Peter Connew, at the age of 23, resigned from his job to attend the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in 1969 after his employer refused him time off. He was then hired by Surtees, a Formula One team run by former champion John Surtees, as a draughtsman. Following a disagreement with team principal John Surtees, Connew left to pursue designing his own car.
Construction of the chassis jig began in December 1970 in a rented garage in Chadwell Heath, with assistance from Roger Doran and Connew's cousin Barry Boor. Connew's design philosophy was that whilst the car should be efficient, it should also be easy to work on and maintain. The Connew design was tested and refined by utilising a wind tunnel of a local technical college. During the build, drivers Tony Trimmer, Howden Ganley, and Gerry Birrell viewed the car, with Trimmer remarking it was one of the most comfortable cars he had ever sat in.
The PC1 featured a monocoque chassis. The initial monocoque had to be aborted due to a change in regulations requiring a different type of aluminium. The second tub constructed is known in record books as the PC1, though it was the second tub built. The car was powered by a second-hand Cosworth DFV engine purchased from McLaren.
The team initially planned to debut at the 1972 Monaco Grand Prix, but the regulation changes delayed this. An attempt to enter the French Grand Prix was unsuccessful when the team's transport truck broke down en route to the Clermont-Ferrand circuit. Instead, the team tested at the Bugatti Circuit in Le Mans.
The car appeared in practice for the 1972 British Grand Prix, but was withdrawn before the race due to issues with its rear suspension. Despite overnight repairs, a cracked rear upright was discovered the following day, leading to the withdrawal. The team also showed up at the 1972 German Grand Prix, but participation was denied by officials due to a lack of proper prior entry.
The car's only World Championship start was the 1972 Austrian Grand Prix. Migault qualified at the end of the field, experiencing some engine troubles. After 22 laps, Migault had passed four competitors when a rear wishbone mounting point failed on the start/finish straight. Migault managed to bring the car to a safe halt without damage.
The Connew's final Formula One appearance was at the non-championship World Championship Victory Race at Brands Hatch with David Purley. Purley had requested an electrical "kill" switch be fitted to the steering wheel. This switch malfunctioned on the warm-up lap, stopping the engine and leading to the car's retirement before the start.
In 1973, the car was modified to meet Formula 5000 regulations and fitted with a Chevrolet V8 engine. It appeared in the European Formula 5000 Championship, with its first outing at Mallory Park. Swiss driver Pierre Soukry qualified 21st but was unable to start due to a split oil pipe. Soukry later failed to qualify at Brands Hatch.
The chassis's final appearance was at the season finale, also at Brands Hatch. Driven by Tony Trimmer, a collision with a barrier rendered the chassis beyond repair, and the team subsequently closed.
The information presented is based solely on the supplied corpus, specifically the Wikipedia article 'Connew'. No external sources were consulted.
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