 BT46B "fan car" at Goodwood Festival of Speed, 2001 | |||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Brabham | ||||||
| Designer(s) | Gordon Murray David Cox Carlo Chiti (Engine designer (Alfa Romeo)) | ||||||
| Predecessor | BT45C | ||||||
| Successor | BT48 | ||||||
| Technical specifications[1] | |||||||
| Chassis | Aluminium Monocoque | ||||||
| Suspension (front) | Pullrod double wishbone | ||||||
| Suspension (rear) | Pullrod double wishbone | ||||||
| Axle track | Front: 1,549 mm (61.0 in) Rear: 1,626 mm (64.0 in) | ||||||
| Wheelbase | 2,590 mm (102 in) | ||||||
| Engine | Alfa Romeo, 2,995 cc (182.8 cu in), Flat-12, NA, Mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted | ||||||
| Transmission | Brabham / Alfa Romeo 5/6-speed manual, Alfa Romeo Differential | ||||||
| Power | 520 hp (387.8 kW) @ 12,000 rpm[2] | ||||||
| Fuel | Fina Agip | ||||||
| Tyres | Goodyear | ||||||
| Competition history | |||||||
| Notable entrants | Parmalat Racing Team | ||||||
| Notable drivers | 1.  Niki Lauda2.  John Watson66.  Nelson Piquet | ||||||
| Debut | 1978 South African Grand Prix | ||||||
| First win | 1978 Swedish Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last win | 1978 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||
| Last event | 1979 Argentine Grand Prix | ||||||
| |||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||
The Brabham BT46 is a Formula One racing car designed by Gordon Murray for the Brabham team, owned by Bernie Ecclestone, for the 1978 Formula One season. The car featured several radical design elements, one of which was the use of flat panel heat exchangers on the bodywork of the car to replace conventional water and oil radiators. It was removed before the car's race debut, never to be seen again. The cars, powered by a flat-12 Alfa Romeo engine, raced competitively with modified nose-mounted radiators for most of the year, driven by Niki Lauda and John Watson, winning one race in this form and scoring sufficient points for the team to finish third in the constructors' championship.
The "B" variant of the car, also known as the "fan car", was introduced at the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix as a counter to the dominant ground effect Lotus 79. The BT46B generated an immense amount of downforce utilizing a fan, claimed to be for increased cooling, but which also extracted air from beneath the car. The car only raced once in this configuration in the Formula One World Championship—when Niki Lauda won the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix at Anderstorp.
The "fan car" concept was withdrawn by Brabham after one race even though the FIA had ruled it could be used for the remainder of that season. Murray, Brabham's chief designer, later said that the car was withdrawn by Brabham due to concerns from Bernie Ecclestone, the team owner. Ecclestone became chief executive of the Formula One Constructors' Association (FOCA) in the same year that the Brabham BT46 appeared, and he was concerned that the upset from other teams over the fan car could collapse FOCA. Murray said in 2008 that Ecclestone "was working on getting his foothold in the Formula One Constructors’ Association and launching himself towards what he's doing now", with the words "what he's doing now" referring to Ecclestone's position as chief executive of the Formula One Group, which he held from 1987 until 2017.[3]
- ^ "STATS F1 • Brabham BT48". Statsf1.com. Retrieved 10 September 2010.
- ^ "Engine Alfa Romeo • STATS F1".
- ^ "Lunch with... Gordon Murray | Motor Sport Magazine Archive". Motorsportmagazine.com. 7 July 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2017.