Brian Hart founded his company in 1969 to service and tune engines for independent British racing teams across various categories. Hart found particular success developing Ford's FVA engine, which led Ford to approach the small independent to work on the Ford BDA 1.6-litre engine for the 2.0-litre class. The partnership produced significant results: the European Formula Two Championship was won in both 1971 and 1972 with Hart-prepared Ford engines, and the BDA-derived unit powered the majority of Ford's rallying successes through the 1970s.
When Ford withdrew from Formula Two in the mid-1970s, Hart shifted to building his own designs. The first engine to carry the Hart name alone was the twin-cam, four-cylinder Hart 420R Formula Two unit, which appeared in 1976 and powered race-winning cars through the end of the decade. In 1978, the Toleman team agreed to a partnership, providing financing to support further Hart engine development.
For 1981, Hart followed Toleman into Formula One with an inline four-cylinder 1.5-litre turbocharged engine designated the 415T. The debut season was a disaster — the small operation could not keep pace with better-funded rivals, and Toleman cars qualified to race only twice. Hart persisted, and the five-year relationship with Toleman produced gradually improving results. The most significant came at the 1984 Monaco Grand Prix, where Ayrton Senna finished second in a Toleman-Hart, and Toleman claimed seventh in the 1984 Constructors' Championship. Teo Fabi also put a Toleman-Hart on pole position at the 1985 German Grand Prix — one of only two Formula One pole positions ever achieved by a Hart-powered car.
During this period, Hart turbos were used by three additional customer teams: RAM in 1984 and 1985, Spirit in 1984 and 1985, and the Haas Lola team in 1985 and 1986. None achieved major results, but Hart's reputation for producing competitive work on a small budget was established.
After 1984, the major manufacturers — Renault, Honda, BMW, Porsche through TAG, and Ferrari — developed the ability to run much higher turbo boost pressures than the 415T could sustain. At its peak in 1986 with unrestricted boost, the Hart 415T produced a reported 750 bhp at 11,000 rpm. This compared unfavourably to the BMW units reportedly producing around 1,400 bhp in qualifying trim, and the Renault, Honda, and Ferrari engines producing in excess of 1,200 bhp. Development of the turbo engine stopped, and the last time the 415T was raced was at the 1986 San Marino Grand Prix with Patrick Tambay in the Haas Lola.
Following the ban on turbocharged engines after 1988, Hart carried out freelance work, primarily tuning Cosworth DFR V8 units for teams including Footwork Arrows, Tyrrell, Larrousse, and AGS.
Hart returned with an in-house naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V10 engine in 1993, designated the 1035, and signed a two-year deal to supply the Jordan team. The partnership culminated in a successful 1994 season: Rubens Barrichello finished third at the Pacific Grand Prix, and the 1035 produced the engine company's final Formula One pole position when Barrichello qualified fastest at the Belgian Grand Prix.
With the formula changing to 3.0 litres in 1995, Hart developed a V8 named the 830, supplied to the Arrows team in 1995 and 1996. Gianni Morbidelli took third place at the 1995 Australian Grand Prix with an Arrows-Hart — one of the team's strongest results of the era. For 1997, the engines transferred to the Minardi team, while Hart himself designed a new V10 designated the 1030, though the funds to build it were initially unavailable.
Later in 1997, Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) purchased Brian Hart Ltd. and merged it into the Arrows Formula One team. The 1030 V10 was ultimately built and raced as the Arrows T2-F1 V10 in 1998 and 1999, with Mika Salo achieving fourth place at the 1998 Monaco Grand Prix. Frustrated by the lack of engine development under the new ownership structure, Brian Hart left the Arrows operation. The independent engine company effectively ceased to exist as a separate entity following the acquisition.
Hart Racing Engines represents one of the more enduring independent engine manufacturers in Formula One history, achieving results — including Senna's 1984 Monaco podium and Barrichello's 1994 Belgian pole — that far exceeded the company's size and budget. Brian Hart's ability to compete against multinational manufacturers with a small team made his operation a respected part of the Formula One paddock across two decades.