A year-by-year look at the Vandervell racing machines, including the Thinwall Specials
Author
- Don Capps
Date
- 8W Special, March 16, 2000
Related articles
- Vanwall - The Green Comet: a brief history of the Vanwall, by Don Capps
- The Vanwall Grand Prix engines, by Ron Rex
- Introduction
- Part 1: The 2-litre F2 engine
- Part 2: The 2.3-litre interim F1 engine
- Part 3: Technical anomalies
- Part 4: The 2.5-litre F1 engine
- Part 5: The 'AvGas' 2.5-litre F1 engine
- Part 6: The 2.6-litre Intercontinental Formula engine
- Part 7: Finality and overview
- Part 8: Specifications and other facts
1949 -- Thinwall Special No. 1 / Ferrari 125 GPC, 1.5 litre supercharged V-12 engine in a short wheelbase chassis with swing axle rear suspension. It was returned to Ferrari (after being examined by BRM). No chassis number has surfaced so far as to the identity of this car.
1950 -- Thinwall Special No. 2 / Ferrari 125 with a 1.5 litre supercharged, twin-plug V-12 in a long wheelbase chassis with swing axle rear suspension. Chassis number 125-C-02. It was returned to Ferrari to be rebuilt as the Thinwall Special No. 3.
1951 -- Thinwall Special No. 3 / Ferrari 375 with 4.5 litre normally aspired single-plug V-12 using a long wheelbase chassis with de Dion rear axle. Used the same chassis as Thinwall Special No. 2, 125-C-02. This car was retained by the team and broken up in 1952.
1952 -- Thinwall Special No. 4 / Ferrari 375 with 4.5 litre normally aspirated, twin-plug engine and de Dion rear axle using "Indianapolis" long wheelbase chassis. Chassis: 010-375. This car was retained by the team.
1954 -- Vanwall Special / Cooper-built chassis (Type 30) with Vandervell engine developed with Norton (upper) and Rolls-Royce (lower). The engine was developed in 2.0, 2.3 and 2.5 litre versions. After being crashed at Barcelona in 1954, it was not rebuilt.
1955 -- Vanwall / The team built four chassis to its own design. Chassis numbers were:
- VW1
- VW2
- VW3
- VW4
All were broken up at the end of the season and used as the basis for the 1956 cars.
1956 -- Vanwall / The team built four cars using the chassis as re-designed by Colin Chapman and the bodywork designed by Frank Costin. The cars had transverse leaf spring rear suspension. The cars were retained for 1957. Chassis numbers were:
- VW1/56
- VW2/56 -- won the International Trophy at Silverstone
- VW3/56
- VW4/56
1957 -- Vanwall / A total of 10 chassis planned. but no more than four fully assembled at any one time (well sort of - see below). The cars now had coil spring rear suspension. The first four chassis were those retained from 1956 with the remainder being built-up during the season. The chassis numbers were:
- VW1
- VW2 -- never completed
- VW3
- VW4 -- won the British GP at Aintree
- VW5 -- won the Pescara GP and Italian GP
- VW6 -- the Streamliner, converted to normal bodywork
- VW7
- VW8 -- Lightweight chassis
- VW9 -- Lightweight chassis, not assembled during the season
- VW10
1958 -- Vanwall / The 1957 cars were retained with detail modifications to the suspension and bodywork. The chassis numbers:
- VW1 -- not assembled, used for spares
- VW2 -- not assembled, used for spares
- VW3 -- not assembled, used for spares
- VW4 -- won the German GP, destroyed at Casablanca
- VW5 -- won the Belgian, Italian & Moroccan GP
- VW6
- VW7
- VW8 -- not assembled, used for spares
- VW9
- VW10 -- won the Dutch & Portuguese GP
1959 -- Vanwall / Three chassis were retained, the rest broken up. Chassis retained:
- VW5 -- rebuilt with smaller, modified bodywork and lighter components. Later fitted with an experimental rear suspension developed by Colotti, but never raced in this configuration
- VW9 -- retained as a show car by Vandervell Products
- VW10 -- retained for testing purposes, but rebuilt in 1960 in 1958 form for "demonstrations"
1960 -- Vanwall / In addition to the chassis retained for show (VW9) and demonstration (VW10) purposes only two chassis used in 1960:
- VW11 -- a new chassis built from VW5 components with "low-line" bodywork. Used Colotti transmission and suspension. Driven by Tony Brooks at Reims, then dismantled and retained by the team
- VWL12 -- used for testing; actually Lotus 18 chassis 901 mounted with a Vanwall engine. Sold, less engine, by the team as a rolling chassis
1961 -- Vanwall / A rear-engine chassis was built for the Inter-Continental Formula series using a 2.6 litre Vanwall engine. Engines V4, V6 and V9 converted to rear-engined specification. Driven by John Surtees in its only race at Silverstone:
- VW14 -- later rebuilt into a Mk.2 version, but never raced in that form.
