| BRM P15 V-16[1] | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer |  British Racing Motors |
| Production | 1947–1955 |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | 135° V16[2][3][4][5] |
| Displacement | 1,487.76 cc (91 cu in) |
| Cylinder bore | 49.53 mm (1.95 in) |
| Piston stroke | 48.26 mm (1.90 in) |
| Valvetrain | 32-valve, DOHC, two valves per cylinder |
| Combustion | |
| Supercharger | Two-stage centrifugal |
| Fuel system | Carburettor[6][7] |
| Oil system | Dry sump |
| Output | |
| Power output | 400–600 hp (298–447 kW) |
| Dimensions | |
| Dry weight | approx. 200–230 kg (441–507 lb) |
The British Racing Motors V16 was a supercharged 1.5-litre (90.8 cu. in.) V-16 cylinder racing engine built by British Racing Motors (BRM) for competing in Formula One motor racing in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Designed in 1947 and raced until 1954–55, it produced 600 bhp (450 kW) at 12,000 rpm, although test figures from Rolls-Royce suggested that the engine would be able to be run at up to 14,000rpm.[8][9]
The very complex engine was exceptionally powerful for the time, but it initially proved a disappointment, possessing poor reliability so that cars either did not start or failed to finish races. In the 1952 Formula One season, after BRM withdrew their V16 engined cars before a race in Turin while attempting to enlist Juan Manuel Fangio, leaving only Ferrari as the main contestants with no effective competition, the racing organisers abandoned the Formula One series and ran the remaining year's races as Formula Two.
- ^ "Engine BRM • STATS F1". www.statsf1.com.
- ^ Ludvigsen, Karl (February 2007). BRM V16: How Britain's Auto Makers Built a Grand Prix Car to Beat the World. Veloce Publishing. ISBN 9781845840372.
- ^ "The Short and Intriguing History of V-16 and W-16 Engines @ Top Speed". 29 June 2020.
- ^ "BRM P15 V16 Continuation". 4 November 2020. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
- ^ "1954 BRM Type 30 'V16' - Images, Specifications and Information". Ultimatecarpage.com.
- ^ "V16 BRM on Show at Retromobile | HistoricRacingNews.com". www.historicracingnews.com.
- ^ "The BRM V16 Roars Again - the return of a legendary British racer". 18 November 2020.
- ^ Veloce Publishing (20 December 2007). "Karl Ludvigsen on the BRM V16 part 1 www.velocebooks.com". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 27 November 2016 – via YouTube.
- ^ "BRM Type 15". 18 January 2014.