BRM was founded just after the Second World War by Raymond Mays and Peter Berthon. Mays had previously built cars under the ERA brand and was inspired by his pre-war successes — as well as access to Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union design documents — to create an all-British grand prix car as a national prestige project. The venture was initially funded through a trust drawing on contributions from the British motor industry, but the arrangement proved unwieldy. As backers withdrew, Alfred Owen of the Rubery Owen industrial group stepped in and eventually took over the team in its entirety. From 1954 to 1970 BRM's works cars competed officially under the name Owen Racing Organisation.
BRM's first engine was an extraordinarily ambitious 1.5-litre supercharged V16, with Rolls-Royce contracted to produce centrifugal superchargers. The engine did not run until June 1949. While outstandingly powerful, its power arrived over a very narrow rev range and came on suddenly, causing violent wheelspin on the narrow tyres of the period. The Type 15 car using this engine won the first two races it started — Formula Libre and Formula One events at Goodwood in September 1950, driven by Reg Parnell — but was never so successful again. Persistent unreliability and development failures caused considerable public embarrassment. When the regulations changed for 1954, the V16 project was effectively over.
BRM's next design, the Type 25, used a 2.5-litre four-cylinder atmospheric engine. It arrived late and required prolonged development, not scoring its first win until the 1959 Dutch Grand Prix. Engineer Tony Rudd, originally seconded from Rolls-Royce to work on the V16's supercharging, gradually assumed greater technical authority. Drivers Graham Hill and Dan Gurney went on strike in 1960 to protest the team's management failings, and Rudd was given full executive control in early 1962.
For the 1.5-litre formula introduced in 1961, BRM produced the P57 with a compact V8 engine designed by Peter Berthon and Aubrey Woods. Under Rudd's technical leadership, reliability improved dramatically. Graham Hill won the 1962 World Drivers' Championship with the P57, and BRM claimed the Constructors' title the same year. Hill was partnered from 1965 by Jackie Stewart, who took his first grand prix win at Monza during his debut season. BRM finished second in the Constructors' standings in 1963, 1964, 1965, and 1971.
For the new three-litre formula in 1966, BRM built the H16 engine rather than a conventional V12. The design effectively placed two flat-eight engines one above the other with geared crankshafts. While powerful on paper, it was heavy, unreliable, and prone to build inaccuracies. The H16 earned BRM the nickname "British Racing Misery." Its only World Championship victory came when Jim Clark drove a Lotus 43 fitted with the engine to win the 1966 United States Grand Prix at Watkins Glen.
The H16 was replaced by a V12 designed by Geoff Johnson, which first appeared in sports car racing before finding its way into Formula One via McLaren. Under the V12, BRM achieved a second peak: Pedro Rodriguez won the 1970 Belgian Grand Prix, and Jo Siffert and Peter Gethin added further victories in 1971. Jean-Pierre Beltoise drove a memorable race in the wet to win the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix with the P160 — BRM's last World Championship victory, and also the first win for a Marlboro-sponsored F1 car.
Early BRM cars ran in British Racing Green. During the Owen years they carried simple Owen Racing Organisation markings. Yardley sponsorship brought a white livery with black, gold, and ochre stripes for 1970. Marlboro replaced Yardley for 1972 in a familiar red and white scheme — BRM being the first F1 team to carry the Marlboro colours — before that deal also moved to McLaren for 1974. The final Stanley-BRM cars ran without major sponsorship in red, white, and blue.
With the Owen Organisation withdrawing support, Louis Stanley continued operating the team on a reduced basis as Stanley-BRM until 1977. The Mike Pilbeam-designed P201 achieved a best finish of second place for Beltoise at the 1974 South African Grand Prix. A subsequent car, the P207, was unsuccessful. The team finally folded after the 1977 season.
BRM's commercial activities extended beyond its works team. The V8 engine was sold to privateer teams and appeared in private Lotuses and Brabhams throughout the 1.5-litre formula. BRM collaborated with Rover on a gas-turbine car that ran at Le Mans in 1963 and 1965. V12 engines were supplied to Cooper, McLaren, and John Wyer. BRM also developed road-car engines for Ford and Chrysler under the Owen Organisation umbrella; the BRM-tuned Lotus-Ford Twin Cam became popular in the Lotus Elan.
BRM remains the only constructor to have built an F1 car around a V16 supercharged engine in the post-war era. The team's history combines genuine innovation with chronic mismanagement, and its V16, H16, and V12 engines represent three distinct technical philosophies across three decades of grand prix racing. Historic replicas of the P15 V16 were commissioned by John Owen in the 2020s to mark BRM's 70th anniversary.