Note: There were only nine Vanwall engines used by the team, V1 through V9, the latter not being used during competition in a front-engined car.
Note from 1957:
For a fleeting few days - almost literally hours, in fact - in July 1957 there actually were FIVE Vanwalls in full kit. Here's how it happened:
As noted, the team had only one week between the GP de l'ACF at Rouen and the Reims race. Since it would have been quite out of the question to bring the transporter back to Acton, unload the Rouen cars (VW1 and VW4), load up the Reims cars (VW6, VW7, VW8), and return to the Continent, it was decided to send out both transporters to France.
One transporter was sent to Rouen with VW1 and VW4. The other to Reims with VW7 and VW8. After Rouen, on that Tuesday as a matter of fact, VW6 was flown to Calais. It was off-loaded and VW1 and VW4 loaded on the aircraft and returned to Southend. On Wednesday, these were back at the race shop in Acton undergoing the usual post-race disassembly.
Meanwhile, the transporter with VW7 and VW8 was in Reims where it was joined by the transporter carrying VW6 from Calais.
So, from roughly Monday through Wednesday of that week there were five fully-assembled Vanwalls lurking about. Scanning the rest of the 1957 season and the 1958 season, I haven't found a similar situation where there were more than four fully-assembled Vanwalls. I am certain that at some point during the 1958 season there might have been a fifth chassis missing only an engine but otherwise ready for use.
Vanwall Racing Logbook
| Note: This racing log covers only the appearances of the Vanwall Special or the Vanwall machines. | |
1954 |
|
| 05/15 | BRDC International Trophy, Silverstone
|
| 07/17 | British GP, Silverstone
|
| 09/05 | Italian GP, Monza
|
| 09/25 | Goodwood Trophy, Goodwood
|
| 10/02 | Daily Telegraph Trophy, Aintree
|
| 10/24 | Spanish GP, Pedralbes/Barcelona
|
1955 |
|
| 05/07 | BRDC International Trophy, Silverstone
|
| 05/22 | Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
|
| 06/05 | Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps
|
| 07/16 | British GP, Aintree
|
| 07/30 | BARC International Trophy, Crystal Palace
|
| 08/13 | Redex Trophy, Snetterton
|
| 09/11 | Italian GP, Monza
|
| 09/24 | International Gold Cup, Oulton Park
|
| 10/01 | Avon Trophy, Castle Combe
|
1956 |
|
| 05/05 | BRDC International Trophy, Silverstone
|
| 05/13 | Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
|
| 06/03 | Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps
|
| 07/01 | GP de l'ACF, Reims
|
| 07/14 | British GP, Silverstone
|
| 09/02 | Italian GP, Monza
|
1957 |
|
| 04/07 | Syracuse GP, Siracusa
|
| 04/22 | Glover Trophy, Goodwood
|
| 05/19 | Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
|
| 07/07 | GP de l'ACF, Rouen-les-Essarts
|
| 07/14 | Reims GP, Reims
|
| 07/20 | British GP, Aintree
|
| 08/04 | German GP, Nürburgring
|
| 08/18 | Pescara GP, Pescara
|
| 09/08 | Italian GP, Monza
|
| 09/28 | Demonstration Run, Goodwood
|
| 10/27 | Moroccan GP, Casablanca
|
1958 |
|
| 05/18 | Monaco GP, Monte Carlo
|
| 05/26 | Dutch GP, Zandvoort
|
| 06/15 | Belgian GP, Spa-Francorchamps
|
| 07/06 | GP de l'ACF, Reims
|
| 07/19 | British GP, Silverstone
|
| 08/03 | German GP, Nürburgring
|
| 08/24 | Portuguese GP, Oporto
|
| 09/07 | Italian GP, Monza
|
| 10/19 | Moroccan GP, Casablanca
|
1959 |
|
| 07/18 | British GP, Aintree
|
1960 |
|
| 04/18 | Glover Trophy, Goodwood
|
| 07/03 | GP de l'ACF, Reims
|
1961 |
|
| 05/06 | BRDC International Trophy (Intercontinental Formula), Silverstone
|
The racing record for chassis VW6:
|
|
