Vanwall

Tony Vandervell's company manufactured Babbit bearings under licence from the Cleveland Graphite Bronze Company. Vandervell was one of the original backers of British Racing Motors. In the early 1950s he entered modified Ferraris in Formule Libre races under the name "Thinwall Special."

The first Vanwall Specials were built for the new Formula One regulations in 1954 at Cox Green, Maidenhead. Owen Maddock designed the chassis, which was built by the Cooper Car Company. The 2.0-litre engine was designed by Norton engineer Leo Kuzmicki: essentially four Manx single-cylinder 498 cc units with a common waterjacket, cylinder head, and valvetrain, induction by four AMAL motorcycle carburettors, mounted on a Rolls-Royce B40 military crankcase copied in aluminium. The car debuted at the 1954 British Grand Prix but was at a decided disadvantage against 2½-litre competition. Goodyear disc brakes built by Vanwall proved successful; front suspension, fuel, and cooling systems were troublesome. Development continued with a switch to Bosch fuel injection arranged via Vandervell's influence with Daimler-Benz. Engine capacity was raised first to 2,237 cc for Peter Collins at Monaco in 1955, then to a full 2,489 cc.

At the end of 1955 Vandervell engaged Colin Chapman to redesign the chassis, working alongside aerodynamicist Frank Costin. The 1956 cars featured space-frame construction with reduced unsprung weight at the De Dion rear axle, a front torsion bar, a fifth gear with Porsche synchromesh, and bodywork Costin described as "much faster in a straight line than any of its rivals." However, the high driving position — the top of the driver's helmet sat 50 inches from the road — and suspect handling remained problems. The new car won a non-championship race at Silverstone. Stirling Moss drove to victory there in his only Vanwall appearance that year, still under contract to Maserati for championship rounds; the full-season drivers were Harry Schell and Maurice Trintignant.

Moss committed to Vanwall full-time for 1957, joined by Tony Brooks and Stuart Lewis-Evans. As the season progressed the cars became faster and more reliable. Moss and Brooks shared Vanwall's first Grand Prix victory at Aintree; Moss subsequently won the Pescara and Italian Grands Prix, finishing the Italian race 41 seconds clear despite a pit stop.

At the end of 1957, alcohol fuels were banned and replaced by compulsory 130-octane aviation gasoline. This reduced Vanwall's power from 290 bhp at 7,500 rpm to 278 bhp on the test bed and roughly 255–262 bhp during races, putting the team at a disadvantage against the new Dino Ferrari V6, claimed at 290 PS at 8,300 rpm. Vanwall offset this through superior roadholding aided by suspension changes, new steel wheels, and Dunlop R5 nylon-cord racing tyres, together with its streamlined body, 5-speed gearbox, and disc brakes.

All three drivers returned in 1958. Moss won in the Netherlands, Portugal, and Morocco; Brooks won in Belgium, Germany, and Italy. Vanwall became the first team to win the Constructors' Championship, introduced that season. Moss lost the Drivers' Championship to Mike Hawthorn by a single point. The season ended in tragedy when Stuart Lewis-Evans was fatally injured in the final race in Morocco.

Vandervell's deteriorating health brought the team's full-season programme to an end after 1958. Brooks made one appearance in a lower, lighter Vanwall at the 1959 British Grand Prix but was outpaced by the new mid-engined Coopers. The team tried again at the 1960 French Grand Prix with VW5, upgraded and renumbered VW11, without success. The last racing Vanwall was a rear-engined machine built for the 1961 3.0-litre Intercontinental Formula, with an engine enlarged to 2,605 cc rated at 290 bhp on 100-octane petrol. John Surtees campaigned it in two races showing promise, but development halted when the formula failed to gain traction in Europe. Vanwall finished racing in 1961.

In 2003, Vanwall Cars was formed by Arthur Wolstenholme, producing the Vanwall GPR V12 — a road-legal single-seater — and a Sports Racer. In 2012 the trademark was acquired by Sanderson International Marketing Ltd. In 2020, Vanwall 1958 Ltd commissioned Hall & Hall to build six original 1958-specification continuation cars.

This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.