1967 Monaco Grand Prix

A well deserved victory

Monte Carlo, May 7th.

It is now just one whole year since the present Grand Prix Formula really got under way, for this time last year the Monaco Grand Prix saw the first big outing of the 3-litre Formula One cars and while 1966 saw some ups and downs 1967 is showing terrific progress. Although this year's Monaco G.P. was the first Championship event in Europe it was not the first in 1967 for back in the winter the South African G.P. was held, though in character it was a 1966 event. With the Monaco starting grid limited to sixteen cars, invitation entries were only given to manufacturers who have been building Grand Prix cars for at least three years, the rest of the entry having to fight among themselves during practice for the remaining places, and these included the A.A.R. Eagle-Weslake team and McLaren. The Owen Racing Organisation entered Stewart with a 2-litre V8 Tasman B.R.M,. and Spence with a revised H16 B.R.M. as used at Oulton Park, and they had another similar H16 car for Stewart if he wanted it. Honda Racing entered Surtees and he had two V12-cylinder cars to choose from, both to the same basic specification but differing in detail, the spare one being virtually brand new. They both had entirely new 5-speed gearboxes with a rearrangement of the crown-wheel layout and the gear shafts, that provides lower friction losses and the whole unit was lighter than the previous one. They were also using new cast alloy wheels, with wider rims than before, now made in Japan whereas previous wheels were made by Halibrand in America. The Brabham team had their two 1966 cars for Brabham and Hulme, the leader having the "interim" engine, of old bottom end and new cylinder heads, but they had a brand new all-Repco engine in a box in case it was needed. This had a Repco-designed aluminium crankcase and block in place of the basic American block used in the past, and it had the latest cylinder heads with inlet and exhaust ports in the vee of the engine, but still with single overhead camshaft to each bank of cylinders.http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/june-1967/35/xxv-monac...