Sunday, June 18, 2006

The Lewis Formula One Car

Welsh constructor Cyril Kieft's Formula One car could have been a world championship challenger in the 1950s. The project came to a halt when Coventry-Climax took fright at the power outputs claimed by its Continental rivals and ceased develpment of the FPE V-8 engine. We now know that the bhp figures claimed by the European manufacturers were fictitious, the Kieft project has been completed and the car is running with great success in present-day historic races.

Another "Welsh" car that never made it to the track was built for Jack Lewis's H&L Motors team. In 1960/61Ted Jeffs, the Lewis team mechanic built a straight-tube chassis designed for Formula One, reaching the stage where it stood on its wheels in the Lewis team's Stroud workshop. The project was then abandoned and the chassis sold on for completion as a hill climb special.

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