal of Dan Gurney’s Eagle team from Formula One, Shadow marked the return of an American equipe to Grand Prix racing, featuring an all-black livery with ‘Stars and Stripes’ airbox decal.

The DN5 was built for 1975 and continued into the following season with Jean-Pierre Jarier behind the wheel, claiming an eighth in Monaco in 1976.

14. Surtees TS16

The team set up by the only man to be World Champion on both two and four wheels, John Surtees, lasted for eight years from 1970-’78.

This car was raced by Carlos Pace, Jochen Mass and Jean-Pierre Jabouille for the 1974 season, but in a team starved of funds it couldn’t compete with the likes of McLaren and Lotus. 

15. Tyrrell 007

In 1970, Ken Tyrrell began building his own cars having already enjoyed World Championship success with brilliant Scottish driver Jackie Stewart the previous season in a Matra. Stewart went on to win two further titles in 1971 and ’73.

This 007 was the first post-Stewart-era car and competed in 21 races, finishing fifth in Monaco in 1975 with Patrick Depailler behind the wheel.

16. Arrows A1

The Tony Southgate-designed Arrows cars were initially based on the Shadow DN9, featuring ground effects, but when this technology was banned the cars had to be dismantled.

The A1 lasted two seasons – 1978 and ’79 – with drivers Riccardo Patrese, Rolf Stommelen and Jochen Mass, with a best finish of fourth for Patrese in Canada.

17. Fittipaldi F5A

Probably the best of the Fittipaldi team cars, the F5A looked as if it used ground effects but it was just a wide chassis.

The team had been founded by driver Emerson Fittipaldi’s brother Wilson and was sponsored by Copersucar, a Brazilian sugar and alcohol producer.

This car finished ninth at the Monaco Grand Prix in 1978.

18. LEC CRP-1

Driver David Purley’s father Charlie owned refrigeration company LEC, and financed this car for the 1977 season from his Bognor Regis team headquarters.

Designed by Mike Pilbeam, the CRP-1 had some success, achieving a third place in the heavy rain at Spa, but crashed badly at Silverstone leaving David with serious leg injuries. 

This example was built around the reserve shell and continued racing in the Aurora series.

19. Theodore TR1

Based on a Ralt chassis for the 1978 season, the Theodore was the brainchild of Macau entrepreneur Teddy Yip.

Its main claim to fame is that it was the car driven by future World Champion Keke Rosberg on his Formula One debut: after crashing in South Africa, Rosberg scored an impressive win in the non-Championship International Trophy Race with this car.

20. Williams FW07C

It took the struggling Williams team 10 years to score its first win, and it arrived with the Patrick Head-designed FW07.

Featuring movable side skirts for ground effects, the FW07 was initially unreliable but came good in the second half of the season, starting with a win for Alan Jones in Germany.

Jones would go on to win the drivers’ title in 1980 and Williams the constructors’ title in 1980 and ’82, when this particular car raced in seven Grands Prix.

21. McLaren MP4

John Barnard’s carbonfibre chassis was a groundbreaker. MP4 stood for ‘Marlboro Project Four’ after the team's main sponsor, and with Niki Lauda at the wheel it raced in seven Grands Prix in the 1982 season, winning at Silverstone, and finishing fourth and fifth in Holland and Austria respectively.

John Watson took to the top step at Long Beach for the US GP the following year in this very car.